I was today years old when I learned reheating pasta makes it healthier

If you’ve ever felt that food coma crash after a big bowl of pasta, you’re not alone. But according to new research, there’s a simple way to avoid that God awful feeling behind.

I was today years old when I found out reheating your pasta can do wonders for your digestion and blood sugar levels.

High-starch foods like white pasta, rice, and potatoes are quick to digest, sending your blood sugar up and then aggressively dropping, leaving you hungry again…

Dr Denise Robertson, senior nutritionist at the University of Surrey, looked at blood sugar responses in 10 participants over three days, serving pasta in different ways - freshly cooked hot, chilled, and then reheated from chilled.

In her study, Dr Robertson found hot pasta caused the expected big spike in blood sugar levels. Chilled pasta reported a “slightly lower rise”, but reheated pasta cut the blood sugar rise by half.

Cooking breaks down starches in food, making them quick to digest. Cooling allows the starch molecules to reorganise, forming resistant starch - a type of carbohydrate that behaves more like fibre, slowing digestion and reducing sugar spikes. 

But before you go loading extra onto your dinner plate, the reheated pasta isn’t suddenly magically lower in calories - this information is just a handy trick for stabilising blood sugar and supporting fibre intake.

And please, do NOT leave your pasta to sit on the bench and cool down - food safety is important. Chuck it in the fridge to properly cool, before reheating!

For people with pre- or type 2 diabetes, it could make managing blood sugar easier. And for the rest of us, it’s a way to keep meals satisfying, support digestion, and may help you enjoy your carbs without the dreaded crash.

‘Cause who doesn’t love carbs?

So next time you cook a big batch of pasta, don’t eat it hot. Let it chill, then heat it up when you’re ready to eat. Your gut - and energy levels - will thank you for it.