Dreamfields pasta is promoted as a low carb product. But it’s made from durum wheat and it tastes great. Actually, it looks, feels and tastes just like… regular pasta.
Now, regular pasta is anything but low carb. It’s mostly starch, which turns into glucose in the gut and is absorbed as blood sugar. Exactly what low carbers try to avoid. Dreamfields pasta has 41 grams of carbs per serving. How can that be low carb?
Well, Dreamfields claim that their “patent-pending” (since 2004) recipe and manufacturing process protects the carb from being digested.
It sounds fantastic. But is it true? I decided to find out and the results were shocking.
A beautiful tale
Can you be a low carber and eat all the pasta you want? Can you have your (low carb) cake and eat it too?
It sounds too good to be true, and two questions pop up:
- If their “patent-pending” manufacturing really made the starch indigestible, would that not affect the taste? (It’s great).
- If the starch really became indigestible, should it not end up being digested by bacteria in the large intestine, causing massive flatulence? (It does not).
Now it’s time for answers.
The package
Here’s my package of Dreamfields pasta, bought in a “low carb” store.
Let’s take a closer look.
Big promises
Basically the idea is that the carbs will pass straight through your body:
Side
There you have it: 36 grams of non-fiber carbs per 56 gram serving. It adds up to about 80 percent energy from carbs. That’s about as high carb a food as you could find.
Of course – most of it is supposedly indigestible.
I tested the pasta myself, eating it and testing my blood sugar 21 times. We’ll get to the test shortly.
A good idea?
It may sound too good to be true. But even if it was true, consider if it really is a good idea for the future.
Should the food industry manufacture food that our bodies can’t absorb? Do we really need to chew food that doesn’t make us satiated, food that gives us no energy, food that isn’t real food?
Is it environmentally sound to grow wheat and then chemically modify it so that it loses its nutritional value, manufacture pasta, transport it, sell it, cook it and then sit down to eat it, all of that to create some extra poop?
(Not to mention all the gas it would result in)
That’s an interesting philosophical question. But let’s leave it and find out if Dreamfields pasta works.
Real low carb food
First some real low carb food to get some perspective. Here is a common meal in my home:
A steak, Béarnaise sauce and a pile of vegetables fried in butter. Possibly a glass of red wine. The result is long-lasting satiety and well-being.
A meal like this contains a few grams of carbs – perhaps five.
The result on my blood sugar? Hardly any at all. It usually stays at fasting levels, between 86 and 94. If you don’t eat anything that turns to sugar your blood sugar stays the same. Very logical.
The test
Now let’s test the Dreamfields pasta:
Here is one serving according to Dreamfields, 56 grams. It’s not a lot of food for someone who is 6’7” (me).
I had two servings:
These 112 grams of pasta contains 72 grams of starch and sugars according to the Nutrition Facts. But according to Dreamfields only 10 grams are absorbed.
After cooking
After boiling (according to instructions, exactly 9 minutes) it turned into a decent portion. About the amount I used to eat when I ate pasta.
I had the pasta without any other food, with a glass of water. It tasted fine, about the way pasta usually tastes.
The result
It didn’t start out too bad. My blood sugar did quickly rise to 108, but then it looked as if it was stabilizing. I was impressed, it didn’t look too bad.
But that was just the beginning. Then came a mountain of blood sugar. After two and a half hours the blood sugar was still as high as 131!
It turned into a long evening. I tested my blood sugar every 20 minutes and hoped that it would go down so I could have a real dinner. Weirdly enough I felt hungry at the same time as my blood sugar was high. Perhaps some other nutrient was missing in my blood giving me feelings of hunger. Protein? Fat?
I had no other food until the experiment was completed. After seven and a half hours (!) I gave up, even though the blood sugar was still a bit higher than normal. I ate some real food and went to bed.
Here are five different blood sugar curves to compare.
- The green ones are big low carb dinners
- The blue ones are “exceptions” with more carbs
- The red is the fake low carb pasta
Verdict: Not low carb
The Dreamfields pasta contain slow carbs. Perhaps it’s OK to call it low glycemic index carbs. But it’s not low carb. It’s the opposite, it’s almost pure carbs. It’s absorbed slowly, but most (if not all) of the starch is absorbed.
There is no way only ten grams of carbs spiked my blood sugar for seven hours. I have eaten more than that with just minor effects (see above).
Dreamfields’ marketing claims are not true. Dreamfields are sabotaging the weight loss of low carbers just to sell more of their pasta.
Unless, perhaps, I’m a weird exception. Does it work for everybody else but not for me?
The real test
I did the test above last year, for my Swedish blog. I was convinced that Dreamfields pasta was a fraud.
This year Dreamfields pasta was tested more rigorously and the result was published in a trustworthy scientific journal called Diabetes Care:
The main authors of the article are Frank C. Nuttal, PhD, and Mary C. Gannon, PhD. They have previously studied the effects of low carb diets, so they were surprised by Dreamfields’ claims that pasta can be low carb.
After “numerous attempts” to have a look at the data that Dreamfields base their claims on (not allowed) the researchers decided to test it themselves.
Five participants ate the Dreamfields pasta (50g CHO) and tested their blood sugar. Then they ate the same amount of regular pasta and tested their blood sugar for comparison.
The result
Pretty shockingly the results on the blood sugar were just the same with Dreamfields’ and regular pasta. No difference!
The researchers were surprised so they recruited five new participants and did the test again. The result were the same once again – no perceptible difference.
The scientific article can be read for free here:
- Nuttall, FQ, et al. Glycemic response to ingested dreamfields pasta compared with traditional pasta. Diabetes Care. 2011 Feb;34(2):e17-8.
The Dreamfields Pasta Fraud
Dreamfields have been selling their fake low carb pasta since january 2004. It’s quite popular. There is no way to know how many people have failed to lose weight because of it, concluding that “low carb does not work”.
Low carb usually works just fine. But not if you eat a lot of pasta.
I’m willing to bet any amount of money that Dreamfields pasta is just the tip of the iceberg. Low carb in America has turned into special low carb pasta, low carb ice cream, low carb bread and low carb chocolate bars. And it’s mostly just marketing hype. There is nothing low carb about this junk food:
Real healthy low carb food is meat, fish, vegetables and butter, ideally from your local farmer. Dreamfields and companies like them have turned “Low Carb” into a joke, just to make money.
Obese people who trust them just gain weight. But diabetics spike their blood sugar and may end up amputating their feet and becoming blind.
There are a few possible explanations. Either Dreamfields and others like them are ignorant, evil or just plain greedy. Probably greed is the most likely explanation. Also, they probably think that consumers are stupid. But they are wrong about that.
The pasta fraud is revealed.
You can help your friends. If they eat fake low carb products and have trouble losing weight, chances are that’s why.
Spread the word. Let’s make low carb work again. Real low carb.
Continued…
Moore on Dreamfieldsgate – Interview with the Pasta President and even more evidence that Dreamfields pasta is just like any pasta: high carb.
Spreading the truth
Go to Dreamfields’ Facebook page and like the link to this post*. Let’s spread the truth to all of the 29 000 members. Dreamfields have gotten away with fooling overweight people and diabetics long enough.
*/ You have to like Dreamfields first, but then you can easily “unlike” it again: bottom left side of the page.
Of course you can spread this info via your Facebook, Twitter and blog too if you’d like. Feel free to copy any part of it. If you link to this post it will appear higher in the results when people search for “Dreamfields pasta” on Google. It’s already #14 or so. Spread the word so that fewer diabetics and others are hurt by these fraudulent marketing claims.
More
Why Americans are obese, part 2
172
132 Comments
This is all crap, sorry. I am a Type 1 diabetic and have been eating Dreamfields for several years. It has literally saved my diet, as I was NEVER able to eat regular pasta previously (even whole wheat, high fiber, etc.) because by BS would spike into the 300's. But with Dreamfields, after preparing it CORRECTLY, my BS testing 2 hours after eating is about 150 (high for a normal person, but not for a diabetic). I don't care what the test results show, I know for a fact that it works for me, so I will continue to use it.
Amanda, if it spikes to 150 its not
1. Good for you.
2. 5g netcarb.
3. Lowcarb.
i am diabetic and regular pasta spikes my bs up to over 200 within 2 hours. dreamfields only raises it to 80 or 90. love it
It is quite funny reading this thread. As I said above, I lost 50 pounds while using Dreamfields Pasta.
People keep saying it has the normal number of pasta carbs - so it can't work! Well! It does have the same number of carbs - however it is high fiber - which you subtract 1-for-1, - bringing down the carb count.
BUT! If you go to the site and read the info - you would see that it says it works by a process that only allows absorbtion of a small amount of the material. I haven't been there in a while, but I think it said the molecule size is such that your system can't absorb it - thus resulting in an average ABSORBTION of only 5 carbs per serving.
If you overcook it - or reheat it - this carb amount will go up as you are breaking it down - and can then absorb more of it. Most pasta tastes great the next day - cold - NO need to reheat.
I like to make macaroni salad so we have several days worth of lunches, or sides to go with our dinner.
I also like to break one serving into small pieces and add them to a pot of soup.
Our favorite dish is Low-carb Chicken Fettuccine.
Most of us know that we are better off without pasta - HOWEVER - most of us can't stick to the diet for very long without some favorites like pasta - and Dreamfields works very well for me.
Like anything else - Just don't overdo it!
The problem Ingledsva is that if it were just 5g of carbs, it wouldnt taste like pasta. The taste comes from you breaking down the carbs in your mouth.
And since they dont share their data, we have no idea how they got their conclusion.
I would say this is mostly marketing bs from dreamfields.
Well, for what it's worth, here's my two cents' worth.
I have type-2 diabetes. I don't use insulin, but do take meds and use diet.
I have done self-testing with DF. I have come to the conclusion that the only way for you to know is to actually take the time to sugar test yourself just before, eat a serving of DF and water, then test yourself again two hours later. And, I would suggest doing this three times on different days of the week and for lunch and dinner.
I have self-tested. What I have found is that I can eat about 2 servings of DF and a few more carbs, test after two hours and my sugar will still be under 100 as long as I don't recook the DF and then eat it. Also, it helps to undercook it just a bit (al dente?).
I don't think it works for everyone. That's just what I am getting out of this blog discussion. However, it does work for me. Why don't people just quit stating "facts" when the fact is that is does work for some and not for all?
Scott
So I'm going to have to prick my own finger? Because I was hoping to avoid having to do that, like, for the rest of my life.
Both my husband and I went low carb almost ten years ago, and DF was a regular (once a week) part of our diets when it came out and we still lost weight quickly and easily. Now I've stopped eating it based on what I've read here. I've been thinking that if I simply can't live without the occasional plate of pasta (and I can't), I should just go back to one of the excellent imported Italian brands like Di Cecco.
We are not all alike! Come on, folks. I doubt if more than 1 in a 1000 LCHF-ers are perfect, so if DF is what you want occasionally, and you don't seem to get a reaction, then it's nobody's busy but yours. If anyone has concerns about any food, checking BG is a good idea. Mark Sisson promotes the 80/20 rule, which I try to keep more to 90/10, but sometimes it's going to happen. My big off-the-program food is a vlc bun which lets me enjoy a regular old, drippy cheeseburger. I know it's not a food to eat more than once every few weeks, and I eat it with my eyes wide open. We don't need anyone else's approval, and would be foolish to expect to get it--and even more foolish to expect everyone to believe and behave the same.
Alexandra M
I agree.
When we locarbers onse i a while "go wilde" - wich we all do occationally - enjoy the best possible products on the market and skip the crap.
I'm not an diabetes expert. I'm just a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic and asking these questions about your test for my own knowledge to understand better. It's all so confusing on how/when/what to eat still.
Fact: You ate a double portion of the pasta without anything else other than water.
Question: Aren't we supposed to stick to portion guidelines and eat a meal put together that balances out with protein and other stuff that slows the absolution rate of any carbs thereby helping to prevent any spikes in blood sugar readings?
Question: If you had some meat and vegetables along with one portion of the pasta do you think your blood sugar would have still gone up to 131?
Question: What was your blood sugar reading before you ate the Dreamfields?
Question: What, if anything, did you have to eat or drink in the four hours prior to your test?
Question: Do you think only having the pasta sabotaged the test?
Sorry for all the questions. Like I said, I am newly diagnosed and trying to understand everything that goes with my diagnosis. I know if I eat regular white french bread (fresh & hot from the bakery from Safeway) and haven't had anything to eat in the previous 4 hours my blood sugar can raise to 200. But if I have the same amount of the same white bread with a proper meal, my blood sugar goes to 114 in an hour and in two hours it's back down in the 90s.
Thanks!
To Margaret,
You know, I won't swear to you that water is all I had. What I said was that would be a good way to test it out for yourself.
I learned the hard way what works for me; I ignored the doctors; ignored the sugar; kept working too hard; and had a stroke at age 52. Now, almost two years later, I am disabled, had to resign from teaching, and have double vision, some weakness, and some difficulties with memory and such. I feel very happy to be alive!
All that said and done, I have taken a lot of pains to watch my sugar now, eat better, take my meds, and relax more. My personal belief is that, if you are concerned about something(s), then...follow your heart and your advice. I am not a doctor; I don't know everything about diabetes. What I do know is that we are all different. This works for me, at least now. I don't eat a lot of pasta anymore. Most of the time when I do, it is DF. The only reason I tested it hard was that I was told (here) that it was no good, didn't work, and I was wasting my time and money. So, I checked it out the best I can for me. I am okay. I just had my blood work done and my sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure were all wonderful. That simply lets me know I am doing okay. I don't really believe that there are things in diet and meds that work for everyone. We have to check for ourselves.
I am glad you are doing that. Keep asking those questions. If you ask me, I will tell you what I know or think. Just don't stop asking and searching. It's your life...live it.
Scott
Are you KIDDING? SPIKED your sugar at 131? Not sure what your credentials are but the normal non diabetic person can have a blood sugar post prandial of up to 140!
I am type 1 diabetic of 30 years, a Nutritionist who specializes in diabetes (25 years) and a memeber of the American Associations of Diabetes Educators.... and I as well tried Dreamfields pasta...I take 1 unit of insulin for every 20 grams of carbs that I eat and between my accurately measured 1 cup of Dreamfileds plus 1/2 cup of pasta sauce, I took 2 units of insulin because I did not believe their claim to be true either and was afraid to not cover the carbs. My pre meal sugar was 95. Within 1 hour after eating (and no previous exercise BTW) my blood sugar DROPPED to a 57 and I had to cover all the insulin I had injected with juice and glucose tabs because the pasta wasn't raising me. I also tested for 6 more hours and my sugar NEVER rose above 100. I have recommended Dreamfields to my patients and none of them have had any problems with "spikes" as you mention while using the product. Maybe it is an individual response. To each his own...best of luck to you with your sugars but I wouldn't say that your experience is true for all people.....
So can anyone show a test were dreamfield is showing any advantage against regular pasta with the same fibre count?
gabby, Funderaren - I think the main point was that there was NO difference between DF and regular pasta when the researchers tested it, not whether 131 is high or not. So there doesn't seem to be any advantage to the more expensive DF pasta.
Interestingly, I just checked the link (above) to the paper the researchers submitted and it has been withdrawn (due to some data having been obtained prior to IRB approval).
Di Cecco here I come!
Wow. I left a comment on this article about a month ago, and have been receiving comment notifications when someone leaves a new comment. Has nobody ever heard the phrase "different strokes for different folks" or "everyBODY is different"? If it works for you, I'm happy, keep eating it! But if it doesnt, you shouldnt be criticizing the people that it works for. Move on and and get a life people. Btw, I will no longer be receiving your comments. I have more important things to do than listen to people argue about pasta.
Jill #115
"I have more important things to do than listen to people argue about pasta"
could not agree moore. The only thing worse than argue about pasta is eating it.
I just recently started eating Dreamfields Pasta. I was diagnosed a year ago with type 2 diabetes. My numbers aren't extremely high, but they're higher than normal. I control my diabetes through diet. I keep normal non-diabetic numbers by eating the correct foods. I don't take any meds at all.
Anyway, I seriously thought it was too good to be true as well. I can only speak for myself, but I have no problems with dreamfields pasta. I was never a huge pasta eater, but I do like it once in a while. I decided to make my 5 cheese penne pasta and see what happened. I also ate a few ounces of chicken breast and some broccoli. At one hour post meal, my blood sugar was 109. At two hours it was 92. I have eaten it several times now, in different ways, and have never had a higher than normal (a normal, non-diabetic) number. If I ate regular pasta, I'd most definitely have a high number.
I have given up a lot of different foods. Pasta was one of them. I don't know how they do it, but whatever they do, it works for me. I will not eat foods that raise my glucose higher than a normal person's. I'm very happy to be able to eat pasta again when I feel like eating it. It also filled me up and I wasn't hungry again for quite a while. I wasn't craving carbs later either... like eating carbs can often do.
Anyway, it works for me. I don't eat pasta all the time, but when I do, it's only Dreamfields and I know that my glucose numbers will be okay. I know because I test. No diabetic is the same. Some can eat certain foods that others can't.
Everyone here is basically right! If this product is working for diabetics then that is wonderful, the reason they are controlling their blood sugar is for a much different reason that us low carb dieters! A spike in blood sugar takes us out of ketosis and we have to wait to get going again. So what is good for them, is bad for us! WITH THAT SAID: They should advertise the truth and not waste my time as they did this afternoon.
I'm type 2. Can't TOUCH white rice or pasta - spikes to 230-260. Saw the Dreamfields promo in an ad (USA) and downloaded the coupon. Made mac and cheese with the rotini and turkey tettrazini with the linguine. Blood sugar at two hours was 138. As many have said, that's a GREAT reading for diabetics. Down to 107 at three and a half hours. OMG. The chance to eat a FULL portion of a favorite food is... wonderful. And it works every time. I ALWAYS include protein to help. This product DEFINITELY requires individual testing. And I'm not a schill or a sockpuppet for the company. I just know that whatever they've done, they've made my diet a little easier to bear. I'm 51 years old and used to be a gourmet cook, and I love to eat... it's hell being diabetic, and anyone getting close (pre-diabetic) turn your life around RIGHT now. Minimize ALL processed foods, cut your plate size, and watch what passes your lips, and you'll still be able to indulge yourself. For those of us already sentenced, I wish someone had told me THEN what I know now. It never would have happened.
Dreamfields pasta is a total sham. I've repeatedly tried it and my levels rise the exact same amount as when I eat regular pasta cooked al-dente. Total waste of money. They should be shut down for those claims. I have to eat shiritaki noodles to truly get a low carb noodle. Too bad the texture of those is akin to boiled rubber bands.
I have grown very tired of this cumbersome argument.
I am sorry, Eric H., that Dreamfield's does not work for your body.
However, it does for mine and I tested it once again last week. Sugar levels remained low after a nice, sizeable meal of dreamfield's and a low-carb sauce I purchased.
It has become apparent, though I guess not to all, that Dreamfield's works for some and not for others. I don't know why this surprises so many. There are many other examples in the world where something works for some but not for others.
Shutting it down simply because it doesn't work for you is ridiculous. Just don't use it!
Scott
Scott can you explain why it always work so bad when someone makes a test of the product? We get tons of people comming i here and tells us how good the product is, but when someone does a scientific test of the product the results tells another story.
Funderaren,
No, I can't, other than the human body is a wonderful thing and reacts a lot to the mind and what it thinks.
I know that I have "tested" it for myself many times now. Each and every time I use it, my sugar stays below 100 and it, normally, goes over 140 with pasta.
They may, indeed, be faking us all out with their claims and their tests.
All, I guess, I am asking for is the understanding that it does, for some of us, work well enough that I don't worry when I eat it. There are a lot who do and, since it goes up for them, they should worry.
I don't know how to "prove" I am not one of those fake commentors, getting paid to praise Dreamfield's, other than to say this: If people don't like it, then don't buy it. Stop trying to prove and force the point on us, the few who it works for. If you all stop, then the hype will ease off and either the price will come down and/or the product will not be carried as much as it is.
I hope this helps. Thanks for reading.
Scott
Tried Dreamfield's low carb pasta 3 times. Each attempt produced very painful bloating and gas. Horrible product. Not going to buy again.
@McVicker: That's the way to do it. Test, test, test! I test my BG regularly, and especially with any new food. Sometimes I might find a far worse reaction that I expected, sometimes not. That's the best lesson of Dreamfields, Julian, and any of the low carb foods. Be a scientist; test, find out what your experience is. We don't all have the same tolerances. I personally avoid anything made with flours or artificial sweeteners due to those same gut reactions.
Gas wouldn't have been a good thing for prehistoric humans--wouldn't want to signal all those predators you were around. Seems to me that gas-producing foods are probably not what we should eat. GasX lost a good customer when I went primal.
I am a type 2 diabetic. Dream Fields pasta has worked great for me but I am strict about portion control. If a person eats too much, I guess anything is possible. I haven't tested the difference between hot and cold, but I will now! Either way, I will continue to buy Dream Fields.
I think the only Fraud is the person writing this article and it was as shame that Alexandra was influence by this article to stop using DF. I didn't believe it myself but I tested my blood sugar before I ate it and then two hours after in fact it was lower after I ate the pasta that before. I am able to handle my Type II diebetes with this product.
I am sorry, too, Krystal. As diabetics, we have to be careful of what we eat and how much, but, just as importantly, when we find something that works, we don't need to be told how wrong it is and how it can't work. This is even more true when almost all will agree that we are not alike; many of us can eat things the rest of us can't. I have friends who can eat a full meal, a candy bar, a milk shake, and a cola and still not gain any weight. I have others who, basically, look at food and gain.
It works for me and you are saying it works for you. I suppose I want to know if it is deadly poison or something like that, but, for the most part, if it works, I will use it.
Scott
To add to the many others who have done tests and found the exact opposite of this tester, I will tell you our experience.
My 20-year old daughter has type 1 diabetes. To conduct this test properly, unlike this author, she fasted from 8 pm on Saturday to 8 am on Sunday, that is to say, first she made sure that no other food or emotions or anything else was likely to prove a factor in the test. At 9:00 am she tested her blood sugar and it was 15.4 (her blood sugar tends to run higher than other people so that number is normal for her). I cooked the pasta exactly according to specifications on the box and we cooked exactly one serving. She ate it with a bit of oil and some garlic powder and salt. She then gave her corrections as she would after eating ANYTHING. She is on a carb counting ratio, so whatever she eats, she injects enough insulin to deal with that number of carbs. One hour and forty minutes later we tested again and her blood sugar was 15.3. That is to say, her insulin was exactly sufficient for the amount of carb that Dreamfields claims is "available for digestion." If the pasta were not "protected" then her blood sugar would have reacted very similar to this poster's test. We are now very happy that she can have pasta again. I find it irresponsible to make a grand statement like "this is fraud" when it might discourage people from tying it who may truly benefit by it. Do you have any idea how happy my daughter was while eating her little bowl of pasta? I haven't seen her so happy to eat anything in a long time. As always with this sort of thing, one should say YMMV (your mileage may vary) and not make a huge statement like this post makes. Try it for yourself and see how you feel. If you're not diabetic you can still gauge by the scale. God forbid they should stop making this product because of irresponsible statements like these.
DREAMFIELD PASTA IS AWESOME!!!!! My husband found out he was diabetic about 5 years ago and went on a low carb diet to control his blood sugar so he would not have to take medication. Dreamfield pasta is one of the mainstays of his diet! He lost 75 pounds in a year. He now maintains his weight and his blood sugar with diet alone.( no meds ) He has never had problems with his blood sugar as long as he sticks to his low carb diet which includes dreamfield at least once a week!!!! THIS STUFF HAS BEEN A GOD SEND!!! IT HAS NEVER RUN HIS BLOOD SUGAR UP! I buy the no sugar added hunts spaghetti sauce (in a can) (which I doctor up with mushrooms and meat) to go with it. This is a fantastic alternative for diabetics!!!
After reading what Susana wrote, I decided to try the Dreamfields again (with white clam sauce it used to be on the menu every week). Wow did we enjoy it not having had it for four months! I don't check my blood sugar, but I felt fine, slept fine, and it doesn't seem to have stalled my weight loss. So I think it's going back on the menu a couple of times a month.
This article is the biggest load of crap !! I am Type 2 diagnosed 2008. I have been eating Dreamfileds pasta ever since the diagnosis. It does NOT raise my blood sugar. After one hour I have a BS of around 7.8. Within 2 hours it is below 6.5.
I have eaten this pasta at least twice a week for over 4 years now & have NEVER had a problem.
Please ignore this article.