Why do carbs have such a bad rep?

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  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    UpEarly wrote: »
    UpEarly wrote: »
    Two things:
    -because of the increasing rates type 2 diabetes and obesity.
    -because carbs do tend to have more calories than anything else

    I don't think they're bad and I couldn't do a low carb diet. But I do know carb heavy foods like bagels, pasta, etc have more calories and it doesn't always fill people up.

    In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not.

    Protein and carbohydrates both contain 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram. Carbs don't have more calories than anything else.

    Yeah but I meant it like: a chocolate donut has more calories than say, some fruit, plain vegetables, or a small container of yogurt. And products made with white flour tend to be nutritionally devoid.

    Well... the fruit, the veggies, and the yogurt you listed are all mostly carbs, too. The yogurt has some protein, but most yogurts still get most of their calories from carbs. A chocolate donut may not be nutrient packed, but I still think you can have a healthy diet that includes occasional donuts and other foods made from white flour.

    But like you said... and I totally agree "In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not." :-)

    Oh, I agree you can eat donuts and have moderation. My life would be sad without bagels, pasta, pizza, etc.

    Sounds like we're on the same page! :-)
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Some people don't tolerate carbs well and they get better results eating low carb. Others are the exact opposite. If what you're doing is working and you feel good, good job. Keep doing that -- it's ok if it's different than what someone else is doing.

    If you're interested in the research Calories Proper has some blog posts on the subject.

    Insulin sensitive dieters lost more weight on a high carb diet than a low carb diet (10.4 vs 8.6 kg). Insulin resistant dieters lost more weight on low carb (9.6 vs 7.4 kg). Notably, of all four groups, the most weight was lost on a high carb diet (10.4 kg) despite low carbers consistently getting more protein. Source
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Yeah but I meant it like: a chocolate donut has more calories than say, some fruit, plain vegetables, or a small container of yogurt.

    But that is becuse the donut has more fat. A KrispyKreme chocolate filled donut has about 400 cals, but has the same carb content as a 170g (large) banana (which is half the cals of the donut).

    And products made with white flour tend to be nutritionally devoid.

    Isn't true. bread, cake, pasta, pancakes all have nutritional value. Many flours are fortified to add in micro-nutrients but even without - Carbohydrate is nutritionally important.

    I am talking about the flour only, not pre-packaged products of pasta or pancakes. I bake and I know for a fact white flour has only a little iron and 3 grams of protein for a quarter cup. Whole wheat flour has more fiber and protein in comparison.

    The reason why flour is fortified now is because of an outbreak of pellagra back in the day which is from lack of niacin.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Yeah but I meant it like: a chocolate donut has more calories than say, some fruit, plain vegetables, or a small container of yogurt.

    But that is becuse the donut has more fat. A KrispyKreme chocolate filled donut has about 400 cals, but has the same carb content as a 170g (large) banana (which is half the cals of the donut).

    And products made with white flour tend to be nutritionally devoid.

    Isn't true. bread, cake, pasta, pancakes all have nutritional value. Many flours are fortified to add in micro-nutrients but even without - Carbohydrate is nutritionally important.

    I am talking about the flour only, not pre-packaged products of pasta or pancakes. I bake and I know for a fact white flour has only a little iron and 3 grams of protein for a quarter cup. Whole wheat flour has more fiber and protein in comparison.

    The reason why flour is fortified now is because of an outbreak of pellagra back in the day which is from lack of niacin.

    I guess I was confused by your comment because you said:
    And products made with white flour tend to be nutritionally devoid.

    rather than

    "white four tends to be..."

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    Two things:
    -because of the increasing rates type 2 diabetes and obesity.
    -because carbs do tend to have more calories than anything else

    I don't think they're bad and I couldn't do a low carb diet. But I do know carb heavy foods like bagels, pasta, etc have more calories and it doesn't always fill people up.

    In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not.

    Obesity is caused by too many calories. Type II is correlated to genetics, obesity and inactivity. Neither is directly tied to just carbs.


    And all the things you listed are heavy in carbs, fats and salts. In fact, many deserts how more calories from fat. But unfortunately, many see things like cookies and cake as only having carbs as that's the trends.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Two things:
    -because of the increasing rates type 2 diabetes and obesity.
    -because carbs do tend to have more calories than anything else

    I don't think they're bad and I couldn't do a low carb diet. But I do know carb heavy foods like bagels, pasta, etc have more calories and it doesn't always fill people up.

    In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not.

    Obesity is caused by too many calories. Type II is correlated to genetics, obesity and inactivity. Neither is directly tied to just carbs.


    And all the things you listed are heavy in carbs, fats and salts. In fact, many deserts how more calories from fat. But unfortunately, many see things like cookies and cake as only having carbs as that's the trends.

    Yes I know. But what are the obese eating? not lots of fruit and vegs, it's processed stuff that carb, fat and salt heavy. Now, carbs are good in moderation as your body uses it for fuel but people like to find something to blame rather than admit they got fat from eating too many calories.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    FeedMeFish wrote: »
    My question is, then why do some people function better on high carb?

    Not all do.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Two things:
    -because of the increasing rates type 2 diabetes and obesity.
    -because carbs do tend to have more calories than anything else

    I don't think they're bad and I couldn't do a low carb diet. But I do know carb heavy foods like bagels, pasta, etc have more calories and it doesn't always fill people up.

    In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not.

    Obesity is caused by too many calories. Type II is correlated to genetics, obesity and inactivity. Neither is directly tied to just carbs.


    And all the things you listed are heavy in carbs, fats and salts. In fact, many deserts how more calories from fat. But unfortunately, many see things like cookies and cake as only having carbs as that's the trends.

    Yes I know. But what are the obese eating? not lots of fruit and vegs, it's processed stuff that carb, fat and salt heavy. Now, carbs are good in moderation as your body uses it for fuel but people like to find something to blame rather than admit they got fat from eating too many calories.

    I don't disagree. I got fat from eating too many calories but mainly in the form of fat and proteins (burgers, wings, cheesesteaks) and I stopped being so active.

    Another big problem is too many people drink too many calories which makes is very easy to add up quickly.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    The only people who need to be concerned about carbs is people with insulin issues. I have PCOS, and I have to be careful about carbs. I try to limit myself to only one carb per meal (choose potato OR bread, not both), and I try to eat as many of my carbs whole-grain as possible. But even those with insulin issues need carbs. I just have to make sure I have the right kind of carbs.

    I agree, too, with StealthHealth--something has to be the "bad guy" because no one wants to acknowledge that the main problem is overeating combined with a sedentary lifestyle.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Yeah but I meant it like: a chocolate donut has more calories than say, some fruit, plain vegetables, or a small container of yogurt.

    But that is becuse the donut has more fat. A KrispyKreme chocolate filled donut has about 400 cals, but has the same carb content as a 170g (large) banana (which is half the cals of the donut).

    And products made with white flour tend to be nutritionally devoid.

    Isn't true. bread, cake, pasta, pancakes all have nutritional value. Many flours are fortified to add in micro-nutrients but even without - Carbohydrate is nutritionally important.

    I am talking about the flour only, not pre-packaged products of pasta or pancakes. I bake and I know for a fact white flour has only a little iron and 3 grams of protein for a quarter cup. Whole wheat flour has more fiber and protein in comparison.

    The reason why flour is fortified now is because of an outbreak of pellagra back in the day which is from lack of niacin.

    A lot of white flour actually has more iron than whole wheat due to fortification. For example, take King Arthur Flour as a brand. Their unbleached white flour has 33% more iron than their whole wheat flour, equal protein, and equal or greater amounts of all the micronutrients on the label. It certainly has a lot less fiber (that's what's removed when the bran is taken away).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    FeedMeFish wrote: »
    I hear/see all of this chat about how horrible carbs are and how fats are more beneficial and all these weight loss stories with low carb. My question is, then why do some people function better on high carb? For example, I've tried low carb a few times which resulted in crankiness, tiredness, constipation, underperformance when exercising, and low carb was also the only time I would occasionally go over my calories (never satisfied/full). On high carb though, I perform well when exercising, am not cranky, am "regular", and lost a massive amount of weight. It also keeps my appetite under control. What's weird is when I do research on these eating lifestyles, the claims are exact opposite from my positive experience on carbs. I eat high carb, high protein, low fat. Have lost around 70 pounds. Lift weights, do cardio HIIT and/or yoga every other day, and daily walks. Can anyone else here relate? Do you operate better on carbs as well (along with better fitness results)?

    I perform a lot better on a similar diet as you. When I did paleo my carbs were starting to dip down to 150-180g and i was suffering, even with higher fat and sodium still around 5000mg. So switching back to a moderate approach allows me to do HIIT and resistance training at optimal levels.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    Two things:
    -because of the increasing rates type 2 diabetes and obesity.
    -because carbs do tend to have more calories than anything else

    I don't think they're bad and I couldn't do a low carb diet. But I do know carb heavy foods like bagels, pasta, etc have more calories and it doesn't always fill people up.

    In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not.

    Really?
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
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    rankinsect wrote: »
    Yeah but I meant it like: a chocolate donut has more calories than say, some fruit, plain vegetables, or a small container of yogurt.

    But that is becuse the donut has more fat. A KrispyKreme chocolate filled donut has about 400 cals, but has the same carb content as a 170g (large) banana (which is half the cals of the donut).

    And products made with white flour tend to be nutritionally devoid.

    Isn't true. bread, cake, pasta, pancakes all have nutritional value. Many flours are fortified to add in micro-nutrients but even without - Carbohydrate is nutritionally important.

    I am talking about the flour only, not pre-packaged products of pasta or pancakes. I bake and I know for a fact white flour has only a little iron and 3 grams of protein for a quarter cup. Whole wheat flour has more fiber and protein in comparison.

    The reason why flour is fortified now is because of an outbreak of pellagra back in the day which is from lack of niacin.

    A lot of white flour actually has more iron than whole wheat due to fortification. For example, take King Arthur Flour as a brand. Their unbleached white flour has 33% more iron than their whole wheat flour, equal protein, and equal or greater amounts of all the micronutrients on the label. It certainly has a lot less fiber (that's what's removed when the bran is taken away).

    Yes, white flour has more iron, but whole wheat has more fiber. King Arthur ww flour has 4 grams of protein and 4 grams dietary fiber per quarter cup. King Arthur unbleached white flour has 4 grams of protein and 1 gram dietary fiber for the same amount. Calorie wise, they're pretty much identical but because of the fiber I choose to use whole wheat flour instead of white. Sometimes I will use white though, if I am making something for other people. I know not everyone likes the taste of whole wheat flour.

    That's just my personal preference.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    Two things:
    -because of the increasing rates type 2 diabetes and obesity.
    -because carbs do tend to have more calories than anything else

    I don't think they're bad and I couldn't do a low carb diet. But I do know carb heavy foods like bagels, pasta, etc have more calories and it doesn't always fill people up.

    In the end, it's about cals in vs cals out, low carb or not.

    Really?
    I got this one. No, not really.

    Lol...
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    When I tried to lose weight doing only CICO I didn't lose anything. Nothing. I couldn't understand it. I ate between 1000-1300 calories per day at 5'4" and 194 lbs.
    I went to a dr, a metabolic specialist who did a glucose tolerance test on me and there it was, insulin resistance/prediabetes. Started low carb, first with macro 25% now >50 carbs /day and I lose. Never occurred to me that I'd have to do this, but I'm getting used to it as it comes up on almost a year. I may not lose as quickly as others but I lose.
    Carbs are not my enemy, but they aren't my friend either.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    darlswife wrote: »
    When I tried to lose weight doing only CICO I didn't lose anything. Nothing. I couldn't understand it. I ate between 1000-1300 calories per day at 5'4" and 194 lbs.
    I went to a dr, a metabolic specialist who did a glucose tolerance test on me and there it was, insulin resistance/prediabetes. Started low carb, first with macro 25% now >50 carbs /day and I lose. Never occurred to me that I'd have to do this, but I'm getting used to it as it comes up on almost a year. I may not lose as quickly as others but I lose.
    Carbs are not my enemy, but they aren't my friend either.

    Possibly things get more complicated once insulin resistance sets in...
  • Dannigreen31
    Dannigreen31 Posts: 557 Member
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    I can't cut out carbs either. Makes me weak or it could all be in my mind. I read so much conflicting stuff!
    I just try to keep them low
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    mwinslow69 wrote: »
    It's from the Atkins diet.

    Not really.