Fewer calories: why eat pasta and potatoes the night before

Pasta starch is one of the complex carbohydrates – and is considered a real fattener. However, this is only partially correct. If you want to lose weight, you can always rely on pasta – but note a tip. It sounds surprising, but it’s true: when pasta cools, it contains fewer calories. This also applies to potatoes, rice and other starches.

Of course, it’s not enough to lose weight just to rely on yesterday’s potatoes, pasta, and more. Either way, these sleepy foods can help with long-term weight loss. The reason: when cooked pasta cools, some of the starch it contains becomes indigestible. Therefore, they also provide zero calories. Day-old pasta contains about ten percent less digestible starch than freshly cooked pasta. This also applies if you reheat them again and fry the noodles, for example. However, the process takes about twelve to 24 hours, so you should let the noodles rest for that long – preferably in the refrigerator, so that no unwanted bacteria can settle.

In short: what is resistant starch?

Starch is one of the carbohydrates and is the most important nutritional and reserve carbohydrate in many foods. Briefly explained, it is a natural polysaccharide found in pasta, potatoes and cereals, among others.

When these starches cool, resistant starch is produced as a breakdown product. Indigestible starch becomes a type of fiber when it passes through the small intestine unused. In the body, resistant starch behaves in the same way as dietary fiber. Dietary fiber keeps you full longer thanks to its indigestible or resistant starch.