a friend just called me up asking if it makes a difference if you carbo load on rice pasta (ie pad thai) instead of wheat pasta. i’ve never heard that one type is better than the other but thought i’d throw this one out to the experts here on ST…
Different types of pastas will have different glycemic indices, thus they will trigger a different insulin reaction (i.e.: how long after consumption does the body’s sugar level start to spike which triggers the creation of insulin). In general, you want to eat low GI carbs. Plus you want to try and eat complex carbs not simple carbs (complex carbs have things like fibre and not just sugars). If you were going to carbo-load on simple carbs you might as well just drink a shitload of cola for 3 days before your race, or eat sugar by the cup ful. Does that make sense? Nah, stick to low GI and complex carbs…
hm, interesting. so which has the lower GI, rice noodles or spaghetti?
I think white rice is pretty bad, go brown rice or whole wheat noodles, at least it’s a step in the right direction.
Wheat pasta would have more fiber → lower glycemic index.
It is my opinion that if carb loading, throw every type of CHO into the diet. Slow GI foods will get into the system slower than the higher GI foods, but the bottom line is that you have a finite period of time to get your cells loaded. This may go against traditional nutritional advice that is usually conservative and generalized across all populations. If you are an triathlete and want to increase glycolysis (making glycogen) do a few small bouts of very high intensity “sprints” in all three sports two and one day before your race. Then eat CHO’s like crazy.