Silly question about carbs

tobykeohane

good morning everybody,
I am having a tin of vegetable soup for lunch, now I thought this would come from my five a day group but apparently it's full of carbs?
Am I being thick or what ha ha

Whitezombiegirl

Vegetables are full of carbs as well as counting towards 5 a day. The two groups are not exclusive.

Higher carb veg is mostly root/ starch e.g carrots, potatoes, swede etc.

Onions have quite a bit of sugar, as does sweetcorn.

melaniecheeks

5 a day will mean carbs. Fruit particularly has a lot of sugar (which is a form of carbohydrate), veg also.

Some people count "net carbs" which allows for the fibre content in veggies, but it's not really necessary unless you're trying for ketosis.

Presumably you want SOME carbs?

tobykeohane

So if I am counting my portions I.e 5 a day for fruit and veg, 3 x servings for dairy, carbs one portion per meal what would I count this tin of soup towards ha ha.
It's says two of your five a day on the tin but will it also be classed as a portion of carbs. Sorry for the silly questions. I am just trying to get my head round all this healthy plate stuff lol x

QueenofHearts023

Just eat within your calorie goal and stop worrying about carbs. You just need to eat less overall to lose weight.

tobykeohane

You sound like my husband queen of hearts. I think I am getting on his nerves lol. He says I am becoming obsessed with all this food stuff lol

Bishbosh33

Yes, unless you want to do some extreme like Atkins it's almost impossible to cut out all carbs. I'm just trying to cut back on the obviously bad refined ones. Bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes. But the more exercise you do, the more of those you can eat!

QueenofHearts023

tobykeohane wrote: »

You sound like my husband queen of hearts. I think I am getting on his nerves lol. He says I am becoming obsessed with all this food stuff lol

A lot of people make this a lot more difficult than it has to be. Eat what you like, weigh your food and eat within your calories. And you'll lose weight. really simple.

QueenofHearts023

Bishbosh33 wrote: »

Yes, unless you want to do some extreme like Atkins it's almost impossible to cut out all carbs. I'm just trying to cut back on the obviously bad refined ones. Bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes. But the more exercise you do, the more of those you can eat!

There are no bad carbs. They all have the same effect on your body which is give you energy. And since when are potatoes refined, they grow in the ground.

Heck if I didn't eat potatoes I'd not be able to have any carbs. They're my safe food. (Digestive issues.)

Sued0nim

tobykeohane wrote: »

You sound like my husband queen of hearts. I think I am getting on his nerves lol. He says I am becoming obsessed with all this food stuff lol

I think you might be confused which is why you're seeming obsessed

OK - the important thing for weight loss is to hit your calorie defecit across the week
This means eating fewer calories than you use up across the week
A rule of thumb is eat 3500 fewer calories than you use to lose a lb (but weight loss isn't linear so that's averaged over 6 weeks)

Important macros
Protein for cell repair - aim for minimum of 0.64g per lb of bodyweight
Fat for nutrient absorbtion - aim for minimum of 0.35g per lb of bodyweight

Important food groups
Wide range of colourful vegetables, lean proteins, dairy for minerals and vitamins

Unimportant macro
Carbs - as long as you've covered off your wide range of nutrients and hit your macros as above you can eat carbs to hearts content - yes that includes chips, breads, pasta - but they tend to be calorie dense and don't forget the one rule to weight loss

Calories in < calories out

Some people find it easier to stick to their defecit by reducing carbs - I don't - it makes me crash and burn and 50-60% of my diet is carbs from vegetables, pulses, bread, cake, chips and every food I love - calorie counted of course

Whitezombiegirl

Bishbosh33 wrote: »

Yes, unless you want to do some extreme like Atkins it's almost impossible to cut out all carbs. I'm just trying to cut back on the obviously bad refined ones. Bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes. But the more exercise you do, the more of those you can eat!

Refined carbs are not bad. They have a similar nutrional profile as wholemeal but without most the insoluable fibre ( which is not great for you if you have ibs). Vegetables have tonnes more fibre than whole grain. Additionaly whole grain contains higher amounts of phytates and lectins which interfer with vitamin and mineral absorption. They are recomended as they take to digest and so keep you fuller for longer - but if you have no issue with staying full there is no necessity to eat them over refined white versions

kommodevaran

tobykeohane wrote: »

So if I am counting my portions I.e 5 a day for fruit and veg, 3 x servings for dairy, carbs one portion per meal what would I count this tin of soup towards ha ha.
It's says two of your five a day on the tin but will it also be classed as a portion of carbs. Sorry for the silly questions. I am just trying to get my head round all this healthy plate stuff lol x

It's not silly. The "healthy plate" etc should be regarded as a "rough guide", it's not the law. (I used to believe that myself, so I'm getting a little bit worked up every time i see others struggle.) If you are counting calories (=using the MFP food diary), and try to hit protein and fat minimums, and fiber goal, you don't have to count portions as well, your nutrition is taken care of. That said, getting in at least three portions of vegetables and two portions of fruit per day, is a good goal to have.

cafeaulait7

They probably mean starchy 'white' carbs if they separate carbs out from veggies. I'd call it a veggie dish unless it was mostly potato or something. I know people hate the 'white' category as used on food, but for veggies you do want to be eating different colors and not always white for nutrient reasons Different colored fruits are good to shoot for, too. The bright colors are usually from different antioxidants, etc. that are very good for you.

kommodevaran

cafeaulait7 wrote: »

They probably mean starchy 'white' carbs if they separate carbs out from veggies. I'd call it a veggie dish unless it was mostly potato or something. I know people hate the 'white' category as used on food, but for veggies you do want to be eating different colors and not always white for nutrient reasons Different colored fruits are good to shoot for, too. The bright colors are usually from different antioxidants, etc. that are very good for you.

Yes, starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato, beans and corn do not "count" as "vegetables". And a variety of fruit and vegetables is important. I wanted to say this, but couldn't find the right place to put it.

melonaulait

There is nothing magical about eating a certain amount of macros per meal/day. Maybe for a bodybuilder who's going for a sculpted look it's important to eat specific macros, but not necessarily other people. (Or if there's medical issues, or just preference)

Restricting yourself to "1 serving" of carbs per meal does sound a little bit obsessive. If you prefer your meals that way, that's totally ok, but it's not any more effective for weight loss or health than eating all the carbs you want.