5 ms·

I’m kinda anti rice in Canada. We grow lots of wheat but not rice. I can stock up on 900g bags of pasta on sale for CAD$1.25 (~US$0.87). Used to be CAD$1.00 wa

I’m kinda anti rice in Canada. We grow lots of wheat but not rice. I can stock up on 900g bags of pasta on sale for CAD$1.25 (~US$0.87). Used to be CAD$1.00 was the good deal, but c’est la vie. Quicker and imo easier to prepare pasta on the stovetop. Pasta has almost double the protein content of rice by dry weight (13% vs 7%), more fibre (3.2% vs 1.3% for white rice), more of a fat component (1.5% vs 0.7%) and is always fortified (at least here). (And yeah, Canada grows a ton of pulses, mostly for export, so they’re cheap here but not locally favoured as much for protein)

CharlieDigital 2y ago
One downside: wheat has gluten and a lot of folks are gluten intolerant to degrees (from mild gassiness to full blown celiac).
- wisty 2y ago
  Celiac is a very clear cut medical condition. Most gluten intolerance seems to be nothing but hypochondria, with along with your standard "restrictive diets work until people figure out how to eat highly processed garbage with the new restriction" effect.
  - BigGreenJorts 2y ago
    Seconding the fact the celiac is it's own condition, but gluten is something that seems to be a culprit of IBS symptoms in certain people. That doesn't mean that gluten is bad, just that it causes a poor reaction in some people. Avocados are another one of these things. Some doctors like to call these "digestive allergies" to give patients an idea of how they can vary in severity and that they're for all intents and purposes a misdiagnosis from the immune system.
    - CharlieDigital 2y ago
      > ...gluten is something that seems to be a culprit of IBS symptoms in certain people. That doesn't mean that gluten is bad, just that it causes a poor reaction in some people... This is also my take on it. I've watched it first hand with my wife -- who is 1/2 Italian -- giving up pasta and bread in the last few years. It has made a huge difference in her daily quality of life with respect to digestive issues (mainly bloating and gassiness). Gluten is a protein so it's not hard to imagine that either this protein is not easily digested by some folks or some byproduct of its digestion feeds some specific gut bacteria that produces inflammatory compounds. If Celiac is a full blown immune response to inflammation caused by gluten, then it seems reasonable that some folks would have a spectrum of reactions to barely registering it or somewhere in between (like my wife). It's possible that it's some other compound that's prevalent in wheat, but avoiding wheat-based products has been life changing for my wife. I would add that this has developed with age similarly to how she has become lactose intolerant as well around the time she turned 40 so if you're in your 20's or 30's and you think this is malarkey, well, give it time (and really enjoy your lactose and gluten!). Why folks downvoted the original comment, I don't understand; this is based on firsthand experience hacking her diet and observing how she felt. I'm not here on some anti-gluten crusade (my kids eat and enjoy plenty of gluten for the entire household!)
      - Beijinger 2y ago
        "well, give it time (and really enjoy your lactose and gluten!)." And don't forget to avoid Glyphosate :-)
      - tstrimple 2y ago
        This describes my wife almost exactly. Developed gluten and lactose intolerance right around 40. She was one of those people who had to have at least one glass of milk a day and a gallon of ice cream a week and that had to be cut out 100%. She reacts to very small amounts of milk and gluten products. Even top ramen flavor packets in a pasta salad contain enough wheat and milk to give her a miserable day. Much like HFCS, dairy and wheat are fillers in SO many products that it's become a chore to shop and almost impossible to eat out spontaneously anymore.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
  - imtringued 2y ago
    I'm not sure what you mean by "clear cut medical condition" other than that it is easy to test.
    - Beijinger 2y ago
      ROTFL. How? Enzyme test? There are three different ones. All of them are unreliable, hence normally doctors do all of them at once. Gene test? Trying to avoid gluten? Don't forget, first you have to suspect to have a gluten problem. There are many forms of celiac. And there are forms that are unlikely to be diagnosed by a doctor. They may even not know what you have if you tell them the name of the disease and have to google it.
      - petercooper 2y ago
        And in many cases it's also necessary to provoke the problem in order to test properly. I've been on a gluten free diet for ten years (my skin kept falling off, stopped when I quit gluten, father had celiac) and always test negative because I won't gorge on gluten for the two weeks necessary for antibodies to show up (simply as I don't have a month spare to be ill).
  - Beijinger 2y ago
    "Celiac is a very clear cut medical condition." No, it is not. It comes in a bunch of varieties and there is news: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ "Most gluten intolerance seems to be nothing but hypochondria" Well, tell this to somebody who nearly died of it. First diagnosis when I walked into the hospital: HIV in the final stage! But I have a super rare form of it. Incidence 1:100000
    - gruez 2y ago
      >No, it is not. It comes in a bunch of varieties and there is news: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ From the abstract >Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of celiac disease The rest seems to be theorizing with no empirical evidence
      - Beijinger 2y ago
        The is no proof (there is never proof in science) but there is reason to be suspicious. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7545723/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7545723/ Glyphosate exposure, either through active ingredient alone or commercial herbicide formulations, has the potential to induce dysbiosis by creating an imbalance between commensal members of the gastrointestinal microbiome and opportunistic pathogens. Glyphosate may be a critical environmental trigger in the etiology of several disease states associated with dysbiosis, including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Glyphosate exposure may also have consequences for mental health, including anxiety and depression, through alterations in the gut microbiome. However, the research surrounding glyphosate’s effects on the gut microbiome also suffers from numerous methodological weaknesses including artificially high-doses, insufficient duration, proprietary ingredients and an over reliance on animal models. Future long-term studies examining physiologically relevant doses in both healthy and genetically susceptible populations are warranted to determine the real risk posed to human health.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
- bruce343434 2y ago
  I assume those folks are smart enough not to eat pasta then.
  - CharlieDigital 2y ago
    It's not that simple for most folks because, as I said, it seems to be a spectrum of intolerance and doesn't manifest as some step function. It took a while for my wife to zero in on pasta and bread as one source of her bloating and gassiness (lactose being another). She grew up eating plenty of pasta, bread, and lactose. But cutting it out has helped reduce digestive discomfort now in her early 40's.
zahlman 2y ago
>I can stock up on 900g bags of pasta on sale for CAD$1.25 (~US$0.87). Used to be CAD$1.00 was the good deal, but c’est la vie. I remember it being available at $1.00 quite consistently, but I can't recall seeing it even at $1.25 during 2024. Maybe for the 750g bags. Also damn, CADUSD has been sliding further... (Why does Google's chart show a giant temporary spike on Dec 21?) >Canada grows a ton of pulses, mostly for export, so they’re cheap here And yet it seems like what I see on shelves is mostly imported... ?
- Scoundreller 2y ago
  $1.25 was a few months ago at a Toronto Freshco. 900g Italpasta. I seemed to be the only weirdo stocking up for the next 1-2 years. Managed to find the 798ml cans of beans for 1.25 (I think it was) in the last few months at a No Frills. Def local production. Again, was the only weirdo stocking up for the next 1-2 years. Yeah dry beans are cheaper but I’m lazy. You may also find me filling my cart when 798ml cans of crushed tomatoes go on sale, which is more common than the above sales.
- BigGreenJorts 2y ago
  Giant Tiger has 900g go on sale for this price pretty regularly. Unfortunately it's only for penne, spaghetti, and sometimes macaroni, they don't seem to sell the other shapes in the 900g format.
neilv 2y ago
Pasta is also good. For rice, something like parboiled rice, or brown rice, or enriched white rice will be more nutritious than some other kinds. Oh, for beans, in addition to chick peas, lentils, and the various colors, there's also chana daal from an Indian grocery. (Which I'm told isn't the same thing as yellow split pea, though some stores might say it is.)
- fuzztester 2y ago
  Chana daal is split mature chickpea. Yellow split pea is from mature pea, unless it is from pigeon pea. All three are commonly eaten in India, along with many other kinds of legumes including daals and beans. More info: https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-pulses/ https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-pulses/
cenamus 2y ago
Do mind that the body can only use about half the protein in wheat, compared the somewhere in the 90s % for whey, for example.
- Scoundreller 2y ago
  Maybe, but how does wheat protein compare to rice protein?
  - zemvpferreira 2y ago
    Very well in general. As a protein whey is unbeatable on bioavailibity and completion, especially considering cost per kg.
    - dkjaudyeqooe 2y ago
      Biggest problem is that it has an absolutely disgusting texture, for me at least.
      - npoc 2y ago
        Also involves killing calves
        viccis 2y ago
        That's how our civilization's relationship to cows has worked for millennia.
        npoc 2y ago
        Our civilisations also kept slaves for millennia.
        megous 2y ago
        They still do, mechanisms and messaging are just smarter.
in-pursuit 2y ago
Not that you'd buy organic pasta on a tight budget, but organic wheat products are not fortified, at least in the U.S. Just FYI to anyone wanting to exclusively eat pasta.
barbazoo 2y ago
That price for pasta can't be beat. I'm in BC and pasta goes for $0.37/100g here.
goosedragons 2y ago
Rice is cheaper. Especially if you go to somewhere like an Asian market. With a rice cooker, rice is brain dead to make too and IMO it's far more versatile and I can eat it plain, while plain pasta is IMO disgusting.

CharlieDigital 2y ago

One downside: wheat has gluten and a lot of folks are gluten intolerant to degrees (from mild gassiness to full blown celiac).

wisty 2y ago
Celiac is a very clear cut medical condition. Most gluten intolerance seems to be nothing but hypochondria, with along with your standard "restrictive diets work until people figure out how to eat highly processed garbage with the new restriction" effect.
- BigGreenJorts 2y ago
  Seconding the fact the celiac is it's own condition, but gluten is something that seems to be a culprit of IBS symptoms in certain people. That doesn't mean that gluten is bad, just that it causes a poor reaction in some people. Avocados are another one of these things. Some doctors like to call these "digestive allergies" to give patients an idea of how they can vary in severity and that they're for all intents and purposes a misdiagnosis from the immune system.
  - CharlieDigital 2y ago
    > ...gluten is something that seems to be a culprit of IBS symptoms in certain people. That doesn't mean that gluten is bad, just that it causes a poor reaction in some people... This is also my take on it. I've watched it first hand with my wife -- who is 1/2 Italian -- giving up pasta and bread in the last few years. It has made a huge difference in her daily quality of life with respect to digestive issues (mainly bloating and gassiness). Gluten is a protein so it's not hard to imagine that either this protein is not easily digested by some folks or some byproduct of its digestion feeds some specific gut bacteria that produces inflammatory compounds. If Celiac is a full blown immune response to inflammation caused by gluten, then it seems reasonable that some folks would have a spectrum of reactions to barely registering it or somewhere in between (like my wife). It's possible that it's some other compound that's prevalent in wheat, but avoiding wheat-based products has been life changing for my wife. I would add that this has developed with age similarly to how she has become lactose intolerant as well around the time she turned 40 so if you're in your 20's or 30's and you think this is malarkey, well, give it time (and really enjoy your lactose and gluten!). Why folks downvoted the original comment, I don't understand; this is based on firsthand experience hacking her diet and observing how she felt. I'm not here on some anti-gluten crusade (my kids eat and enjoy plenty of gluten for the entire household!)
    - Beijinger 2y ago
      "well, give it time (and really enjoy your lactose and gluten!)." And don't forget to avoid Glyphosate :-)
    - tstrimple 2y ago
      This describes my wife almost exactly. Developed gluten and lactose intolerance right around 40. She was one of those people who had to have at least one glass of milk a day and a gallon of ice cream a week and that had to be cut out 100%. She reacts to very small amounts of milk and gluten products. Even top ramen flavor packets in a pasta salad contain enough wheat and milk to give her a miserable day. Much like HFCS, dairy and wheat are fillers in SO many products that it's become a chore to shop and almost impossible to eat out spontaneously anymore.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- imtringued 2y ago
  I'm not sure what you mean by "clear cut medical condition" other than that it is easy to test.
  - Beijinger 2y ago
    ROTFL. How? Enzyme test? There are three different ones. All of them are unreliable, hence normally doctors do all of them at once. Gene test? Trying to avoid gluten? Don't forget, first you have to suspect to have a gluten problem. There are many forms of celiac. And there are forms that are unlikely to be diagnosed by a doctor. They may even not know what you have if you tell them the name of the disease and have to google it.
    - petercooper 2y ago
      And in many cases it's also necessary to provoke the problem in order to test properly. I've been on a gluten free diet for ten years (my skin kept falling off, stopped when I quit gluten, father had celiac) and always test negative because I won't gorge on gluten for the two weeks necessary for antibodies to show up (simply as I don't have a month spare to be ill).
- Beijinger 2y ago
  "Celiac is a very clear cut medical condition." No, it is not. It comes in a bunch of varieties and there is news: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ "Most gluten intolerance seems to be nothing but hypochondria" Well, tell this to somebody who nearly died of it. First diagnosis when I walked into the hospital: HIV in the final stage! But I have a super rare form of it. Incidence 1:100000
  - gruez 2y ago
    >No, it is not. It comes in a bunch of varieties and there is news: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945755/ From the abstract >Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of celiac disease The rest seems to be theorizing with no empirical evidence
    - Beijinger 2y ago
      The is no proof (there is never proof in science) but there is reason to be suspicious. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7545723/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7545723/ Glyphosate exposure, either through active ingredient alone or commercial herbicide formulations, has the potential to induce dysbiosis by creating an imbalance between commensal members of the gastrointestinal microbiome and opportunistic pathogens. Glyphosate may be a critical environmental trigger in the etiology of several disease states associated with dysbiosis, including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Glyphosate exposure may also have consequences for mental health, including anxiety and depression, through alterations in the gut microbiome. However, the research surrounding glyphosate’s effects on the gut microbiome also suffers from numerous methodological weaknesses including artificially high-doses, insufficient duration, proprietary ingredients and an over reliance on animal models. Future long-term studies examining physiologically relevant doses in both healthy and genetically susceptible populations are warranted to determine the real risk posed to human health.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
bruce343434 2y ago
I assume those folks are smart enough not to eat pasta then.
- CharlieDigital 2y ago
  It's not that simple for most folks because, as I said, it seems to be a spectrum of intolerance and doesn't manifest as some step function. It took a while for my wife to zero in on pasta and bread as one source of her bloating and gassiness (lactose being another). She grew up eating plenty of pasta, bread, and lactose. But cutting it out has helped reduce digestive discomfort now in her early 40's.

zahlman 2y ago

>I can stock up on 900g bags of pasta on sale for CAD$1.25 (~US$0.87). Used to be CAD$1.00 was the good deal, but c’est la vie. I remember it being available at $1.00 quite consistently, but I can't recall seeing it even at $1.25 during 2024. Maybe for the 750g bags. Also damn, CADUSD has been sliding further... (Why does Google's chart show a giant temporary spike on Dec 21?) >Canada grows a ton of pulses, mostly for export, so they’re cheap here And yet it seems like what I see on shelves is mostly imported... ?

Scoundreller 2y ago
$1.25 was a few months ago at a Toronto Freshco. 900g Italpasta. I seemed to be the only weirdo stocking up for the next 1-2 years. Managed to find the 798ml cans of beans for 1.25 (I think it was) in the last few months at a No Frills. Def local production. Again, was the only weirdo stocking up for the next 1-2 years. Yeah dry beans are cheaper but I’m lazy. You may also find me filling my cart when 798ml cans of crushed tomatoes go on sale, which is more common than the above sales.
BigGreenJorts 2y ago
Giant Tiger has 900g go on sale for this price pretty regularly. Unfortunately it's only for penne, spaghetti, and sometimes macaroni, they don't seem to sell the other shapes in the 900g format.

neilv 2y ago

Pasta is also good. For rice, something like parboiled rice, or brown rice, or enriched white rice will be more nutritious than some other kinds. Oh, for beans, in addition to chick peas, lentils, and the various colors, there's also chana daal from an Indian grocery. (Which I'm told isn't the same thing as yellow split pea, though some stores might say it is.)

fuzztester 2y ago
Chana daal is split mature chickpea. Yellow split pea is from mature pea, unless it is from pigeon pea. All three are commonly eaten in India, along with many other kinds of legumes including daals and beans. More info: https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-pulses/ https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-pulses/

cenamus 2y ago

Do mind that the body can only use about half the protein in wheat, compared the somewhere in the 90s % for whey, for example.

Scoundreller 2y ago
Maybe, but how does wheat protein compare to rice protein?
- zemvpferreira 2y ago
  Very well in general. As a protein whey is unbeatable on bioavailibity and completion, especially considering cost per kg.
  - dkjaudyeqooe 2y ago
    Biggest problem is that it has an absolutely disgusting texture, for me at least.
    - npoc 2y ago
      Also involves killing calves
      - viccis 2y ago
        That's how our civilization's relationship to cows has worked for millennia.
        npoc 2y ago
        Our civilisations also kept slaves for millennia.
        megous 2y ago
        They still do, mechanisms and messaging are just smarter.

in-pursuit 2y ago

Not that you'd buy organic pasta on a tight budget, but organic wheat products are not fortified, at least in the U.S. Just FYI to anyone wanting to exclusively eat pasta.

barbazoo 2y ago

That price for pasta can't be beat. I'm in BC and pasta goes for $0.37/100g here.

goosedragons 2y ago

Rice is cheaper. Especially if you go to somewhere like an Asian market. With a rice cooker, rice is brain dead to make too and IMO it's far more versatile and I can eat it plain, while plain pasta is IMO disgusting.