Are all carbs created equal?
__Roxy__
Posts: 825 Member
Hey there, I'm new to keto - just over 2 weeks in and loving it! I have tons of energy, no cravings, and am losing weight at a satisfying pace. I'm thrilled 
One thing I'm wondering - is a carb a carb? Like, are all carbs equal when it comes to weight loss?
I have cut grains, sugar, and processed food from my diet; however there are lots of carbs in some of the foods I do love to eat, like avocados and other veggies.
Is eating an avocado or cucumber that has 10g of carbs, the same as eating an orange with 10g carbs, or eating something like 10carbs worth of bread or chips?
I entered avocado into my food log and was feeling bummed that it was so carby. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.
One thing I'm wondering - is a carb a carb? Like, are all carbs equal when it comes to weight loss?
I have cut grains, sugar, and processed food from my diet; however there are lots of carbs in some of the foods I do love to eat, like avocados and other veggies.
Is eating an avocado or cucumber that has 10g of carbs, the same as eating an orange with 10g carbs, or eating something like 10carbs worth of bread or chips?
I entered avocado into my food log and was feeling bummed that it was so carby. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.
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Replies
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Look at the glycemic index, some carbs spike your bloood sugar and some don't. So no, they aren't equal. Eating 20 carbs of salad vs 20 carbs of root veggies for example. The salad won't effect your blood nearly as much as potato.3
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All carbs are not equal0
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Most of the carbs in avocado is fiber. Many of us don't even count fiber in our total carbs. I don't. I eat a lot of avocado and my keto sticks are always pink.4
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Ok, @River_Goddess let me turn this around for you.
If I eat a doughnut at 75g carbs, of which 68g are sugar, and I eat a portion of chickpeas in an olive oil dressing, which total 75g carbs of which 2.7% are sugars - which carbs do you think would be best for me?5 -
All carbs are not equal as you say.
1. A lot of veggy carbs are fiber, we don't even declare them in Europe
2. Fructose is actually worse that glucose, even if it has e really log glycemic load. Problem is that it only gets procecced in you liver, so only 5% of you body can burn it. Sugar is 50/50 glucose and fructose.
Eat green stuff from above the ground and you should be fine.2 -
All non fiber carbs are equal when it comes to being in ketosis, if that's the goal, or hitting a particular low carb target, again if that's the goal.
They are not the same when it comes to nutrients, and when I am trying to be very low carb (which for me is under 50 g), I prioritize vegetables, nuts, and dairy (greek yogurt and cottage cheese, actually cheese too but that doesn't really have carbs). The first two because I think they are important to have in the diet, the latter because I love it and it expands my source of protein. I also (now, recent discovery/recommendation from Sabine), include black soy beans, which are delightfully low carb. (I can't get under 50 g total -- although I can easily get under 50 g net -- with some nuts and the amount of vegetables I personally think is desirable, so I've stopped trying.)
With/when I choose to have more carbs, I'd add back in more fruit (doing that now, because local fruit is in season and I like eating locally when possible), legumes, and (to a lesser extent) smaller portions of potatoes and sweet potatoes, again because I think of them as nutritious. (I eat more potatoes/sweet potatoes in the fall, again because of seasonality.)
As a rare/treat thing, I might have some pasta or a non low carb sweet like pie on a holiday, but on a low carb diet I simply never have room for these things, and I think the others are important enough for nutrition that I would prioritize them.
This is just how I think of it/approach it.3 -
I would recommend focusing on net carbs -- it's true that avocados are not really all that carby, although even the net carbs of vegetables (and avocados) add up eventually, as I noted above. That's, for me, a reason that 50 g works better than some of the super low carb limits even with a net carb focus, but others will make their own choices, based on personal preferences and needs.2
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It can depend on what your goals are. Results I've seen on my blood glucose meter (all are with meat and my wife's home-made pasta sauce). With regular pasta: BG>160. With whole wheat pasta, BG>140. With zucchini noodles: BG<100. All readings are 2 hour post. From other tests, I would expect the regular pasta caused a sharper rise to it's peak but it takes a lot of needle sticks to track that.
As a T2, limiting BG spikes is a major goal. Either pasta pushes my BG to levels which cause some damage so I stick to something like zucchini. I'm not worried about weight loss. I did that in 2014-15. However limiting carbs also helps me maintain my current weight.2 -
For counting purposes, technically I would say yes - carbs are carbs.
For health? No, no, no, no. Especially if you have insulin resistance issues. A cup of apple juice will affect your blood glucose MUCH more than the equivalent in apples. Sugars and starches tend to raise BG much more quickly than fibrous veggies.
Most low carbers are in it for the health benefits. Not many will choose the candy over a salad. At least not very often.4 -
Fibrous veggie carbs actually help my
Low carb lifestyle work
If I cut back on fibrous carbs my higher protein and fat diet stalls.
If I hit a plateau, it is almost always related to having cut back on veggies
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@Working2BLean, that's my experience, too. Fortunately, you can add spinach to just about any meal in some form or other!
On pasta - I can't speak from experience, since I don't touch the stuff any more
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If you're insulin resistant/prediabetic/diabetic, it seems like the more refined and finely ground the flour (or in @nvmomketo's example, the more liquid the fruit),
--> the quicker it would be absorbed
--> the sharper the spike in blood glucose and
--> and the bigger the insulin response (whether it comes sooner or, in the case of T2Ds, later).
Insulin and ketosis are reluctant bedfellows, and high insulin is also an enemy of weight loss, since it pushes glucose into storage. Reducing carbs reduces the need for insulin and should lower your insulin resistance, giving fat a smoother path out of your Strategic Energy Reserve for your energy needs once you've become fat adapted.3 -
I doubt they're all equal. I personally have high regard for vegetables and fruit though I don't eat a lot of fruit. Never really have. I'm in heaven this year eating low carb but not keto. It began in the late spring with radishes, lettuce, spinach and kale from the garden. Now we're into fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, pole beans, peppers and bush beans. I hope I get some cantaloupe and zucchini. The hard rains kept knocking off those big zucchini blossoms. I should have eaten them!
I skip snacks, sweets, pasta, etc.3 -
You can also look at it from the perspective of what food is going to keep your hunger at bay for the longest period of time.
I would say that 10 g of avocado or nuts (something more fatty) will stay with me a lot longer than 10 g of orange. I would never advocate eating 10 g worth of bread or chips....Just stay away from that stuff...lol2 -
Food is fuel
There is the filled feeling you get with fibrous foods and fats, but it is just fuel.
Carbs are energy fuel. Some carbs have a high glycemic index, very sugar insulin spike type. They are not bad at all... but they are fuel for intense work! If you are not doing that sort of exercise there is no need for that type of Jet Fuel.
Veggie and complex carbs break down slower and are better for normal to moderate exercise levels
So different carb types have different uses or purposes if you want to look at it that way.
The right fuel for your activity level is one aspect. The right amount of total fuel for your day to have a bit of a calorie deficit or fuel defecit will cause fat to be burned off and weigh loss
So I agree, not all carbs are created or absorbed the same!0 -
Neither, according to Dr Sarah Hallsberg, and our totally meativore members, are they necessary.0
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Each body is different, too, so take the glycemic index as a guide but not gospel.
Case in point: rice causes a spike for me; rice noodles do not.
(disclaimer: T1D. YMMV)2 -
Fiber isn't converted to glucose, so it is not the same. We only absorb some sugar alcohols on the way through, so they are not the same either.
As to glucose conversion from true net carbs, the glycemic index (GI) is a load of bunk in my experience. Since I have type 1 diabetes, I monitor my BG 24/7 with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). I used a CGM for many years before going low carb and have experience under many various conditions. If there is a difference in how quickly a sweet potato converts to glucose vs. Skittles pack, it is quite small. Want to know something that has a much greater effect on speed of glucose conversion? Pairing that food with protein and fat.
Aside from liquids and certain "foods" formulated intentionally to raise BG quickly, the speed of conversion due to GI is so small that it can only be measured under tightly controlled conditions (such as for purposes of scientific study). Based on my own experiences, anyway, the impact of GI is greatly exaggerated and over-estimated by society.2 -
Thank you all - this has been super helpful!1
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midwesterner85 wrote: »Fiber isn't converted to glucose, so it is not the same. We only absorb some sugar alcohols on the way through, so they are not the same either.
As to glucose conversion from true net carbs, the glycemic index (GI) is a load of bunk in my experience. Since I have type 1 diabetes, I monitor my BG 24/7 with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). I used a CGM for many years before going low carb and have experience under many various conditions. If there is a difference in how quickly a sweet potato converts to glucose vs. Skittles pack, it is quite small. Want to know something that has a much greater effect on speed of glucose conversion? Pairing that food with protein and fat.
Aside from liquids and certain "foods" formulated intentionally to raise BG quickly, the speed of conversion due to GI is so small that it can only be measured under tightly controlled conditions (such as for purposes of scientific study). Based on my own experiences, anyway, the impact of GI is greatly exaggerated and over-estimated by society.
Sounds like the whole premise of GI & GL is faulty.
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