The short answer...yes.
We all love the occasional pastry. Some of us enjoy this on more than just one occasion. Regardless, the majority of us likely agree that anything made with white (refined) flour with or without the addition of sugar is painstakingly delicious.
But, by the unfair laws of nature, do you ever feel like you could continue to veg on 'za after you nearly devoured a whole pie? Sure, that is in part due to how delicious it tastes. But, what about the feeling of hunger you experience afterwards? Are your crazy female hormones at play or dear God, is there something else to blame?
Here's what's happening when you eat sugars and refined grains, like the bagel or pastry. These simple carbohydrates are digested rapidly, which creates a sharp rise in the level of your blood sugar. In response, your body pumps out a large dose of the hormone Insulin to remove or "carry" some of this excess glucose out of the blood. This results in a subsequent sharp drop in blood sugar. This crash will make you sluggish, like you're suffering from some sort of alien brain-drain. And when you're craving energy, you crave food (because food, as we know = the body's fuel.) In this post-carbohydrate crash (and I'm not talking about following the Bok Choy your mom steamed for you) you may crave even more carbs to replenish the energy that was so unfairly sucked out of you. At this point, you're questioning or even cursing at those marvelous rounds of dough. Enter what begins a "carby cycle", with cravings and crappy feelings galore.
This doesn't mean you need to stay away from these foods entirely. TCM survives on the notion that we should treat our bodies right and "mindfully indulge." Whether that indulgence be chocolate (which yes - can also create a similar internal effect if it's loaded with sugar) or starchy and delicious carbs, like those ridiculous bread sticks pictured above, savor them and enjoy the hell out of them because this won't become routine.