Is wholewheat pasta a good diet food?

Firstly, garlic probably won't make any difference to your waistline but is probably a healthy addition to your diet (but not perhaps your social life).

The answer to this question has to do with the Glycemic Index (known as "GI"). This is a very popular diet concept and books on "GI Diets" have sold millions of copies.

I worked with with researchers at the University of Toronto briefly while looking into how different kinds of carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels and weight loss. University of Toronto is where Dr David Jenkins first developed the idea of the "Glycemic Index", so I've been following this topic for over 10 years...long before all of the "GI Diet" books came out! So you're in good hands asking me about this question.

Whole wheat pasta has about a 25% lower glycemic index (GI) than white pasta. Therefore, it will deliver 25% less sugar to the bloodstream over a two-hour period after it is consumed. This is important because higher blood sugar levels usually mean that the body produces more of the hormone insulin who's job it is to store the sugar in the cells.

Insulin also has the effect of stopping the fat-burning process and more insulin release usually means you get hungry again sooner. Insulin also increases fat storage.

The difference in GI between these two similar foods is probably due to the quantity of available carbohydrates being lower in the whole wheat pasta due to its higher fibre content (fibre is not absorbed and metabolised into sugar in the body) and fibre's effect of slowing digestion and absorption in the gut.

So whole wheat pasta is a better diet food than normal pasta because it will keep you feeling fuller longer and won't slow fat-burning activity as much or increase fat storage as much.

However, both pastas are a concentrated source of starchy carbohydrates and calories and as with all carbs, if you don't burn them off, they will encourage fat storage. Carb intake levels should always mirror your activity levels and your goals. So if you are not active and you want to lose fat, then you have to manage your carb intake so as to eat fewer than you burn.

I always go by the adage that you have to "earn" your calories (especially your carbs) by burning extra calories.

So yes, whole wheat pasta is better but its intake still has to be controlled to allow for fat loss.