How many carbs do you need? - The Cracker Test
dancing_daisy
Posts: 162 Member
I saw an article in a national newspaper yesterday claiming that you can test how many carbs you need (daily macro %) by chewing on a cracker and timing how long it takes for the taste to change (see full test details below).
The doctor behind it claims that people who require more carbs in their diet have 'multiple copies of the gene that makes the protein amylase, which breaks down starch' so the cracker taste will disappear quicker.
What do keto/LCHF people think about this? On the surface it makes sense but trying to connect the dots between cellular energy production and enzymes in the mouth has me a bit flummoxed
"To find out if you fall into the Full, Moderate of Restricted carb category you will need an unsalted cracker and way of timing yourself.
1. Take a bite of the cracker, set your time for 30 seconds and start chewing, but don't swallow. Paying close attention to any change in taste as it may start happening immediately, and it can be quite subtle.
2. As soon as you notice a change in taste note down the time. If you reach 30 seconds without seeing a change, stop chewing.
3. Repeat the test twice and note your times to get an average.
0-14 seconds - Full carb type: You're genetically predisposed to break down carbs. You can have up to 50 per cent of your calories from carbs, while 20 per cent should come from protein and 30 per cent from fat.
15-20 seconds - Moderate carb type: Ideally you should have no more than 35 per cent of your calories from carbs while an equal amount should come from fats and 30 per cent from protein.
30 seconds or more - Restricted carb type: No more than 25 per cent of your calories should come from carbs as your body finds them hard to break down. You should opt for a higher fat diet for 40 per cent of your calorie intake, while 35 per cent should come from protein."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3774068/Cracker-test-reveals-need-cut-carbs.html#ixzz4JSzhH140
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3774068/Cracker-test-reveals-need-cut-carbs.html
The doctor behind it claims that people who require more carbs in their diet have 'multiple copies of the gene that makes the protein amylase, which breaks down starch' so the cracker taste will disappear quicker.
What do keto/LCHF people think about this? On the surface it makes sense but trying to connect the dots between cellular energy production and enzymes in the mouth has me a bit flummoxed
"To find out if you fall into the Full, Moderate of Restricted carb category you will need an unsalted cracker and way of timing yourself.
1. Take a bite of the cracker, set your time for 30 seconds and start chewing, but don't swallow. Paying close attention to any change in taste as it may start happening immediately, and it can be quite subtle.
2. As soon as you notice a change in taste note down the time. If you reach 30 seconds without seeing a change, stop chewing.
3. Repeat the test twice and note your times to get an average.
0-14 seconds - Full carb type: You're genetically predisposed to break down carbs. You can have up to 50 per cent of your calories from carbs, while 20 per cent should come from protein and 30 per cent from fat.
15-20 seconds - Moderate carb type: Ideally you should have no more than 35 per cent of your calories from carbs while an equal amount should come from fats and 30 per cent from protein.
30 seconds or more - Restricted carb type: No more than 25 per cent of your calories should come from carbs as your body finds them hard to break down. You should opt for a higher fat diet for 40 per cent of your calorie intake, while 35 per cent should come from protein."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3774068/Cracker-test-reveals-need-cut-carbs.html#ixzz4JSzhH140
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3774068/Cracker-test-reveals-need-cut-carbs.html
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Replies
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I ain't putting that thing in my mouth...
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This retarded pseudoscience also assumes that there's no inherent variance in individual sense of taste/smell. There are some who will retain and notice flavors for hours after eating something. Then there are those like me who quickly suffer olfactory fatigue. This tends to occur regardless of food type.8
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »This retarded pseudoscience also assumes that there's no inherent variance in individual sense of taste/smell.
I hadn't thought of that!
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A plain unsalted cracker doesn't have much taste, so I'd be at a loss to do this experiment.1
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As for the oral amylase angle.... I'm not about to say it's wrong. If it's a marker for some individual characteristics that affect carb tolerance, that would be nice to know.5
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Just doesn't make any sense. So if your average is 15 seconds you should not eat more than 35% carbs but if your average is 14 seconds you can magically eat up to 50% carbs! Ridiculous.3
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A plain unsalted cracker doesn't have much taste, so I'd be at a loss to do this experiment.
Ah, but maybe they actually do have extrememly complex and delicious tastes, but we are so afflicted it just doesn't show itself for us!!
I wonder if the same works with chocolate...... I have no issue there with tasting it LOL3 -
Definitely not putting a cracker in my mouth. Next thing I know the whole back will be gone 7
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A plain unsalted cracker doesn't have much taste, so I'd be at a loss to do this experiment.
Ah, but maybe they actually do have extrememly complex and delicious tastes, but we are so afflicted it just doesn't show itself for us!!
I wonder if the same works with chocolate...... I have no issue there with tasting it LOL
Count me in on the chocolate test! LOL3 -
_tierachanel wrote: »Definitely not putting a cracker in my mouth. Next thing I know the whole back will be gone
Ditto! To combat my lack of willpower I can't even have carbs in the house. Thank goodness I've finally found a woe that my husband supports, so no temptations even pass through the doors, let alone my lips.3 -
What kind of cracker, a salted plain cracker, a plain unsalted cracker, a ritz cracker..? If I chew on a salted cracker of course it will start to taste different once the salt dissolves. This doesn't sound like science but sounds like some guy who wants to sell more crackers.1
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Has anyone ever tasted a gluten free cracker?
No way another one of those are coming close to my mouth again, the last one stuck to my insides for dear life, tasted like cardboard and the rest of the pack went into the bin. Doubt this test will work for me, but maybe for the wheat eating people it might have some merits, unless the author is aiming to introduce his own brand of crackers suitable for this test?2 -
What kind of cracker, a salted plain cracker, a plain unsalted cracker, a ritz cracker..? If I chew on a salted cracker of course it will start to taste different once the salt dissolves. This doesn't sound like science but sounds like some guy who wants to sell more crackers.
It sounds like a guy who wants to sell a book...
Oh! He's selling a book. What a coincidence!5 -
In my ninth grade biology class we did this. After a few seconds the cracker (we used saltines) gets sweet as your saliva breaks the starch down to sugar... or something like that. (Ninth grade was a million years ago.
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As for the article? You either tolerate carbs well or you don't and I think that has very little to do with your genes. In ninth grade I could eat a gazillion carbs without issue (and probably did). Now I can't.2 -
I've tested a bunch of these...
or 
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I used to eat a whole sleeve of dry crackers w/o salt (unsaltines??) just for the dry crunch when I was young, a texture thing, never took note of any flavour or lack of. Sounds like bunk to me.
As for GF crackers - I could SOOOO eat a whole box of Mary's Gone Crackers
for flavour and crunch. shop.marysgonecrackers.com/
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This sounds completely opposite of what seems logical to me. If you lose the taste quickly, then that means the carb is converted to sugar right way and you should stay far away from them. If you can still taste something later, then you are slowly breaking it down, so you could tolerate more of it.
But basically it all sounds like BS to me. @canadjineh pass me one of those Mary's Gone Crackers before you eat them all. I love those things.2 -
AlabasterVerve wrote: »In my ninth grade biology class we did this. After a few seconds the cracker (we used saltines) gets sweet as your saliva breaks the starch down to sugar... or something like that. (Ninth grade was a million years ago. )
As for the article? You either tolerate carbs well or you don't and I think that has very little to do with your genes. In ninth grade I could eat a gazillion carbs without issue (and probably did). Now I can't.
Lol so funny we did that too0 -
What kind of cracker, a salted plain cracker, a plain unsalted cracker, a ritz cracker..? If I chew on a salted cracker of course it will start to taste different once the salt dissolves. This doesn't sound like science but sounds like some guy who wants to sell more crackers.
It does say "unsalted cracker." True, the salt would make a difference!
I think it's an interesting hypothesis.0
