You’ve probably seen the ‘Try something new’ advertisements by Sainsbury’s. We have already ranted about courgetti in a previous post, but just yesterday we overheard some teenage girls discussing Sainsbury’s latest advertisement for ‘boodles’.

“Boodles” refers to spiralized butternut squash. According to Sainsbury’s Instagram page, “boodles are a flavoursome, low-carb alternative to noodles”. As a result, these teenage girls thought that low-carb was best, and that pasta and noodles were unhealthy and should be cut out of their diets.

Our question to Sainsbury’s is- what is wrong with noodles, pasta and carbohydrates in general?! Why the need for low-carb promotions!?

As we have shown in previous posts, carbohydrates play an important role in the diet, and the government recommends that they should provide half of our daily energy intake. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that carbohydrates make you fat. Carbohydrates are one of the first things that people think they should give up when trying to lose weight. However, if you eat the right kinds of carbohydrates (preferably wholegrains, and less refined carbohydrates like cakes and biscuits), they can be really nutritious. They keep you full (due to the high fibre content), and provide important vitamins and minerals.

Did you know that carbohydrates provide 4 kcal/gram whereas fat provides 9 kcal/gram and alcohol provides 7 kcal/gram! Truth is, eating the right types of carbohydrates will not make you fat (unless like anything, you eat excessive amounts!)

Research has shown that wholegrain products can actually assist with weight loss. They satisfy our appetite and keep us full for longer, which helps us to control snacking! It’s what we add to pasta, noodles and bread that makes it fattening. What has the research found?

According to the British Dietetic Association, diets rich in whole grain foods are low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers (such as bowel cancer). Fibre also provides a food source for ‘friendly’ gut bacteria promoting gut health.

So, although ‘boodles’ are a fun initiative that encourages us to increase our vegetable intake, FTFs do not believe that it should be marketed as a ‘low-carb’ alternative to noodles. This implies that a low-carb diet is preferable, and as we have shown, there is no reason to cut out carbohydrates from your diet-to do so would be nonsensical. On that note, we are off to eat some real noodles!