Health
Why eating pasta in the evening is good for you
A plate of pasta in the evening is good for everyone, but in some situations or stages of life is even more appropriate. Let’s see which ones:
1.STRESS
Stress is a psychophysical response that, when it becomes chronic, causes changes in the body: levels of cortisol and insulin rise and increases that “hedonistic” appetite that leads us to eat not out of necessity, but out of “nervous” demand. With the increase in blood insulin, the hormone that promotes the deposit of fat, tends to get fat. Carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin, which in turn facilitates the absorption of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of serotonin and melatonin. An anti-stress diet includes carbohydrates, giving priority to those rich in fiber such as whole grains, which limit the absorption of fats and sugars, concentrating them especially in the evening, when the cortisol is lower because of its circadian course.
2.INSOMNIA
Insomnia alters the normal sleep cycle and the balance of two fundamental hormones that regulate appetite and the sense of hunger, such as leptin and ghrelin. The ideal menu should therefore avoid the exciting substances and provide those foods that have a relaxing action, source of tryptophan, and that stimulate the production of serotonin, the so-called relaxation hormone, and melatonin, pseudo-hormone that regulates the sleep-wake rhythms. Complex carbohydrates, such as pasta, ensure a sufficient intake of tryptophan and, in whole-wheat pasta, B vitamins. So a plate of spaghetti at dinner is the ideal solution.
3.AFTERNOON PHYSICAL EFFORT
During physical activity, especially in the first 30 minutes, the body uses the reserves of glucose to produce energy: endurance and performance depend precisely on the content of muscle and liver glycogen. Pasta and carbohydrates are essential in the diet of those who practice physical activity at a competitive or amateur level, because they make it possible to integrate lost muscle glucose with physical effort. Those who practice physical activity from the afternoon to the evening, have an extra push to consume the pasta because in addition to reintegrating the glycogen levels, induces relaxation. And in this sense, it is better to prefer the consumption of “yellow” pasta because the glycemic index is higher, stimulating insulin more.
4.PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME
Swelling, mood swings and hunger, a lot of hunger: the hormonal imbalance due to this syndrome affects 25% of the female population. The cause? An increase in the level of estrogen and prolactin and a decrease in dopamine, serotonin and vitamin B6. Carbohydrates can compensate for physiological decreases in blood sugar and serotonin. Increasing the availability of simple sugars, by increasing insulin levels, induces greater storage of tryptophan within the cells to synthesize serotonin. In addition, whole carbohydrates contain vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, which is essential for overcoming headaches, water retention, nervousness, swelling, nausea, dizziness and dizziness.
5.NON-PATHOLOGICAL DEPRESSION
By depression we mean those mood disorders that from passengers and children can turn into a real mental illness, resulting in a very low mood. Among the causes that cause it, a poor condition of balance of the microbiota, the set of organisms, bacteria, fungi and protozoa that populates our intestines and helps us to assimilate food, protecting us from many viruses and diseases. This is where 70% of the immune system resides. The impoverishment of the intestinal microbiota would be the basis of the recent spread of diseases typical of contemporary society, including depressive diseases. The consumption of cereals such as pasta improves the state of health with positive consequences on the state of mind. And wholegrain cereals, absorbed more slowly, maintain stable levels of energy and blood sugar, regulating mood.
