The idea is that once whole grains are processed into flour, the surface area is increased enough to make the benefits much smaller than eating actually whole g

The idea is that once whole grains are processed into flour, the surface area is increased enough to make the benefits much smaller than eating actually whole grains (like rice). A little more googling shows me that whole grain pasta is definitely better for you, (has more fiber and vitamins naturally, and digests a little slower). I also learned that pasta is actually significantly lower on the glycemic index than bread. I haven't been able to find any scientific papers on this, but the general idea is that when you grind whole grains into a flour, you digest them pretty much just as fast as white flour due to the increased surface area, so although whole grain pasta/bread is better, it's not as beneficial as eating actually whole grains like brown rice. A lot of nutritionists believe this to be true, but I made the mistake of assuming scientific papers were out there to back their reasoning. In the end, it seems like portion control is still the winner here, and that it is indeed better to eat whole grain pasta over white pasta.