If you had to choose one: CARBS or FAT?

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thisismynewmindset
thisismynewmindset Posts: 273 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Here is a hypothetical:

If I have two options of food to chose from, and they both have the EXACT same nutritional information EXCEPT for CARBS and FAT, which would you choose?

I.e.: If one was higher in CARBS, but the other was higher in FAT?

Which one would you stay away from? Which is the lesser of two evils: CARBS or FAT?
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Replies

  • _Leslie_
    _Leslie_ Posts: 1
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    I'd stay away from the carbs for sure!! Fat isn't making people fat.... :smile:
  • LovingMe19
    LovingMe19 Posts: 380 Member
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    Doesn't really matter. Your diet should include both. Pointless to eliminate one or the other, cuz your body will just gain once you start eating them again.
  • sharidiane
    sharidiane Posts: 212 Member
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    I'd eat the fat. Every time.
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    depending on the type or carbs or the type of fat????

    I think I would choose the fat...... (Fat is not techinally bad) Carbs can manipulate insulin levels which can make it harder for the body to lose weight.
  • Meggie_pooh
    Meggie_pooh Posts: 316 Member
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    CARBS ARE :devil: EVIL :devil:
  • dxing
    dxing Posts: 115 Member
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    carbs
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I'd stay away from the fat.

    Carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9.

    100 calories of carbs is going to be more substantial than 100 calories of fat.

    or in other words, I'll get 25 grams of carbs as opposed to 11 grams of fat to eat.

    I'll take more to eat please.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    I would probably choose fat because I know how much I bloat if I eat too many carbs! However, if it was only going to be 10g or something I'd rather be 10g of carbs over than 10g of fat over because in comparison to how many I get in the day it's not as bad.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Neither is evil, and it depends on what they were specifically. I'll take unprocessed over processed, regardless of the type of calories, and as far as fat vs. carbs, a healthy diet requires both, and it depends on what else I've eaten that day.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    carbs
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    I'd stay away from the carbs for sure!! Fat isn't making people fat.... :smile:

    this is SOOOOOOOOOO true.... Look at inuit people in northern regions of North America.... They sustain themselves through winter on BLUBBER --> animal fat. (Very little carb) and these peoples have very little issues with heart disease, obesity, diabetes. All the diseases associated with a western diet.

    I would recomment the book

    "In defense of food" by Michael Pollan.
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    I'd stay away from the fat.

    Carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9.

    100 calories of carbs is going to be more substantial than 100 calories of fat.

    or in other words, I'll get 25 grams of carbs as opposed to 11 grams of fat to eat.

    I'll take more to eat please.

    how your body will utilize they types of calories is VERY different. The carbs will manipulate insulin levels which not only and interfere with weighloss but also spur cravings.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    You can't isolate questions like this. My answer is "depends"

    But in most cases I'll take the fat. Fat will keep you full longer. The carbs you will burn through, and you'll either have to eat again requiring more calories. or if you don't have any food you'll just have to deal with the hunger. If you're hungry the likelyhood that you'll make a bad food choice goes up.
  • thisismynewmindset
    thisismynewmindset Posts: 273 Member
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    Wow you guys all rock. This is why I love MFP - thanks for the advice!
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    Doesn't really matter. Your diet should include both. Pointless to eliminate one or the other, cuz your body will just gain once you start eating them again.

    I agree! I'd probably eat the carbs though, just because (at least for me) carbs are way more filling than fat.
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
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    Fat because it's more satisfying.
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
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    I have always seen fat as the devil, but now I know it's necessary to our bodies. I would, however, still choose high carbs because I LOVE breads, pastas, crackers, etc. and I do a lot of exercise so I know my body needs them. I actually have a really low fat diet now anyway, but it's pretty high in carbs.
  • Blackthorne99
    Blackthorne99 Posts: 250 Member
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    All three are necessary for healthy body function, but on a day-to-day basis, if I have to choose to reduce one of them, it's always carbs with one exception - if I'm in the middle of a hypoglycemic episode, then carbs are the quickest way to get my blood sugars back into a healthy range. THEN I eat a protein/fat combination on top of it to keep them from crashing again.
  • Forensic
    Forensic Posts: 468 Member
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    I'd avoid the high-carb food, many because carbs are what got me here in the first place (I tend to dislike very fatty foods like bacon and such).
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    If i require sustained energy of course our main fuel source (CARBS) if for health reasons alone a simple healthy fat is my choice. Down with carb haters sheesh.

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