There’s a Secret Superfood in White Rice and Pasta: Here’s How To Unlock It

Naughty or nice? That’s often how I think about foods packed with carbohydrates. Whole grains, like brown rice and whole wheat, fall squarely into the nice category, while white pasta and rice, well, they’re more naughty.

“They’re naughty, in a sense, because we digest them rapidly and that creates a fast rise in blood sugar,” says nutritionist Mindy Patterson, at Texas Woman’s University in Houston. They’re also low in fiber and protein, compared to their whole grain cousins.

Over time, all those quick surges in blood sugar can hurt your health, Patterson says. They can contribute to insulin resistance and just leave you feeling tired.

“If we don’t have these spikes and dips in our blood sugar, then we tend to have more energy and just feel better,” she says. These spikes are especially problematic for people with diabetes. Over time, they can cause strokes or heart disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.