Research Spotlight: The Pasta Swap That Can Help You Eat Less

Carbohydrates are often one of the first things people cut back on when trying to lose weight or change their body composition. Pasta is usually high on the list, even though it’s one of the foods people enjoy most.

But you may not need to remove pasta altogether to support weight loss. Instead, changing the type of pasta you choose could influence how full you feel and how much you eat afterward.

Research suggests that certain types of pasta, particularly those made from legumes like lentils and chickpeas, may support fullness and reduce overall food intake compared to traditional wheat pasta.

Let’s look at what the research shows and how this could apply to your own weight loss.

The Study

Lentils based pasta affect satiation, satiety and food intake in healthy volunteers
(doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100858)

This study looked at how pasta made from legumes (like lentils and chickpeas) compares with regular wheat and gluten-free pasta in how full people feel and how much they eat.

The Method

Researchers gave healthy adult volunteers different kinds of pasta meals and measured:

• How much people ate when given unlimited food afterward
• How full or hungry they felt after eating each type of pasta.

They tested four different pasta types (with varying macronutrient levels) served with tomato sauce:

Participants had two different test sessions:

• In one, they ate a pasta meal freely and then were offered a buffet to see how much they ate afterward.
• In the other, they ate a fixed amount of each pasta, and researchers asked them how hungry or full they felt over time.

The Results

Here’s what the researchers found:

People ate less food overall after eating lentil pasta compared to regular wheat pasta. This suggests lentil pasta may help reduce total calorie intake in the short term.

• Feelings of fullness were higher after eating lentil and chickpea pasta than after ordinary wheat pasta — especially in women. Participants reported feeling more satisfied and less hungry.
• These effects were strongest right after eating, and especially when comparing lentil pasta to traditional wheat pasta.

Overall, legume-based pastas (lentil and chickpeas) seemed to make people feel fuller and eat less food afterward.

These results aren’t surprising when you look at the macronutrient differences of each of the pasta types. The lentil and chickpea pasta varieties have far higher amounts of protein and dietary fiber, which would contribute to the feelings of fullness. Protein takes the body longer to digest and triggers the release of the most fullness hormones compared to other macronutrients. Dietary fiber adds physical bulk to food and slows down the rate of digestion, contributing to fullness over a longer period.

Key Takeaways

Here’s what this could mean for your everyday nutrition and weight loss efforts:

1. Legume-based pastas may help with fullness

Pasta made from lentils or chickpeas is higher in fiber and plant protein compared to regular wheat pasta. That combo can support better appetite control, which may help you eat less overall.

2. Feeling fuller could support your goals

If you’re trying to manage hunger while eating within your calorie RDI, choosing foods that keep you feeling full longer (like legume pastas) might be useful, especially around main meals.

3. Track and learn what works for you

It’s generally recommended for adults to eat 25-35g of dietary fiber per day. To understand your own fiber intake, navigate to the Reports page in the fatsecret app, tap the Nutrients tab, then tap on ‘Fiber’. You can see a list of foods you’ve eaten and how much fiber they each contribute to identify opportunities for swaps or upgrades.

While lentils and chickpeas provide a considerable amount of fiber, most fruits, vegetables and grains can get you closer to reaching your daily target. Look out for foods labelled as ‘high fiber’ or choose wholemeal or wholegrain options when available.

👉 Bottom line: This research suggests that replacing traditional pasta with legume-based pasta could help increase feelings of fullness and reduce food intake. This shows that often all it takes is a simple swap or upgrade of a food to get you closer to your goals.

Reference

Cioffi I, Martini D, Del Bo' C, Brusamolino A, Casiraghi MC, Porrini M, Riso P. Lentils based pasta affect satiation, satiety and food intake in healthy volunteers. Curr Res Food Sci. 2024 Sep 19;9:100858. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100858. PMID: 39386053; PMCID: PMC11462262.