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What a lot of us here already know: "Fast" carbs don't make you fat!

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Replies

  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    That's really interesting, @AnnPT77 ! I am on my feet in the kitchen a lot, and I figured it used some energy but hadn't really bothered to think about just how much. Chopping veggies, stirring, moving pots and pans (plus dishes afterwards), grabbing things out of cupboards and putting them back. None of it is a lot of effort by itself but it does add up!

    (I already knew kneading bread by hand was a major workout. :tired_face: )
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,607 Member
    That's really interesting, @AnnPT77 ! I am on my feet in the kitchen a lot, and I figured it used some energy but hadn't really bothered to think about just how much. Chopping veggies, stirring, moving pots and pans (plus dishes afterwards), grabbing things out of cupboards and putting them back. None of it is a lot of effort by itself but it does add up!

    (I already knew kneading bread by hand was a major workout. :tired_face: )

    "Cooking, kneading dough" = 3.41 METS (Torun, McGuire et al. 1982)

    Guatemalan women, though.

    😉
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    tsazani wrote: »
    "Most blue zones eat lots of carbs. Those people are healthy."

    I agree. Most blue zones. Not all.

    The OP is talking about "fast carbs". The code word for ADDED SUGAR. Always bad.

    I happen to live in a BLUE ZONE where people live long healthy lives on healthy ANIMAL based foods. As do I.

    No one here has suggested that eating some animal-based foods is unhealthy.

    However, from prior discussions, I believe you are referring to Costa Rica. Here's a graph showing the break down of the traditional diet, and it does not appear to be "based on" animal-based foods, although like most diets it includes them, of course: https://www.bluezones.com/exploration/nicoya-costa-rica/

    5% meat, fish, poultry (and often this means more fish than not)
    24% dairy [dairy has carbs, of course]
    2% eggs

    14% vegetables
    7% legumes
    26% whole grains
    9% fruits
    11% added sugar
    2% added fats
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Costa Rican Blue Zone in chart form:

    yj9wzkfruvt0.png

    I was in a different part of Costa Rica for 6 weeks, ate rice and beans twice per day, tropical fruit all day long, eggs, chicken, and fish just occasionally, zero dairy, and dropped a size without even trying.

    I have been to Costa Rica many times and ate plant based easily there, lots of rice and fruit, and also lost weight.

    Obesity has quadrupled in Costa Rica in the last 40 years and childhood obesity is looking worse, not good.

    Most likely because their diet is becoming more similar to that in the US in many ways, not the fact that the traditional diet contains lots of carbs.

    Are you saying that whole foods are less likely to cause obesity than refined, or is it that people like the taste better and they're eating more? BTW I agree with your assessment.

    I think people tend to naturally eat less, on average, when eating/cooking with whole foods. Probably a combination of the foods being on average more satiating (there's a study that backed that up that has been discussed here), it requiring more work to actually access them (if you have to cook what you eat other than, say, raw fruit and veg, it's harder to snack a bunch at unplanned times or just for pleasure, not hunger), and for many people certain types of what are often called "ultra palatable foods" may override hunger/satiety cues even if they don't actually taste better to many of us.

    Without stereotyping you may be right.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    tsazani wrote: »
    "Most blue zones eat lots of carbs. Those people are healthy."

    I agree. Most blue zones. Not all.

    The OP is talking about "fast carbs". The code word for ADDED SUGAR. Always bad.

    I happen to live in a BLUE ZONE where people live long healthy lives on healthy ANIMAL based foods. As do I.

    No one here has suggested that eating some animal-based foods is unhealthy.

    However, from prior discussions, I believe you are referring to Costa Rica. Here's a graph showing the break down of the traditional diet, and it does not appear to be "based on" animal-based foods, although like most diets it includes them, of course: https://www.bluezones.com/exploration/nicoya-costa-rica/

    5% meat, fish, poultry (and often this means more fish than not)
    24% dairy [dairy has carbs, of course]
    2% eggs

    14% vegetables
    7% legumes
    26% whole grains
    9% fruits
    11% added sugar
    2% added fats
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Costa Rican Blue Zone in chart form:

    yj9wzkfruvt0.png

    I was in a different part of Costa Rica for 6 weeks, ate rice and beans twice per day, tropical fruit all day long, eggs, chicken, and fish just occasionally, zero dairy, and dropped a size without even trying.

    I have been to Costa Rica many times and ate plant based easily there, lots of rice and fruit, and also lost weight.

    Obesity has quadrupled in Costa Rica in the last 40 years and childhood obesity is looking worse, not good.

    Then it is likely due to eating more junk food and less of their traditional diet.

    BTW, I find compliance with WFPB diet way easier than with low carb. Any diet that limits fruits, legumes, and grains does not make me feel good. When I was younger I tried Atkins and South Beach and felt gross on them.
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    tsazani wrote: »
    "Most blue zones eat lots of carbs. Those people are healthy."

    I agree. Most blue zones. Not all.

    The OP is talking about "fast carbs". The code word for ADDED SUGAR. Always bad.

    I happen to live in a BLUE ZONE where people live long healthy lives on healthy ANIMAL based foods. As do I.

    No one here has suggested that eating some animal-based foods is unhealthy.

    However, from prior discussions, I believe you are referring to Costa Rica. Here's a graph showing the break down of the traditional diet, and it does not appear to be "based on" animal-based foods, although like most diets it includes them, of course: https://www.bluezones.com/exploration/nicoya-costa-rica/

    5% meat, fish, poultry (and often this means more fish than not)
    24% dairy [dairy has carbs, of course]
    2% eggs

    14% vegetables
    7% legumes
    26% whole grains
    9% fruits
    11% added sugar
    2% added fats
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Costa Rican Blue Zone in chart form:

    yj9wzkfruvt0.png

    I was in a different part of Costa Rica for 6 weeks, ate rice and beans twice per day, tropical fruit all day long, eggs, chicken, and fish just occasionally, zero dairy, and dropped a size without even trying.

    I have been to Costa Rica many times and ate plant based easily there, lots of rice and fruit, and also lost weight.

    Obesity has quadrupled in Costa Rica in the last 40 years and childhood obesity is looking worse, not good.

    Then it is likely due to eating more junk food and less of their traditional diet.

    BTW, I find compliance with WFPB diet way easier than with low carb. Any diet that limits fruits, legumes, and grains does not make me feel good. When I was younger I tried Atkins and South Beach and felt gross on them.

    That's your person journey and your also a vegetarian/vegan so your biased. We all are BTW. Personally I'm lower to low carb and have been for quite a few years and I still eat fruit, legumes and grains periodically. I eat a mountain of vegetables and greens regularly with seafood the dominant protein.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,607 Member
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?

    Into your daily pool where you can spend them for a lot longer than half an hour, because food still in your gut does not magically poof into fat at the thirty minute mark.

    At the same time, IMU we can potentially be storing fat, or burning stored fat, throughout the day, depending on a variety of factors.

    If we have weight management goals, what matters is the fat "bank balance", not the individual transactions. Net calorie deficit, net fat depletion over time, IMO that's what matters, if the goal is loss.

    IMO, endurance athletes maybe need to worry about fueling details, perhaps some with serious health conditions. Us regular folks? Nah, not so much.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    edited August 2021
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?

    Into your daily pool where you can spend them for a lot longer than half an hour, because food still in your gut does not magically poof into fat at the thirty minute mark.

    simple carbs hit your blood stream in and around 30 minutes after consumption where digestion starts in your mouth. Anyway, that wasn't the point. AnnPT77 basically explained it.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    tsazani wrote: »
    "Most blue zones eat lots of carbs. Those people are healthy."

    I agree. Most blue zones. Not all.

    The OP is talking about "fast carbs". The code word for ADDED SUGAR. Always bad.

    I happen to live in a BLUE ZONE where people live long healthy lives on healthy ANIMAL based foods. As do I.

    No one here has suggested that eating some animal-based foods is unhealthy.

    However, from prior discussions, I believe you are referring to Costa Rica. Here's a graph showing the break down of the traditional diet, and it does not appear to be "based on" animal-based foods, although like most diets it includes them, of course: https://www.bluezones.com/exploration/nicoya-costa-rica/

    5% meat, fish, poultry (and often this means more fish than not)
    24% dairy [dairy has carbs, of course]
    2% eggs

    14% vegetables
    7% legumes
    26% whole grains
    9% fruits
    11% added sugar
    2% added fats
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Costa Rican Blue Zone in chart form:

    yj9wzkfruvt0.png

    I was in a different part of Costa Rica for 6 weeks, ate rice and beans twice per day, tropical fruit all day long, eggs, chicken, and fish just occasionally, zero dairy, and dropped a size without even trying.

    I have been to Costa Rica many times and ate plant based easily there, lots of rice and fruit, and also lost weight.

    Obesity has quadrupled in Costa Rica in the last 40 years and childhood obesity is looking worse, not good.

    Then it is likely due to eating more junk food and less of their traditional diet.

    BTW, I find compliance with WFPB diet way easier than with low carb. Any diet that limits fruits, legumes, and grains does not make me feel good. When I was younger I tried Atkins and South Beach and felt gross on them.
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    tsazani wrote: »
    "Most blue zones eat lots of carbs. Those people are healthy."

    I agree. Most blue zones. Not all.

    The OP is talking about "fast carbs". The code word for ADDED SUGAR. Always bad.

    I happen to live in a BLUE ZONE where people live long healthy lives on healthy ANIMAL based foods. As do I.

    No one here has suggested that eating some animal-based foods is unhealthy.

    However, from prior discussions, I believe you are referring to Costa Rica. Here's a graph showing the break down of the traditional diet, and it does not appear to be "based on" animal-based foods, although like most diets it includes them, of course: https://www.bluezones.com/exploration/nicoya-costa-rica/

    5% meat, fish, poultry (and often this means more fish than not)
    24% dairy [dairy has carbs, of course]
    2% eggs

    14% vegetables
    7% legumes
    26% whole grains
    9% fruits
    11% added sugar
    2% added fats
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Costa Rican Blue Zone in chart form:

    yj9wzkfruvt0.png

    I was in a different part of Costa Rica for 6 weeks, ate rice and beans twice per day, tropical fruit all day long, eggs, chicken, and fish just occasionally, zero dairy, and dropped a size without even trying.

    I have been to Costa Rica many times and ate plant based easily there, lots of rice and fruit, and also lost weight.

    Obesity has quadrupled in Costa Rica in the last 40 years and childhood obesity is looking worse, not good.

    Then it is likely due to eating more junk food and less of their traditional diet.

    BTW, I find compliance with WFPB diet way easier than with low carb. Any diet that limits fruits, legumes, and grains does not make me feel good. When I was younger I tried Atkins and South Beach and felt gross on them.

    That's your person journey and your also a vegetarian/vegan so your biased. We all are BTW. Personally I'm lower to low carb and have been for quite a few years and I still eat fruit, legumes and grains periodically. I eat a mountain of vegetables and greens regularly with seafood the dominant protein.

    I’m not biased as I grew up eating plenty of meat. I am currently pescatarian. I have tried both ways and found this way is better for me.

    Sorry my mistake. I guess I assumed you were based on your overall opinion of low carb and meat, cholesterol etc.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?

    Into your daily pool where you can spend them for a lot longer than half an hour, because food still in your gut does not magically poof into fat at the thirty minute mark.

    simple carbs hit your blood stream in and around 30 minutes after consumption where digestion starts in your mouth. Anyway, that wasn't the point. AnnPT77 basically explained it.

    I don't think you and Ann are agreeing. You didn't seem to have a problem with
    "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat."

    And by this, it appears that Ann does:
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?

    Into your daily pool where you can spend them for a lot longer than half an hour, because food still in your gut does not magically poof into fat at the thirty minute mark.

    At the same time, IMU we can potentially be storing fat, or burning stored fat, throughout the day, depending on a variety of factors.

    If we have weight management goals, what matters is the fat "bank balance", not the individual transactions. Net calorie deficit, net fat depletion over time, IMO that's what matters, if the goal is loss.

    IMO, endurance athletes maybe need to worry about fueling details, perhaps some with serious health conditions. Us regular folks? Nah, not so much.

    I'm ok with you not agreeing.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,607 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?

    If you are in a deficit your glycogen is unlikely to be maxed out.

    As Ann said, net is what matters, and IF we were regularly storing carbs as fat and then unstoring it throughout the day, our calorie burn would likely be higher, as the transaction burns some cals. It's cheaper, calorie-wise to store fat as fat, which is why we are likely to burn more of the carbs and store more of the fat when in a surplus.

    The main reason what the trainer said is wrong is because it's irrelevant and he was saying it's a reason to avoid fruit.

    Precisely.

    Also, if the context is an exercise session (it was IMU), as soon as the person starts moving very energetically at all, their glycogen isn't maxed out anymore, whether they're in a deficit or not.

    But that's another thing my healthy body takes care of without my worrying about it, topping up those glycogen stores when it needs to, and can.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    edited August 2021
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    friedpet wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.
    Met with a trainer once who told me to avoid eating fruit on its own because "any excess calories that aren't burned in the next thirty minutes are stored as fat." I did not schedule a second appointment.

    If your glycogen is maxed out where do you think those calories go?

    If you are in a deficit your glycogen is unlikely to be maxed out.

    As Ann said, net is what matters, and IF we were regularly storing carbs as fat and then unstoring it throughout the day, our calorie burn would likely be higher, as the transaction burns some cals. It's cheaper, calorie-wise to store fat as fat, which is why we are likely to burn more of the carbs and store more of the fat when in a surplus.

    The main reason what the trainer said is wrong is because it's irrelevant and he was saying it's a reason to avoid fruit.

    I agree 100% and why I sited Ann. Glycogen doesn't even have to be maxed out it was just an easy question to ask. I'll give you my thoughts on this. When we eat protein it's broken down in AA's fat into fatty acids and carbs into glucose which then end up in our blood stream. Insulin is activated after a meal to help shuttle these nutrients into our cells. Insulin receptors unlocks our cells and these nutrients get absorbed into our cells for function and when they're absorbed insulin comes back to base line. Happens every time we eat as I'm sure most know. Here's the confusion. When insulin is elevated it inhibits the breakdown of fat cells and promotes fatty acids and glucose to be stored into fat cells. This is the bases of the argument that carbs make you fat and if insulin is low like in low carb then your not storing fat and staying thin. Of course this is totally false. What makes us fat or slim is our overall energy balance. We burn glycogen and store fat all day long and like I said over time it's energy balance that dictates where more of one will go.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    I get Ann's point ( I hope I have understood it correctly)
    Summary - the amount of calories burned preparing/cooking one's own meal is underestimated as an advantage of eating whole foods

    My personal observation - of snacking on non-wholefoods -ie packet of crisps, cookies etc - in my laziness, at night or couch potato weekend - I would do that.

    However something else I really enjoy eating, say, a vegetable fritter, cooked myself after grating the carrot, zucchini, pumpkin and then mixing the ingredients - too lazy to bother doing for a TV snack

    so if I am not really hungry I don't bother having a snack it it is too much effort ( meaning any much effort)

    so if I only had whole foods in the house, I would probably forgo having a snack I don't really need - or perhaps have a relatively low calorie one ( compared to a packet of crisps) like a banana

    Not sure if that makes sense or is relevant :*
  • xrj22
    xrj22 Posts: 218 Member
    Here is my take on it: Fast carbs are the same as slow carbs from a standpoint of weight loss - CICO. However they are NOT the same from the standpoint of health. Fast carbs have almost no nutrition, no fiber, and a much higher glycemic index than slow carbs. For those who point out that many Asian cultures seem to do well with white rice: Yes, but they also have very little obesity, and much less sugar than American diets. Westerners and/or overweight people are much more likely to have to worry about diabetes that traditional Asian cultures. Also, if you are limiting calories and still trying to get good nutrition, the empty calories of fast carbs really are not your friend.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I get Ann's point ( I hope I have understood it correctly)
    Summary - the amount of calories burned preparing/cooking one's own meal is underestimated as an advantage of eating whole foods

    My personal observation - of snacking on non-wholefoods -ie packet of crisps, cookies etc - in my laziness, at night or couch potato weekend - I would do that.

    However something else I really enjoy eating, say, a vegetable fritter, cooked myself after grating the carrot, zucchini, pumpkin and then mixing the ingredients - too lazy to bother doing for a TV snack

    so if I am not really hungry I don't bother having a snack it it is too much effort ( meaning any much effort)

    so if I only had whole foods in the house, I would probably forgo having a snack I don't really need - or perhaps have a relatively low calorie one ( compared to a packet of crisps) like a banana

    Not sure if that makes sense or is relevant :*

    I think it's totally relevant. Here is my argument from upthread:

    "I think people tend to naturally eat less, on average, when eating/cooking with whole foods. Probably a combination of the foods being on average more satiating (there's a study that backed that up that has been discussed here), it requiring more work to actually access them (if you have to cook what you eat other than, say, raw fruit and veg, it's harder to snack a bunch at unplanned times or just for pleasure, not hunger), and for many people certain types of what are often called "ultra palatable foods" may override hunger/satiety cues even if they don't actually taste better to many of us."

    The bolded part is what is most significant for me.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Some fruits are fast carbs, I don't think anyone would say that fruits are unhealthy because they are fast carbs.

    I've seen lots of people say that. There are people who hold that any type of carbohydrate and/or sugar is poison and should be avoid.