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.
307 Comments
However, you at least could reduce the load by serving some reduced carb variety such as Carba-Nada: http://www.aldentepasta.com/product-categories/carbanada/
24 g carbs in 2 ounces vs. 42 in a regular blue Barilla fettuccine.
A trick you can try is to add more vegetables to all meals and reduce serving size.
If your husband doesn't care about his health then buy the cheapest pasta possible. Dreamfields is no different than any other crappy pasta.
http://www.low-carb-scams.com
They posted a legal notice in Cooking Light this month.
All in all, I lost 70 pounds not by counting carbs, but by limiting my intake of sugar and processed foods. (Which, is kind of the same.). After 12 years of trying every diet, changing my eating habits, by consuming a whole food diet, primarily of veg and fish, and staying organic as much as possible changed my life.
And, if you want the occasional pasta, have it. On occasion. It's more fun to make it from scratch or eat out, so you know what is in what you're eating. :) (My 2 cents.)
When people say they are diabetic and still eat carbs... then.. well, say no more. To each his own.
Sugar is among the list of worst things ever for humans.
Real food and fat is what our metabolism needs.
Any extra money goes to the ADA (American Diabetic Association) and personally I hope they NEVER GET A PENNY of Dreamfields blood money.
So PASTA no difference. It's a starch. and it releases extremely slowly. I was on the treadmill and burned the calories off also no difference. SO EAT WHATEVER PASTA YOU WANT! IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE IT"S A STARCH AND STARCH IS SUGAR! I even make my own but haven't tested. Just way it according your plan and what the pkg says. UNLESS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR CARBOHYDRATE SERVING IS FOR THE DAY YOU COULD BE SCREWING YOURSELF UP. NEVER DOUBLE UP A PORTION SO STUPID!!!! My meat is 3oz and yes I weight it. My trygliceridies have never budged and dropped 2.5 points. My BMI started at 31and now 28.5 and lost 8 inches body fat.However I was put on Metaformin cause nothing else traditonally nothing was working. I have a Pintreest board called ALL ABOUT HEALTH..It' http://www.pinterest.com/lydiadoug
It even takes less time to prepare an dour entire family eats it-the only issue is, when we go out to eat, I need to substitute for veggies.
A win-win in my book.
Pasta has always blown my blood sugar sky high.
Dreamfields tastes as good as any store bought pasta - BUT my blood sugar is remarkably LOW.
So, with the Diet Doctor's inaccurate, sensational headline "nonsense" the real fraud, as is the Diet "Doctor."
In addition the widely reported court case against them, in addition to false marketing leads me to conclude there isn't even any science in this product, just blatant lies in their marketing.
That question/observation aside, does anyone know what the cooking of vegetables does to their carb count? I wonder what the boiling of a potato, for example, does? It seems like something must occur in the physical make-up of the thing and maybe it has an effect on the carb count?
I miss potatoes... almost as much as popcorn--I can't even have a tidbit as after that there is just no stopping!
Thanks
Joe
If the Dreamfields stuff tastes good, is enjoyable and does not spike the count, be it pee or otherwise, what is the problem?
Raw potato is more like fiber while boiled/baked potato can have a GI of over 100!
Look, if you or anyone else, find the stuff distasteful for any reason, switch the channel and go back to those 'organic' foods grown in Cow Manure, enhanced by chemical fertilizer, the 'enriched' molasses covered hay they eat all winter, and then drink the water from the reservoirs supplied by the low lying streams that are bordered by farmland that the locals spray liquified cow manure with accompanying urine--of course none of it makes it to the food supply as it magically disappears, probably into the globally-warmed eco-system.
Get over it, we are all adults and if you think that Dreamfields is a fraud, then start a lawsuit against them for, say, false advertising. GNC and the other 'naturals' will be able to help you seeing as their fraud supplements are giving them fits here in NY.....
For this low carber,, there are not enough foods like Dreamfields!
I am awaiting the same for reasonably priced alternative pretzels,potatoes, rice, popcorn, crackers, milk, etc. I don't care if they are genetically or otherwise altered.
Check out the sugar in the whole milk you drink-the wheat in the beer you drink, sugar in the wine, either chemicals or sugar in the soft drinks, the crap that to be harvested rice and cranberries float in and enjoy!
Sniff a lead free tailpipe while my unleaded fueled car motor rots from the safe to burn alcohol.
Enough is enough!
Dreamfields, fight back.
Ugh, I got a bit carried away.
Bob
I did a bit of research and the part "gelatinisation of starch is used constantly in cooking to make the starch disgestable " would appear to say that the process is not a desirable thing for low carbers....
It it Is saying that a single molecule is significantly enlarged would that mean that a portion the size of a chick pea would become the size of a beefsteak tomato, because if that is the case, I am on it!
Realistically though, I need to continue the unfortunate abstinence from wonderful potatoes.
Again, Thanks for the follow up.
BOb
Reduce the portion of potato, add lots of fats, yoghurt, sauerkraut and vegetables and there you go. Of course all depends on the level of insulin sensitivity (or resistance) you currently have.
Cooling and reheating starch can also convert part of it back to fiber, i.e. to resistant starch.
As far as fake foods are concerned, I prefer other types or real foods over low carb pasta, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, etc. I personally find it easier to forget about whole categories than to look for poor direct substitutes. In general, the low carb areas where I am very strict are sugar and grains, especially modern wheat in any form.
like to have one, say once or twice a week, it would never work. It is like eating a handful of popcorn or a small baked potato---there is just no such limiting for me, especially staring at the 35 carbs daily. Same for other addictive things like alcohol-well, the Coors Lite or Mick Ultra keep the carb level down but are distilled from grain.
That is why the so called 'fake foods' are appealing--and, they are comprised of some/mostly dare do I say-'normal' ingredients with some left out and some added. Lord knows almond milk is not 'natural' milk as we all knew/know it, but it sure is fine and certainly low carb.
Your abstinence from grains and sugar is admirable but it certainly cuts down on choices. I mean, even at a higher level, eating meat that is a product of animals that were raised eating grain certainly seems to pose an issue. While abstinence from sugar is not a problem for me, abstinence from wheat and corn is trying to say the least-hence the look for substitutes which do contain grain and some sugar--or sugar substitutes like Sucralose.
Good discussion-Thanks.
Some realy need to avoid carbs/limiting them to a very low level, others that are kind of healty only need to eat real food!
And the trick to eat more naturaly fatty food, organic acids and naturaly foods whit naturaly fibers.. is a way to eat in a patern as in old days!
Its kind of eating real food.. as they was befor!
You dont find those food at fast food resturants, but one can find them in better supermarkets!
Thanks for the time and comments.
Bob
ps, I do fast food hamburgers without the roll and it really causes an order-taker to do a double - take! Other than hamburgers, coffee, some pretty good salads(Wendys) and diet soda, I have no reason to go to those places--however, real Diners have a lot of choices for me.
Back about 2008, I did my own tests, actually two sets of tests:
For the first test, I ate identical portions of Barilla pasta and DreamFields pasta on two evenings, after not having eaten since a light lunch, with blood-glucose (bG) at 95 & 97, respectively, which is close enough. Both meals were prepared identically. I didn't want to alter, skew, or bias the test by eating any added protein, vegetables, fiber, or anything else, so there was only the pasta (2 oz, weighed) boiled for 8 minutes (al dente), drained, with only salt and pepper. I cheated a bit, adding 1 tbsp of EVOO to keep the pasta from sticking together and to make it taste a whole lot better. I didn't even add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I had 8 oz of water with the pasta, and 8 oz every hour after that. After eating the pasta, I tested my bG every half hour for four hours. I'm putting the results on separate lines, to make it easier to compare them:
== Barilla: (started at 95) - then 115, 152, 193, 204, 201, 181, 165, and 149
== Dreamfields (started at 97) - then 114, 148, 186, 205, 204, 184, 170, and 151
The results were very nearly identical, especially if you consider minor inaccuracies of non-scientific testing. I may have been off by a minute or so in the half-hour intervals. Although I washed my hands before each sample, any blood sample can be slightly contaminated by soap or sweat or whatever. The glucometer itself (a Bayer Contour) is imperfect, yielding results that are up to 5 points off even when multiple readings are taken at the same time. So this first set of tests indicated that there was no appreciable difference in the two pastas.
My second set of tests were done just like the first set, but this time I added 3 oz (weighed) of rib-eye steak, broiled to rare, and two portions of vegetables, 4 oz each of green beans and spinach, each served with a pat of butter. My wife did the measuring to ensure at least a hint of objectivity. I expected the results to be the same as the first set of tests, although with a lower spike due to the addition of protein, fat, and fiber. I was correct about the slower and lower spike, but to my surprise, the Dreamfields pasta won hands down.
== Barilla: (started at 92) - then 101, 128, 148, 155, 164, 162, 153, and 140
== Dreamfields (started at 91) - then 94, 107, 129, 137, 135, 142, 118, and 102
So OK, I admit, this wasn't a well-controlled experiment, and there could have been other factors that affected the results, either of the first night's testing or of the second. But I've been using Dreamfields pastas ever since. And, yes, it does cause my bG to go up, but not too much if I don't overindulge -- I don't have it often, and I eat only one helping (...when I want three). Also, I put a lot more vegetables in my tomato-meat sauce than I used to -- more diced and crushed tomatoes, more onions and mushrooms, and I now add green beans and red and/or green bell peppers, too -- I've found that the extra vegetables actually make the sauce taste better, and I eat a lot more sauce than I used to, and less pasta...but it's a struggle, as I just adore pasta.
Final note -- I may be totally wrong, but I think Dreamfields pasta may have more fiber in it than other pastas, and it DOES give me gas. Quite a bit of gas. But the gas from this pasta is not nearly as odoriferous as that from, say, refried beans. In fact, if I leave onions out of my sauce (which is, I realize, a criminal act punishable by hanging), the gas is relatively inoffensive. I think onions add a great deal of "authority" to one's flatulence. There is an old-time expression that fits the gas from Dreamfields pasta (if you leave out the onions): "sweeter than a popcorn fart."
How does this effect the results? And what results are you referring to? The gas or the weight loss?
However moste people dont like cold dinners, so quiting pasta is an alternative!
Zero carbs!
I used them when I started this low carb thing and, if they matter, then I am on the right track with Dreamfields. I am not a diabetic just prone to having a belly-hence the low carb thing.
It seems to work for me.
The blood glucose level I have not tried and don't intend to. However, it seems like it is a very significant thing to monitor for those who are diabetic.
Of course I took the 'pay $50' option last week to take the calcium detection CT Scan to check out the levels of hardened calcium on the walls of the vessels in my heart, and, yes, the MD called and told me I was at 391 level and they want me to see the cardiologist next week to see what he says-so maybe there is another shoe to drop with regard to the high chloresterol(?) type of foods I have been eating for the last 10 or so years of low-carbing. We'll see. They had told me notto do no or low fat years ago so there Isn't much left except to not eat...
Of course I am concerned about the ethics of the MD profession, with their constant beating of th e'get regular checkups, excessive # of co-pays and the amount of pills they assign to us. I also am tiring of the 10 or so pills I take every morning and night--mostly supplements, but Crestor and Synthroid are included.
A short story...I stopped smoking more than 35 years ago- 1 pack a day, usually unfiltered.
Each time I have gone to the MD for my twice a year check up(I am 69) and need to fill out a form, I am asked if I am a smoker. Finally a year or so ago, I asked, 'Doc, if you cannot tell I am not a smoker then maybe I should start again"--to which he replied, 'if we ask if you are or have ever smoked, and you say 'yes', you are allowed two chest x-rays a year'! Sure, two super expensive tests, co pays and follow up MD visits--all meaning $$ in their pocket. He told me as a friend and I like the guy, but I sure was surprised--but now I ask a lot more questions of everyone in the profession, including the eye and teeth guys!
I am sure still interested in the gelatinisation of starch and will continue to read about it--if the CT scan permits!
Thanks for listening.
Bob
Your body burns what you eats.. and if its real High fat and surely low carbs.. its still a ketogenic diet!
But.. but, those Dreamfield carbs could have been other carbs.. that provide nutrients that could benefits your healt in other ways!
For instance.. foods that provide K2-vitamines that reduce artery calcification!
Those foods are often fermeted stuff.. like Natto, saurkrauts, Kimchi, other green veggies, and grass feed meat, grassfeed dairys, hard cheese!
I do believe that to each his own, and if it works for you, then by all means use the product. I also believe that you cannot believe everything you read on the internet. So please do the test yourself and determine if the product works for you. I think the Dear Doctor needs to get a life and stop ditching products, simply because he wants his voice heard across the nation. Sometimes its best for all others, if you just sit back and be silent.
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I respect your low carb approach to weight loss but one can lose weight and still enjoy natural carb foods like potatoes, rice, Liam's and corn. As an R.N., I am very aware of and interested in nutrition, practice portion control, am 65, exercise and my weight and health are excellent. Not here was a time when I was overweight so it's not like I was always a skinny manny all my life. Also it is not healthy to eliminate any food group for a long time period. Moderation is the key!
Haha, and to which healthy Food group would this Abomination discussed here belong? Those super healthy whole Grains? Funny Guy.
THANK YOU & GOD BLESS YOU. cathy
I don't eat a lot at a time and always balance out with protein and veggies.
The Diabetes Article you showed was RETRACTED.
P.S.: I'm not defending Dreamfields Pasta, I am also a diabetic patient looking for some good diet options.
I am in the throes of cramped suppression here at my work-desk, hunched over like a human comma straining in vain to squelch the mud-horn. This pasta tasted SO good...I over-indulged last night...and now the methane cows have come home to roost.
I have NEVER had this happen; I may as well have necked down an entire crock pot of red beans...
The leftovers are going into the disposal as soon as I waddle carefully home.