To think this is hysterical nutrition advice?

[LadyMoglet]

I eat chicken and fish most days but have a two days per week where I go meat free. On these days I often have 50g (uncooked) wholegrain pasta, tablespoon of homemade pesto and some veg such as broccoli, courgette, spinach, mushroom.
No added salt but a sprinkle of parmesan, pepper, garlic and herbs.

Sometimes I vary it with lentil soup.
It used to be cheese salad sandwiches but I wanted to up my fiber!

Unsolicited advice from colleague insists this is going to make me fat and metabolically ill.
I am not fat, and I don't have allergies or sensitivities, but a most definitely AM confused.
I am aware that it is none of his business, but I am wondering if this is a popular view of food now? It seems like the world has gone a bit bonkers with faddy diets.

Is this something else I haven't caught up with yet? Surely this is over the top?

Ignore him, the messages around eating are wild currently. Moderation is the key and not too much UPF. He has probably been on tik tok.

I’m not clear why this diet is going to make you ‘fat and ill’?

How is a bowl of pasta twice a week going to make you fat? And what exactly does “metabolically ill” mean? That is not a recognised medical diagnosis.

It’s best to avoid talking to anyone in such great detail about what you eat every day. It gives people the impression you want advice.

Sorry, I forgot to add I presume he is referring to the demon carbs.

Which part is getting you ill? The pasta?

You have a strange colleague who seems to have got all of his nutritional knowledge from TikTok. No, it isn’t a standard view of food these days. He is being a weirdo (and possibly has an eating disorder).

Unhinged nonsense. I’m assuming colleague is in no way qualified to comment on what you eat, even if you’d asked. Which you didn’t. Ignore this.

it was unsolicited advice?
I think two of us were saying can't wait to get home, one was excited to be having a barbecue and I said I was looking forward to my pasta night. He burst in at this point. He didn't try to lecture about the woman's barbecue, just my bloody pasta.

I am trying to imagine the horrors of “fattening” lentil soup

I think it was the pasta!

It sounds like your colleague has food issues and is projecting his own anxiety around eating. That’s a perfectly normal and healthy diet.

That said, last time I took dc to the dentist, dentist said no fruit allowed, only meat and nuts as snacks. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We’ve ignored that.

Does he imagine every single person in Italy is “fat and metabolically ill”?

Pasta and veg with a bit of cheese is absolutely a healthy meal; lacking a bit of protein but if you eat enough of that in other meals it’s not an issue. No idea why your colleague says what they do - it’s totally incorrect.

There are probably more carbs in a burger bun than in your pasta. Not that carbs are even a problem.

50g of wholemeal pasta twice a week can't make you fat! The average recommended portion is about 75-100g which is twice that. You're bulking out with fresh veg and a small amount of pesto which is just nuts, oil herbs, garlic and a small amount of cheese Nothing unhealthy in any of that.

Is he very young? there seems to be an absolute fad with eating protein amongst some young uns at the moment. My DS and his mates who are all big time gym people are a bit protein obsessed at the moment. Apart from one of his mates who hoovers up cake if available.

I am trying to imagine meat snacks. Most come in the form of pepperoni, jerky, etc. I suppose you could have some strips of cooked chicken in the fridge, or just throw DC a sautéed lamb chop mid afternoon

Thanks @LadyMoglet You’ve just given me a suggestion for my dinner. 🥳

I am mindful of eating whole foods as much as possible, but other than that I don't have any rules.

He is in his early 40's. Thankfully no one else ever chats about 'diets' so he's an outlier.

I bake the veg with seasoning and a drizzle of oil, always tastes more plush than fried. Mushrooms stay plump!
Make pasta on it's own then stir pesto into it before chucking the veg in. Add oregano and torn basil...aaaah!

People have gone mad on the carb issue. I mean, salad is carbs too.

Here is a good article you can print out for your colleague (o;

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7677087/why-dietitian-never-gives-up-pasta/

I'm sure the dietary advice above is fine but I'm a bit perturbed when people refer to pasta as noodles.

Did you tell your colleague that you ate 50g of uncooked pasta?
Or that you weighed 50g of uncooked pasta, and then cooked it?

If he is imagining you eating raw pasta, he may have a point 😆

He's a gullible, bandwagon-jumping idiot. Ignore him.