Vegetables = carbs???

PK_runner
PK_runner Posts: 2
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
I've tried searching this topic, however haven't the answers I'm looking for. I'm always trying to incorporate a lot of vegetables into my daily diet. My MyFitnessPal goals are to aim for a higher percentage of protein than my carbs and fats least of the two. It's all calculated by the food logs I record everyday. My problem arises when I notice that all the vegetables are pushing my carbs at 15-25% over my goal. Now I've been told many times by trainers that greens are basically free foods, but the website makes me think they are no so free. Is that assumption right? Or can I really eat the vegetables freely without it real affecting my goals?

I don't mean to be redundant with this question, its always bothered me and I never feel like I am eating right with the calculations I see and don't exactly have a consistency with my weight loss to really tell me if it affects me all that much. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    No such thing as a free lunch.

    There are three macros, every food will have them (or a couple of them) in a different mix.
    Vegetables are generally more carb than anything else.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    Yes veggies are made of carbs. Leafy greens would have less than root vegetables. However, they also have a lot of fiber.
    As long as you are eating your minimum protein and fat goals, then this shouldn't be an issue or over in calories.
    You say veggies are pushing your totals over your goal, are you only eating veggies as a source of carbs? What about your intake of fruits, pasta, sweets, etc? All those contribute to your carb intake, too.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Yes, vegetables have carbs of varying amounts. If you want to stay within your goals, focus on eating lower carb vegetables.

    I don't know what your trainers meant by 'free food' but vegetables are not free of carbs or calories. Some eating plans do recommend eating leafy vegetables without counting them toward any goal, so perhaps that's what they meant.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Because many fruits and veggies have fewer calories than other things and they pack in vitamins and minerals, they encourage us to eat them. They're healthy!

    That doesn't mean they have no calories. They have calories. They have carbs.

    If I exceed my carb (or sugar) goal eating only fruits and veggies, I don't give it a second thought. If I'm exceeding it by eating things that don't give me things I need, second and third thoughts are pondered.

    If you're just starting, don't worry too much. The whole point of logging and reading the details is to see where you'd like to improve! If you were already perfect, there'd be no point to the logging. If this carb thing is excessive and you'd like to improve it, do that. :) If it gets to be a chore, take it easy on yourself. Work on one thing at a time.

    Look at what you eat, pick something to improve, then move on to the next thing. If the carbs are too high, see where you can cut back without shorting yourself on nutrients. Keep going until you have that fairly well fixed up without too much effort, then move on to the next thing.

    All the while, keep an eye on the sodium, because if sodium is an issue, it's a really hard one to fix and requires so much effort that working on it for a long time is helpful. It also has an impact on food choices, so if you fix everything else and then start on sodium, it might be like starting all over. Keep an eye as you go and it's easier in the long run.

    That's my advice. Someone is bound to disagree. I know that even as I hit, "Post Reply." It's still my advice. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Well lets see...there are 3 macro-nutrients; carbs, protein, and fat. Vegetables aren't a source of fat and aren't a source of protein (at least not much)...so that really only leaves one other option.

    Yes...veggies are carbohydrates. And yes, veggies have calories. If you're going way over on your carbs though, I would suggest that it's probably not the veggies...
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Well lets see...there are 3 macro-nutrients; carbs, protein, and fat. Vegetables aren't a source of fat and aren't a source of protein (at least not much)...so that really only leaves one other option.

    Yes...veggies are carbohydrates. And yes, veggies have calories. If you're going way over on your carbs though, I would suggest that it's probably not the veggies...

    Avocado's have fat (and don't tell me its not a vegetable, I know its a drupe) and beans have protein ( I know legume) but for the vast majority these are vegetables.

  • bambarby
    bambarby Posts: 10 Member
    edited January 2015
    I'm with your trainer. Greens (not other colors) are free calories, as I don't count them. Although they do have calories, this ways makes life much easier.
    Simplify your diet is the key to reach your goal.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2015
    The idea that vegetables are "free" is weird. They are good for you and you should eat plenty, but they have calories and, of course, carbs. I eat them freely (as much as I like) and feel good when I log them or look back at a day and see I got a nice variety, but I also log them, as I want an accurate look at my diet and would like to know my total calories and macros. I think the "free" idea has more to do with following a non-counting approach (where you may just try to portion out your other foods in various ways to keep a deficit or maintenance without counting) or, of course, the WW idea, where they are somewhat factored in already.

    However, if your carb goals are so low that green vegetables are pushing you over, you may want to reconsider whether the goals are reasonable, in particular for you. How did you decide on your macro ratios, for example? You don't need to have protein highest--you probably don't need that much (although I'd need to know actual numbers), and why carbs next lowest and fat lowest of all? If carbs are so low that you can't eat a lot of green veggies, that makes me wonder if your fat is really, really low, and it suggests that you think there's something bad about carbs and fat, which there is not.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    edited January 2015
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Because many ice cream and steaks have fewer calories than other things and they pack in vitamins and minerals, they encourage us to eat them. They're healthy!

    That doesn't mean they have no calories. They have calories.

    I'd agree with this.


    I'm with your trainer. Greens (not other colors) are free calories, as I don't count them. Although they do have calories, this ways makes life much easier.
    Simplify your diet is the key to reach your goal.

    lol what?

    there is no such thing as a free food. unless someone buys it and hands it to you and has no expectations.... then it's free.

    Otherwise- it's not free- all foods have calories- small or large- there are still calories.
  • lindzgayle
    lindzgayle Posts: 131 Member
    edited January 2015
    JoRocka wrote: »
    there is no such thing as a free food. unless someone buys it and hands it to you and has no expectations.... then it's free.

    Otherwise- it's not free- all foods have calories- small or large- there are still calories.

    LOL^^

    OP, can we see your diary?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited January 2015
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  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
    If one is curious to know what vegetables have in them, just plug in one of your choice into the food database and see (if you can ever get it to actually load)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calorie-chart-nutrition-facts
    ie..Broccoli - Raw
    Calories 30 Sodium 29 mg
    Total Fat 0 g Potassium 278 mg
    Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 6 g
    Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 2 g
    Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 1 g
    Trans 0 g Protein 2 g
    Cholesterol 0 mg
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
    PlaydohPants wrote: »
    ETA: I ate almost 300 calories in fruits and vegetables yesterday. What if I didn't count that?

    Fruits are not greens. Greens = green (leafy) vegetables. As in a green salad, which has 15-20 kcal / 100 grams. So yes, it's all the same if you count it or not. No one has ever became fat from eating too much lettuce and cucumber, and no one ever will. If you are not losing weight, the problem is not that you are eating too much greens.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    zipa78 wrote: »
    PlaydohPants wrote: »
    ETA: I ate almost 300 calories in fruits and vegetables yesterday. What if I didn't count that?

    Fruits are not greens. Greens = green (leafy) vegetables. As in a green salad, which has 15-20 kcal / 100 grams. So yes, it's all the same if you count it or not. No one has ever became fat from eating too much lettuce and cucumber, and no one ever will. If you are not losing weight, the problem is not that you are eating too much greens.

    you're right- it's probably the salad dressing.
  • neenskeeez
    neenskeeez Posts: 2 Member
    Yes, fruits and vegetables are carbs. But have you thought about the fiber in them?? A lot of fruits and veggies are packed with insoluble carbohydrates (fiber) that are never even absorbed. So why get worked up about them? I have never paid any mind to carbohydrates in vegetables... As long as I get a base of the deep, leafy greens, I will feel free to add whatever other veggie there is--whether it will be carrots and hummus for lunch or squash for dinner. Seriously, eat the vegetables and your body will thank you. I don't see the point in limiting your veggies in the first place
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