Are carbs really the enemy?

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  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    I think carb rich foods are perfectly fine and delicious to eat but they're filler - extra calories. If you're over fat carbs are where you cut back.

    This is what I was taught at home about health and nutrition growing up (before seemingly everyone was fat and sick) and I've found it all to be true:

    Whole foods are healthful.
    Meat/animal products and vegetables are the nutritious parts of the meal.
    Bread, grains and starches are filler foods - if calories need to be reduced this is where you cut down.
    Sugar should be limited - if calories need to be reduced this is what you cut out.
    Don't snack.
    Be active.
    Go outside. Fresh air and sunshine are necessary for good health.
    Go to bed.

    It's hard for me to consider filling (for me) and nutrient-rich foods like black beans, butternut squash, peas, and blueberries to be "filler." They're all rich in carbohydrates.

    Can you eat too much of them? Absolutely. But you can also eat too much of foods that are rich in fat or protein.

    Whole foods are healthful so I'm sure other cultures and communities have different patterns of eating that keep them nourished and healthy. I grew up with a meat based diet and that's what I'm familiar with.

    I also grew up with a diet where every meal was centered on meat (or other animal proteins such as eggs). Even in cultures that enjoy meat and eat it frequently, there are often carbohydrate-rich foods that are recognized as having more to offer than "filler" and extra calories.

    Of course they do - it's food after all - but there's a clear hierarchy that determined what we ate and how much. Meat first, vegetables second and everything else last.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I think carb rich foods are perfectly fine and delicious to eat but they're filler - extra calories. If you're over fat carbs are where you cut back.

    This is what I was taught at home about health and nutrition growing up (before seemingly everyone was fat and sick) and I've found it all to be true:

    Whole foods are healthful.
    Meat/animal products and vegetables are the nutritious parts of the meal.
    Bread, grains and starches are filler foods - if calories need to be reduced this is where you cut down.
    Sugar should be limited - if calories need to be reduced this is what you cut out.
    Don't snack.
    Be active.
    Go outside. Fresh air and sunshine are necessary for good health.
    Go to bed.

    It's hard for me to consider filling (for me) and nutrient-rich foods like black beans, butternut squash, peas, and blueberries to be "filler." They're all rich in carbohydrates.

    Can you eat too much of them? Absolutely. But you can also eat too much of foods that are rich in fat or protein.

    Whole foods are healthful so I'm sure other cultures and communities have different patterns of eating that keep them nourished and healthy. I grew up with a meat based diet and that's what I'm familiar with.

    I also grew up with a diet where every meal was centered on meat (or other animal proteins such as eggs). Even in cultures that enjoy meat and eat it frequently, there are often carbohydrate-rich foods that are recognized as having more to offer than "filler" and extra calories.

    Of course they do - it's food after all - but there's a clear hierarchy that determined what we ate and how much. Meat first, vegetables second and everything else last.

    I'm having trouble reconciling you saying "of course" some carbohydrate-rich foods have more to offer than filler and extra calories and your initial statement about carbohydrate-rich foods: "but they're filler - extra calories."

    I think I must be missing something, but I'm not sure what it is.

    Are you saying that you were brought up to believe that all carbohydrate-rich foods were just filler and extra calories, but you realize now this isn't true for all of them?
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
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    Sandwich Corp is the enemy. They are conspiring against everyone.
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
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    Fuzzipeg wrote: »
    The article quoted above is interesting. insufficient amylase causing reduced carb digestion therefore being over weight, thought provoking. Thank you.

    eta, its not uncommon for the body to work less well as we age. Getting older could be the enemy.

    If you follow the breadcrumbs I think it links to BBC iPlayer. If you can access it the program was very interesting.

  • jpk3k9
    jpk3k9 Posts: 15 Member
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    My husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and in support of that, we both took a nutrition course with a dietician. I've also done a lot of other research. Carbs are not the enemy, but all the carbs you take in change to sugar in your body. Now that sugar is what gives you energy, and is necessary. But some carbs are better than others, will spike your blood sugar (even if you don't have diabetes) which is not a good thing. But if you eat too few, your liver will kick in and release a bunch glucose into your system, and that isn't good. You want to avoid starchy carbs like pasta and white bread, and potatoes and replace those with healthy carbs like salads and broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes. There are carbs that are OK in moderation like whole wheat pasta, and bread, brown rice, corn, peas, etc. So to cut carbs out of your diet is just not a good idea.

    But I think another important part is portion control. When you buy something to eat, look at what constitutes a portion size. It's a lot smaller than you think! A serving of meat is between 2 and 4 oz. A serving size of vegetables can be 1/3 of a cup to a full cup. This is why you need to pay attention and read labels. A serving size of salad dressing is one or two tablespoons. A serving size of peanut butter is 1 TBSP.

    And sugars - have you ever looked at the sugars in a box of cereal? You think you are eating healthy and you aren't. Milk is high in sugars. And Starbucks drinks like frappachinos? Don't even think about it.

    So no, I don't think carbs are the enemy, but I think you need to pay attention to them. For a woman 30-45 per meal.

    Do some research.

    I'm not sure this conclusion makes sense, Elsie. Sugar is not the only source of energy, for one - fat is also an efficient energy source. That's why the keto diet works at all. But your conclusion that cutting out carbs "is just not a good idea" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Justifying why some carbs are good in moderation doesn't support the conclusion that cutting down on them overall is bad.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    jpk3k9 wrote: »
    My husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and in support of that, we both took a nutrition course with a dietician. I've also done a lot of other research. Carbs are not the enemy, but all the carbs you take in change to sugar in your body. Now that sugar is what gives you energy, and is necessary. But some carbs are better than others, will spike your blood sugar (even if you don't have diabetes) which is not a good thing. But if you eat too few, your liver will kick in and release a bunch glucose into your system, and that isn't good. You want to avoid starchy carbs like pasta and white bread, and potatoes and replace those with healthy carbs like salads and broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes. There are carbs that are OK in moderation like whole wheat pasta, and bread, brown rice, corn, peas, etc. So to cut carbs out of your diet is just not a good idea.

    But I think another important part is portion control. When you buy something to eat, look at what constitutes a portion size. It's a lot smaller than you think! A serving of meat is between 2 and 4 oz. A serving size of vegetables can be 1/3 of a cup to a full cup. This is why you need to pay attention and read labels. A serving size of salad dressing is one or two tablespoons. A serving size of peanut butter is 1 TBSP.

    And sugars - have you ever looked at the sugars in a box of cereal? You think you are eating healthy and you aren't. Milk is high in sugars. And Starbucks drinks like frappachinos? Don't even think about it.

    So no, I don't think carbs are the enemy, but I think you need to pay attention to them. For a woman 30-45 per meal.

    Do some research.

    I'm not sure this conclusion makes sense, Elsie. Sugar is not the only source of energy, for one - fat is also an efficient energy source. That's why the keto diet works at all. But your conclusion that cutting out carbs "is just not a good idea" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Justifying why some carbs are good in moderation doesn't support the conclusion that cutting down on them overall is bad.

    There is a difference between cutting something out completely (what she's referencing) and cutting down (AKA, reducing).

    Cutting out =! Cutting down
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    Unless someone has an allergy to something, food isn't good or bad. Overindulgence is bad, for any food. Personally, I love carbs: everything from cookies to broccoli!
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
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