Rice and pasta are terrible.
Quinoa and brown rice pastas are fine ~ but very expensive ~ which cuts back on the intake like you wouldn’t believe.
It depends I guess. In terms of your blood sugar, a small plate of white pasta is better than a large plate of whole wheat pasta. And replacing a refined grain with a moderate whole grain alternative offers a slight nutritional upgrade but nowhere near as big an upgrade as replacing it with an extra serving of vegetables, which are the most nutrient-dense foods out there. So I eat a green salad everyday for lunch, snack on bananas, apples and pineapples and finish the day off with veggies and chicken over rice. :)
My gastroenterologist just told me ... NO carbs!