It’s the time of year most people are trying to shed a few pounds.
But an expert has revealed an easy trick to help enjoy your carbs guilt-free.
Their discovery means you could even tuck into pasta salads or sushi while shedding weight.
So, what’s their secret?
It turns out that letting your pasta, rice and potatoes fully cool down before you eat them can help with weight loss.
‘When you cook and cool foods like pasta and rice, their starch molecules realign, forming resistant starch,’ fitness expert Kevin David Rail said.
‘Unlike regular carbohydrates, resistant starch acts more like fibre, meaning it digests more slowly, provides a steady energy release, and helps keep blood sugar levels stable.’
He said athletes – including top footballers – have been using the hack for years to help sustain energy levels, improve recovery and manage weight.
Carb-heavy dishes such as pasta (pictured) should be eaten cold to help you feel fuller for longer, an expert said
A cold potato salad, such as this, contains more resistant starch than spuds which are fresh out of the oven
‘Footballers don’t just think about what they eat—they think about how it’s prepared,’ Mr Rail said.
‘Many will eat cold pasta salads, rice bowls, or overnight oats to get the resistant starch benefits while keeping their digestion efficient and energy steady.’
He said incorporating cooled carbs into everyday meals can help people manage weight, boost gut health and prevent energy dips.
Even cooled carbs that have been reheated have the same effect, as resistant starch remains intact, he explained.
Therefore, it offers the same blood sugar benefits as eating it cold.
Another recommendation is to meal prep, so cooled carbs are ready and available in advance.
And finally, pairing them with protein and fats can further boost muscle recovery and support weight management.
‘As a coach, I see firsthand how the right nutrition strategies can improve not just physical performance but overall well-being,’ Mr Rail, from Trainingnets.com, added.
The discovery could mean that people who are trying to shed a few pounds can still enjoy their favourite pasta and rice dishes – in moderation
‘If elite athletes are doing it, there’s definitely something worth paying attention to.’
Dr Chris van Tulleken, infectious diseases doctor and author of ‘Ultra-Processed People’, has previously spoken of the benefits of resistant starch.
‘When the normal starch in white bread and pasta is digested, it’s turned into sugar almost as fast as if you drank the same amount of sugar in a sweet drink,’ he said.
‘This is because normal starch is made up of tangled chains of glucose sugar molecules that are broken down into single sugar molecules extremely easily in your gut, and then quickly absorbed.
‘If this sugar isn’t burned off, it is turned into fat.’
He explained the difference with resistant starch is that some of those glucose chains are no longer broken down in your small intestine – where food is normally broken down and the nutrients absorbed – and instead reaches the large intestine.
Here, it is broken down more slowly, meaning blood sugar levels don’t rise as high and people feel fuller for longer.
Once the resistant starch has been fermented by bacteria in the gut, it turns into chemicals called short-chain fatty acids.
‘These have a wide range of benefits, such as preventing heart disease and possibly lowering blood pressure,’ Dr van Tulleken said.
Research published in 2023 found that cooking pasta al dente also helps people lose weight, as it slows the rate at which they eat.
In experiments, scientists discovered that soft pasta dishes are eaten 45 per cent faster than dishes which feature less-cooked pasta.
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain
• 30 grams of fibre a day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat cereal biscuits, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread and large baked potato with the skin on
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks) choosing lower fat and lower sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consuming in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men a day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
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