Increasing carbs?

jaga13

New here the app is saying I don't eat enough carbs. I try to keep sugar on the low end. I assume the best way to increase carbs with out adding too much sugar is to eat way more veggies. I eat a lot of salads and love veggies but apparently they don't add up as much as I thought. How can I increase my carb to protein/fat ratio?

janejellyroll

Is there a medical reason you don't want to eat sugar? Unfortunately, many foods with carbohydrates - - including vegetables - - contain sugars.

If having some sugar is an option for you, you can eat vegetables (including starchy vegetables), grains (including bread and pasta), and fruit.

RodaRose

Are you eating enough calories? Keep meeting your protein and fat goals. Think of the carb goals as optional.

futuremanda

The sugar column on MFP is based on the guidelines for *added* sugar. But I don't think the column can actually differentiate -- so if you eat sweetened yoghurt (which would have dairy sugars and added sugars), the column would just show all the sugar.

So, in addition to what janejellyroll said, I don't think the sugar column is that helpful, especially if it's making you feel like you can't have things like fruit. I changed mine to fibre.

livingleanlivingclean

Rice, grain products, oats, Quinoa, beans/legumes etc. Unless they have sugar added, they'd be low sugar and an easy way to increase carbs. Carb dense vegies - starchy ones - instead of lighter salad type vegies.

jaga13

No medical reason. I am just trying to reduce the added sugar (processed foods and sweets). I rarely eat bread or pasta though I eat oatmeal for breakfast. I am going to keep eating lots of fruit and veggies and maybe add in a little more whole grains. Maybe too many of

jaga13

Futuremanda I think you're right. The sugar column isn't differentiating between natural and added sugar. It shows I exceed the sugar recommendation when I have a freaking banana ! I'm going to try to just not worry about it thank you

earlnabby

jaga13 wrote: »

Futuremanda I think you're right. The sugar column isn't differentiating between natural and added sugar. It shows I exceed the sugar recommendation when I have a freaking banana ! I'm going to try to just not worry about it thank you

Best thing to do is change your diary to track fiber instead of sugar. Both are subsets of carbs, but most people don't get enough fiber and, unless your doctor tells you to track sugar, getting enough fiber will do more for improved health and satiety than watching sugars. Fruits, veggies, beans and lentils, and whole grains will help up both the carb and fiber macros.

ETA: are you going with the MFP defaults? Are you satisfied with your food (not hungry)? Do you have enough energy for your day and any workouts? You might want to think about adjusting your macros eventually and lowering carbs to fit with the macro mix that you eat and makes you feel good.

lemurcat12

Starches are your carb source if you don't want sugar (it's kind of an arbitrary distinction, IMO, however): think starchy veg like potatoes, sweet potatoes, sunchokes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, winter squash; grains (this includes corn and rice); beans. Non-starchy vegetables are mostly carbs, but they don't have enough calories to give you that many carbs (eat them, though, they are good for other reasons). Fruit will have carbs, but mostly from sugar (which again seems not a problem to me).

Doesn't really matter if you hit your carb goal unless you think you would feel better if you increased carbs. You can also modify your macros to what fits how you eat or think is healthy. (I try to make sure my protein hits a minimum and have general goals for carbs and fat, but don't worry much if fat is high one day and carbs the next.)

jaga13

I am definitely using mfp default. How can I change it ?

earlnabby

From your home page, click on "goals" --> "change goals" --> click the radio button for "custom" and then enter your preferences.