Pasta has been at the centre of many debates about carbs, weight, and healthy eating. Some avoid it completely, while others eat it every day. So, is it healthy or not? Pasta is indeed a carbohydrate-rich food made from wheat, but that’s not the full story. And carbs are not the health disaster they are sometimes painted to be. Find out more about carbs and how to have them be part of a healthy diet.
What Are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are one of the most essential nutrients for life, yet they are still poorly understood. We know that a carbohydrate is a molecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, that it’s often found in sugary and starchy foods (or rather, carbs get turned into sugars via digestion), and that the body uses them for energy. It’s known that foods can contain “simple” and “complex” carbohydrates, and that different types have varying levels of Glycaemic Index (GI).
The body gets energy from glucose. If there is already enough glucose to fuel the body, surplus glucose is stored in the organs and in muscles as glycogen. If glycogen stores are full (which is usually about 500 grams per person), carbohydrates can be converted into triglycerides and be stored as fat.
Unlike a nutrient like protein, which is well understood by professionals, carbohydrates are still being examined. Perhaps it’s part of this continuously changing understanding and lack of concrete information that makes people think carbs are bad. The (so-far-known) truth is much more complex!
Simple vs Complex Carbohydrate, Fibre, and the Glycaemic Index
Until recently, carbohydrates were generally sorted into two categories: simple and complex. Simple carbs were generally classified as refined foods that had sugars easily accessible by the body; that is, the sugars are drawn out, broken down, and incorporated into the bloodstream quickly. Complex carbs were seen as foods that had natural sugars that took more work for the body to process, leading to a slower release into the bloodstream.
While the essence of these ideas still stands today, we now know there are more layers of complexity. We know that fibre plays an important role in the amount of time it takes for the body to extract and incorporate the natural or added sugars in a food. Generally, the more fibre, the slower the release of sugar.
Foods with more fibre and a lower GI score are typically associated with feeling fuller longer. Therefore, they can help you eat smaller portions and eat fewer serves of other types of food during the day (which, when we are hungry, are usually foods with lots of fat or sugar). For people trying to lose weight and/or control their blood glucose levels, high-fibre, low-GI foods are important to include at every meal.
Additionally, new terms have been created to better describe a food’s behaviour relating to blood sugar. Glycaemic Index (GI) is a way to describe how quickly or slowly a food increases blood glucose levels. The number is a representation of how quickly the food is digested, as well as how fast its sugars increase blood glucose levels.
In this concept, blood glucose levels are examined over a 2-hour period. So, a food that brings blood sugar up and back down in minutes to about an hour after eating does so because it’s quickly digested, and therefore has a higher GI. Slower-to-digest foods have lower GI scores and typically result in a slower rise and fall of blood glucose, as well as a more moderate maximum blood glucose level. Dairy is an example of a food that has a low GI because its sugars are not refined.
The foundation of the GI is based on an average food item most everyone has access to: a standard slice of white bread. The slice has a GI score of 100, which is a high score (meaning it spikes blood glucose and insulin quickly and with great effect). The full scale is:
low GI (< 55)
medium GI (55 to 70)
high GI (> 70)
Glycaemic Load (GL) is an equation described as: GI x the amount of carbohydrates (in grams) in a serving of food ÷ 100. It describes how quickly the sugar will affect the consumer’s blood glucose. A higher GL means a higher impact.
How Does Fibre Impact Blood Glucose?
Fibre helps slow down the speed at which carbs are broken down into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream. In other words, fibre helps lower the GI and GL of a food or meal. This is important for health. Having too much high-GI food can strain the body and make type II diabetes and heart problems more likely.
Fibre is also crucial for a healthy digestive system and overall body, and is one of the most under-consumed nutrients in modern diets. Highly processed foods and animal-based products tend to be low in fibre and high in fat. While fat is important for a healthy body, too much can be detrimental. Include a portion of food with a high-fibre content, like whole-grain bread, in your meal to lower the GL.
Factors that Impact GI in Food
As we’ve seen, there are many factors that change the quality of the carbohydrates in a food, but also how they are absorbed by the body. Some elements are inherent, such as whether a food is a fruit, vegetable, or other type of item. Others are controllable, like cooking and processing.
Fruits generally become softer and sweeter as they ripen. It’s meant to entice animals to eat them and spread the seeds. This means that riper fruits usually have more sugar and less fibre as with each passing day. Slightly underripe or just-ripened fruits typically have a lower GI.
Processing food simply means changing it from its natural state; it’s not an inherently unhealthy thing to do. Mechanical processing simply means that a food has been milled or crushed. Processed foods are more quickly broken down in the body compared to their raw state, which means they usually have a higher GI. This is because processing physically breaks down the food the same way chewing does, so the body doesn’t need to work very hard to digest the molecules.
Cooking is another type of processing. For most foods, cooking breaks down some of the tougher-to-digest molecules before consumption. Hot food can sometimes have a higher GI than the same thing served cold (for example, a hot baked potato versus a cold potato salad).
Eating low-GI and high-GI foods in one meal can create an “averaging” effect. Blood glucose is impacted at a moderate rate due to the varying GI rates.
Fibre (soluble and insoluble), fat, protein, fructose, lactose, phytates, and acids (like vinegar and lemon juice) can slow digestion and therefore the rate at which sugars are absorbed and therefore, the food’s GI. So, for example, white bread on its own has a GI of 100, but it can be lowered if it’s eaten as part of a sandwich with lean chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, and lemony mayonnaise.
Each body will react slightly differently to different foods and their carbohydrates. This can be due to individual differences in gut bacteria, the levels of digestive enzymes produced, conditions, genetic components, and other various factors.
Understanding Carbohydrates Through Pasta
Pasta is a perfect food to demonstrate carbohydrates. While you might think it’s “too” high in carbs and therefore unhealthy, it’s actually a reasonable choice as part of a balanced meal. That’s because of its distinct features:
- Durum or semolina: Most pasta is made from wheat. Specifically, durum wheat. Semolina is coarse-ground durum wheat. Durum wheat pasta is semolina that has been processed even more, creating a smooth-ground flour. Pasta made from semolina has a lower GI than pasta made with durum because the flour is less processed, even though it comes from the same plant.
- Whole wheat pasta can have an even lower GL because it is less refined.
- Pasta contains gluten, which is a type of protein. This helps slow digestion and stabilise blood glucose levels.
- Pasta also has a moderate amount of fibre, which further slows digestion and blood glucose level increases.
- Pasta contains other valuable nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin E, and minerals, while being low in fat.
Even though pasta contains a lot of carbs, it is not “unhealthy” since it has other valuable nutrients as well. As part of a whole meal, pasta is a perfectly healthy choice. Including it along with the other food groups can be part of a healthy eating pattern.
People with diabetes are generally encouraged to eat a diet that is mindful of carbohydrates. They don’t usually need to avoid them entirely, but instead focus on unrefined grains, foods with a low GI and GL, and emphasise whole fruits and vegetables. Avoiding high-GI foods (typically thought of as “simple carbs”) like sugary drinks, pastries, and candy is typically recommended.
What is Carb Loading?
Carbohydrate loading is an eating strategy typically used by endurance athletes. The simple explanation is that it involves eating a large amount of carbohydrates 1-3 days before an event to maximise glycogen stores in the muscles. Glycogen is burned as fuel in the body.
Athletes who are performing more than 60 minutes of vigorous exercise (like running a marathon) can benefit from carb loading. The technique can also be helpful for other activities, like going on a long hike or working a strenuous job. It isn't usually appropriate for casual athletes and shouldn't be practised too often, especially if paired with a fast.
Without enough glycogen, the body will resort to burning fat and muscle by breaking them down into fatty acids and amino acids, respectively. That means that avoiding carbs 100% of the time can lead to fat loss, but also muscle loss.
Generally, it’s recommended to consume about 10 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight per day. To carb load, increase the amount to about 12g of carbs per kg of body weight.
During a carb-loading phase, it’s important to limit the amount of fat and fibre ingested. Too much fat can turn into weight gain. Too much fibre can cause gastrointestinal distress, especially if you’re not used to eating a lot of fibre in your everyday diet. Plus, having a large amount of insoluble fibre can lead to problems like cramping and uncontrollable bowels during an endurance sport like running a marathon.
Common Sources of Carbohydrates
Carbs are found in a wide variety of foods. Conversely, there are many foods high in sugar that contain no carbs at all! This adds to the confusion about carbs and their health status. Here are some of the most typical sources of carbs in the average modern Australian diet:
| Food / Category | Glycaemic Index | Glycaemic Load |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit & Vegetables | ||
| Avocado | 10 | 0.9 |
| Broccoli | 15 | 0.5 |
| Mushrooms (raw) | 15 | 0.8 |
| Lettuce | 15 | 0.5 |
| Cucumber | 15 | 0.4 |
| Blueberry | 25 | 2 |
| Pear | 30 | 4.7 |
| Apricot | 34 | 3.8 |
| Orange | 35 | 4.1 |
| Peas (raw) | 35 | 4.5 |
| Corn | 35 | 1.8 |
| Apple | 36 | 5 |
| Red grapes | 45 | 8.1 |
| Banana | 48 | 10.1 |
| Peas (frozen, boiled) | 51 | 4.6 |
| French fries | 75 | 22.6 |
| Celery, boiled | 85 | 4 |
| Baked potato | 95 | 20 |
| Grains | ||
| Sprouted grains | 15 | 6.2 |
| Quinoa | 35 | 7.3 |
| Buckwheat pancakes | 40 | 3.6 |
| Whole wheat pasta | 40 | 10.6 |
| Muesli | 50 | 37.1 |
| Pasta (durum wheat) | 50 | 11.6 |
| Buckwheat | 50 | 22 |
| Brown rice | 50 | 36.5 |
| Basmati rice | 50 | 37.5 |
| Bulgur | 55 | 10.2 |
| Oats | 59 | 36 |
| Long grain rice | 60 | 46.8 |
| White bread baguette | 70 | 36 |
| Cornflakes | 85 | 55.3 |
| Dairy | ||
| Soy yoghurt | 20 | 1.6 |
| Skim milk | 27 | 0.1 |
| Milk | 31 | 1.6 |
| Fat-free yoghurt | 33 | 2.5 |
| Yoghurt | 35 | 1.6 |
| Nuts & Beans | ||
| Peanut | 15 | 2.4 |
| Soy bean | 15 | 4.5 |
| Walnuts | 15 | 1.1 |
| Tempeh | 15 | 1.4 |
| Tofu | 15 | 0.1 |
| Cashews | 25 | 3.1 |
| Hazelnuts | 25 | 2.5 |
| Soy milk | 30 | 1.8 |
| Lentils (yellow) | 30 | 19.6 |
| Chickpeas (canned) | 335 | 6.8 |
| Chestnut | 60 | 26.5 |
| Other | ||
| White chocolate | 44 | 26 |
| Jam | 51 | 47.5 |
| Beer | 70 | 2.5 |
Typically, animal products like meat and eggs have zero carbs. Why is that? It’s because they contain no sugars.
Low-Carb Vegetables to Add to Your Diet
Vegetables are an excellent food to include in just about any diet. They, along with fruits, are full of nutrients and fibre. Some vegetables can have a high GI because of natural sugars (though the GL typically remains low). If you’re looking to add more vegetables, but are concerned about carbohydrate levels, there are still lots of veggies you can choose from:
- Lettuce
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Kale
- Spinach
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Asperagus
- Zucchini
- Avocados
- Cauliflower
- Green beans
- Garlic
- Cabbage
- Cucumbers
- Brussels sprouts
- Tomatoes
- Radishes
- Onions
- Eggplant
- Artichokes
Carbohydrates are not well understood, even by professionals in the health sector. New data is being discovered all the time about how they interact with other nutrients and molecules, different cooking processes, and different bodies. What we know for certain is that they supply energy to the body when consumed in a healthy form and at a healthy dose. Most people do not need to limit or avoid carbs. If you do want to try a low-carb or no-carb diet, be sure to consult your doctor and a registered dietitian.
References
- Australian Food Composition Database | Food Standards Australia New Zealand. www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/food-nutrient-databases/afcd. Accessed 23 July 2026.
- “Australian guide to healthy eating.” eatforhealth.gov.au, www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-guide-healthy-eating. Accessed 23 July 2026.
- Department of Health & Human Services. “Carbohydrates and the Glycaemic Index.” Better Health Channel, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/carbohydrates-and-the-glycaemic-index. Accessed 23 July 2026.
- “Foods with a high glycemic index (gi).” Glycemic Index Guide, 14 May 2023, glycemic-index.net/high-glycemic-index-foods. Accessed 23 July 2026.
- “Glycemic Index Research and GI News | FAQs.” University of Sydney, glycemicindex.com/faqs. Accessed 23 July 2026.
- “Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Carbohydrate.” eatforhealth.gov.au, www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/carbohydrate. Accessed 23 July 2026.
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