2024-01-12 17:01:43
Despite the efforts of experts to spread the importance of having good nutritional education, there are still many people who think that it is enough to count calories and eat little. The rest doesn’t matter. For this reason, in recent years rice and konjac paste. These are made with flour extracted from the root of a plant of the Southeast Asia and they are characterized by what at first glance seem like two great virtues: a very low calorie intake and great satiating power.
A lot of influencers have joined the konjac pasta trend. They advertise it as a panacea. It has no flavor, so the important thing is the sauce, which if you want you can go a little overboard; because, after all, you are saving a lot of calories. But you won’t be able to overdo it too much because you won’t feel like eating a lot of sauce. You will be satisfied sooner.
These all seem like advantages, but the truth is that both the consumption of konjac pasta and glucomannan supplements, obtained from the same plant, have risks that are not usually talked about. Their benefits are proclaimed from the rooftops, but the dangers that have led to some of these products being banned in countries like Australia They are not so well known.
What is konjac pasta?
Both konjac pasta and the rest of the products mentioned are obtained from a plant called Amorphophallus konjac. It is a tuber, of which the root is mainly used, which is ground to obtain a flour rich in a type of very soluble fiber called glucomannan.
The plant is typical of Southeast Asia, where its root It has been used for centuries, both in food and in traditional medicine. However, in recent years it has also reached the West with many applications. It can be used to make pasta and rice, widely used because they have many fewer calories than conventional ones. Also in the food industry as a thickening additive and in vegan cuisine to replace gelatin. Additionally, it is possible to consume it in candies or supplements in the form of glucomannan pills.
Its benefits are real
It is true that konjac pasta, as well as other products from the same plant, have certain benefits proven by science.
For example, its high fiber content gives it its characteristic benefits. Among them, its great satiating power stands out. This is mainly due to its ability to absorb water. This leads to bloating in the stomach and therefore less space to consume other foods.
What is a virtue is also considered the main reason for its risks, but we will see that later. Other advantages of konjac that have been studied are its role in lowering cholesterol levels. This is because fecal excretion of this substance increases and, in addition, its intestinal absorption.
And finally, something curious is that there is a study in which some benefits of konjac are observed to prevent and improve acne.
The konjac plant is typical of Southeast Asia. Credit: Sebastian Stabinger (Wikimedia Commons)
Eating konjac pasta is not as healthy as you think
Indeed, the virtues of konjac pasta can also become great risks.
To begin with, your high levels of fiber They can cause symptoms such as bloating and abdominal pain, gas, nausea or diarrhea, especially in people who are not used to consuming fiber. But that is not important.
There have also been documented cases of suffocation, especially in people with swallowing problems or alterations of the esophagus. This is because it can swell prematurely, causing a esophageal obstruction. This has been observed, more than with konjac pasta, with candies and pills. However, it could happen with any product. For this reason, it is usually recommended to take them with plenty of water so that they reach the stomach as soon as possible. If not, even people without esophageal problems could suffer from some of these risks.
On the other hand, in the same way that it absorbs cholesterol, konjac can absorb other nutrients. This is a problem, since konjac pasta is already short on nutrients. It has a much worse nutritional profile than any other type of pasta and increases satiety, which is why it is not usually combined with other more nutritious foods. As if that were not enough, konjac may minimize the absorption of the few nutrients that reach the intestine, so the consequences would be dire.
And it doesn’t just happen with nutrients. It can also happen with certain drugs, so that its effect was reduced. This applies to any drug. But above all, people taking medications for diabetes should be careful, since it has been observed that konjac can reduce blood glucose levels; something that, added to the effects of these drugs, can be harmful.
What should we take then?
It’s not bad to want to replace conventional wheat pasta with something healthier. But, without a doubt, konjac pasta is not that something healthier. If we want fiber, we can always opt for pasta integral. But even more interesting are legume-based pastas, since they produce the completely opposite effect of konjac pastas: they have a very rich nutritional profile. That’s what we should be looking for, which is why nutrition education is so important. Because taking care of your diet is essential. The problem is that sometimes, when we think we are taking care of her, we are simply harming her.
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