Buzz
If I’m not careful, the afternoon 'hangries' tend to catch up with me right when there's a gap between lunch and dinner. Instead of preparing a nutritious snack, I often end up scavenging the kitchen for the quickest fix. However, I recently learned that by preparing my lunch a certain way, I can actually make it more satisfying and keep the hunger pangs at bay longer.
As research suggests, if your lunch includes leftover pasta (or potatoes, rice, or lentils) from the day before, reheating it might be just what you need to prevent mindless snacking and help you make more deliberate food choices later on.
Low blood sugar is a common cause of hunger
Hunger often results from low blood sugar, which signals our body that it's time to eat. A recent study published in the journal Nature Metabolism found that individuals who experienced significant drops in blood sugar levels several hours after eating felt hungrier and consumed more than those whose blood sugar levels declined gradually.
One way to prevent a sharp drop in blood sugar is to choose foods with a lower glycemic index, a measure of how much a food raises your blood sugar. Typically, foods high in refined sugars and carbs have a higher glycemic index, whereas foods rich in fiber, fat, and protein have a lower glycemic index.
Foods with a high glycemic index will cause your blood sugar to rise quickly, whereas foods with a lower glycemic index take longer to digest and produce a more gradual effect, leading to a less dramatic increase in blood sugar.
Reheated leftover pasta results in a more gradual change in blood sugar
In a 2020 study published in the journal Foods, participants were given three different meals, in random order, of pasta that was either hot, cooled, or reheated, and their blood sugar levels were monitored over a two-hour period.
When individuals consumed reheated pasta, they saw a milder increase in their blood sugar levels compared to those who ate freshly prepared pasta. This phenomenon is believed to occur because reheated pasta contains more resistant starch, which digests more slowly and leads to a more gradual change in blood sugar levels.
This same effect can be found in other foods such as potatoes, lentils, and rice, which all have elevated levels of resistant starch after being cooled and reheated.
Reheated pasta helps to curb your hunger
I experimented with this idea over two different days, eating a hot plate of spaghetti with veggie meatballs one day, followed by reheating the same meal the next. If you’re concerned about your pasta drying out, you can add an ice cube in the middle or cover it with a damp paper towel. The steam produced will help keep it moist.
The effect was subtle, but on the day I had reheated pasta, it dulled my hunger just enough that I was able to take my time preparing a snack of apple slices and peanut butter, rather than hastily searching for a bag of chips in frustration.
This is supposedly a hack for weight loss, though I'm somewhat doubtful of that claim since our bodies are generally quite effective at maintaining a stable weight. Still, health involves more than just weight, and from my own experience, embracing a wider variety of healthier foods brings numerous physical and mental benefits unrelated to the scale.
While it may not be a major shift, it's enough, particularly when it's as easy as reheating leftovers for lunch.
