?Good Carbs?

KariePerez

Ok I understand that there are Bad carbs and good carbs. But what is which? What foods are good carbs and what foods are bad carbs?

issyfit

Bad carbs: ones that raise your blood sugar quickly like refined sugar, white flour, white rice, regular potatoes.
Good carbs: ones that digest more slowly--whole grains, sweet potatoes, veggies, low sugar fruits.

hsmithway

I find that I stay satisfied longer when I'm getting most of my carbs from vegetables, fruit, and dairy.

KariePerez

Thanks thats what I wanna know keep the suggest coming

Gardie12

I'm trying really hard to do low carbs but I don't limit carbs that grow, ie fruit/vegies, provided I keep within my calorie allowance.

JLWilson27

That's what I am struggling with, the good and the bad. How do you know looking at a nutrition label on stuff in the stores? It will say Total Carbohydrates then that is broken down into Dietary Fiber, Sugars, and sometimes even Sugar Alcohols. What is good and what is bad? I've looked at WW candies in the store and some of them have a TON of Carbs but they say Sugar Alcohols. Is this okay?

Helloitsdan

Mmmmmm Steel cut oats!
yum I love Honeynut cheerios!!!
Yum Yum YUMMY I do love Newton Thins!

Seriously though if you look at a package and it has a high carb rating with stuff in the ingredients you cannot pronounce, put it down and eat an apple!

Also swap out most of your simple carbs with complex carbs with a good Glycemic Index.
theres and app for that!

M3CH4N1C

Go to youtube and look up Good Food vs. Bad Food. They break it down very simple.

Here is the link if you can't find it; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5jght4khxQ

issyfit

That's what I am struggling with, the good and the bad. How do you know looking at a nutrition label on stuff in the stores? It will say Total Carbohydrates then that is broken down into Dietary Fiber, Sugars, and sometimes even Sugar Alcohols. What is good and what is bad? I've looked at WW candies in the store and some of them have a TON of Carbs but they say Sugar Alcohols. Is this okay?

This what South Beach Living teaches--Look at the ingredient list--on bread, pasta and other wheat products the first ingredient should be a whole grain or the package should say 100% whole grain. Sugar should be way down the list of ingredients. Foods made from rice should be from brown rice. Avoid foods with potatoes as the main ingredient. In general look for high fiber and low sugar.

Madelineeem

Bad carbs are those unnatural, highly processed, refined carbs such as white breads, pastas, baked goods (obviously), packaged snack foods, lollies, foods that are bleached, contain artificial flavourings, preservatives, colouring etc. so consuming these 'bad carbs' results in dramatic fluctations in blood glucose levels, and throws our insulin levels off as the body is trying to process the huge amounts of starches and simple sugars contained in these 'bad carb' meals/foods.
Good carbs are those unprocessed carbs either in or extremely close to their natural state. Good carbs include beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grain cereal foods such as whole grain breads/pastas, brown rice,whole vegetables and fruit especially green veges and leafy fruit and veg. Also, foods with a low glycemic index helps stabilise blood sugar levels and insulin production (whereas the bad carbs just throw them out of whack) These good carbs make you feel fuller for longer and help you to avoid overeating etc.....

mjbrenner

^^ Ignore this entire post^^^

Ron, can you contribute positively to the discussion? If the advice you quoted is bad, can you explain why in a way that helps others to understand? That would be a great benefit to the conversation.

To the OP, there is general, though not universal, consensus that carb-heavy foods with more fiber and less sugar are better for you. They are less likely to cause spikes in blood sugar, which means you are less likely to get a low-energy crash and the accompanying hunger before your next meal. Fiber also can expand in your stomach and/or cause food to move though your digestive system slower, which can help you to feel fuller longer. This depends in part upon the type of fiber you are eating, but most any fiber is good, so it's not really a big deal.

If you get your fiber-filled carbs from vegetables and lower-sugar fruits, then you get the added bonus of getting tons of vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients that can really improve your health.

If I were to rank carbs, I would say that it is best to minimize refined carbs like white grains and sugar. Whole grains, starchy veggies, and sugary fruits are not as bad, but the real gangbusters are lower-starch veggies and lower-sugar fruits. That said, not everyone will agree with this opinion, so you will also want to hear what others have to say.

Acg67

Bad carbs are those unnatural, highly processed, refined carbs such as white breads, pastas, baked goods (obviously), packaged snack foods, lollies, foods that are bleached, contain artificial flavourings, preservatives, colouring etc. so consuming these 'bad carbs' results in dramatic fluctations in blood glucose levels, and throws our insulin levels off as the body is trying to process the huge amounts of starches and simple sugars contained in these 'bad carb' meals/foods.
Good carbs are those unprocessed carbs either in or extremely close to their natural state. Good carbs include beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grain cereal foods such as whole grain breads/pastas, brown rice,whole vegetables and fruit especially green veges and leafy fruit and veg. Also, foods with a low glycemic index helps stabilise blood sugar levels and insulin production (whereas the bad carbs just throw them out of whack) These good carbs make you feel fuller for longer and help you to avoid overeating etc.....

Please see;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12399274?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12828188?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=2&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14522748?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923862?ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17610996?ordinalpos=6&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17327869?ordinalpos=6&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17593904?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=5&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed

snookumss

Bump for acgs post :-)

Acg67

For fun;

Bohn T, et al. Phytic acid added to white-wheat bread inhibits fractional apparent magnesium absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr March 2004 vol. 79 no. 3 418-423
www.ajcn.org/content/79/3/418.full.pdf

Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...ubmed_RVDocSum

mjbrenner

I would take Ron's advice over most of the nonsense being spewed in this thread

For fun;

Bohn T, et al. Phytic acid added to white-wheat bread inhibits fractional apparent magnesium absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr March 2004 vol. 79 no. 3 418-423
www.ajcn.org/content/79/3/418.full.pdf

Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...ubmed_RVDocSum

It is needlessly hurtful to others to refer to their attempts at being helpful as spewing nonsense. There are better ways to explain disagreement, and I am sure you are aware of them.

I have read over the various PubMed article summaries you have linked and I understand your point, but simply posting links to abstracts does not make a complete argument. The articles you cite generally claim that is is not conclusive that sugar is worse at satiating hunger in the short term (~2 hours) than fiber-filled foods. Is this your actual point, or is there a more clear meaning to your post? Please use words, and not just links and copy/paste to back up your arguments.

Acg67

It is needlessly hurtful to others to refer to their attempts at being helpful as spewing nonsense. There are better ways to explain disagreement, and I am sure you are aware of them.

I have read over the various PubMed article summaries you have linked and I understand your point, but simply posting links to abstracts does not make a complete argument. The articles you cite generally claim that is is not conclusive that sugar is worse at satiating hunger in the short term (~2 hours) than fiber-filled foods. Is this your actual point, or is there a more clear meaning to your post? Please use words, and not just links and copy/paste to back up your arguments.

The poster i replied to stated that "good carbs" would make you feel fuller for longer, however that satiety of "good" carbs doesn't appear to kick in for hrs after the fact. Also if the statement that eating good carbs would prevent you from overeating later, naturally we'd see low GI diets superior for weight loss, however recent RCTs seem to go against that notion;

An 18-mo randomized trial of a low-glycemic-index diet and weight change in Brazilian women

http://www.ajcn.org/content/86/3/707.abstract

Conclusions: Long-term weight changes were not significantly different between the HGI and LGI diet groups; therefore, this study does not support a benefit of an LGI diet for weight control. Favorable changes in lipids confirmed previous results.

Reduced glycemic index and glycemic load diets do not increase the effects of energy restriction on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese men and women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177201

In summary, lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects.

Long-term effects of 2 energy-restricted diets differing in glycemic load on dietary adherence, body composition, and metabolism in CALERIE: a 1-y randomized controlled trial

http://www.ajcn.org/content/85/4/1023.abstract?ijkey=57903af923cb2fcdc065ffd37b00a32e22f4c5cf&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Conclusions:These findings provide more detailed evidence to suggest that diets differing substantially in glycemic load induce comparable long-term weight loss.

No effect of a diet with a reduced glycaemic index on satiety, energy intake and body weight in overweight and obese women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923862

CONCLUSION:

This study provides no evidence to support an effect of a reduced GI diet on satiety, energy intake or body weight in overweight/obese women. Claims that the GI of the diet per se may have specific effects on body weight may therefore be misleading.

And about controlling blood glucose and insulin?

Schenk S et. al. Different glycemic indexes of breakfast cereals are not due to glucose entry into blood but to glucose removal by tissue. Am J Clin Nutr. (2003) 78(4):742-8.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/78/4/742.full.pdf

Objective: We compared the plasma glucose kinetics of low- and high-GI breakfast cereals.

Results: The GI of CF was more than twice that of BC (131.5 ± 33.0 compared with 54.5 ± 7.2; P < 0.05), despite no significant differences in the rate of appearance of glucose into the plasma during the 180-min period. Postprandial hyperinsulinemia occurred earlier with BC than with CF, resulting in a 76% higher plasma insulin concentration at 20 min (20.4 ± 4.5 compared with 11.6 ± 2.1 µU/mL; P < 0.05). This was associated with a 31% higher rate of disappearance of glucose with BC than with CF during the 30–60-min period (28.7 ± 3.1 compared with 21.9 ± 3.1 µmol · kg-1 · min-1; P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The lower GI of BC than of CF was not due to a lower rate of appearance of glucose but instead to an earlier postprandial hyperinsulinemia and an earlier increase in the rate of disappearance of glucose, which attenuated the increase in the plasma glucose concentration.

And the studies on phyate content show that mindlessly recommending whole grains, brown rice etc because they are healthier is misguided, depending on your definition of healthier

mjbrenner

Thanks for taking the time to illustrate your point, Acg67. It's a fair distinction to make that both "bad" and "good" carbs have an equal impact on feeling full in the short term. I would still recommend that people eat more "good" carbs based on the assumption that they are looking for more than two hours of satiety, but that may be an unfair assumption on my part. It is probably worth being more clear about when helping others determine what is best for them.

I feel like it is a bit misleading to explain to people that reducing glycemic load has no benefit when under caloric restriction. It is 100% true that caloric deficit is what leads to fat loss (as multiple cited studies reaffirm), but many people find much easier success in maintaining a caloric restriction when primarily consuming foods with a low glycemic load. I can't speak for others, but when I recommend people look to foods with a lower glycemic load, it is because I expect them to find more success in sticking to that diet and avoiding many of the "hidden" calories in foods which also tend to have a higher glycemic load.

When you give context to it, you raise a good point with the phyate article. Again, I am not sure that the decrease in magnesium absorption is a worthwhile note when compared to the potential benefits of a diet higher in fiber, but it's still worht having the knowledge.

I appreciate having the opportunity to discuss our stances more thoroughly, even if we may not reach a final agreement on the topic. I think the community as a whole benefits from being able to have these discussion in a positive fashion. Again, thanks!

grinch031

I don't think even a good carb is very good. Humans weren't designed to eat 65% carbohydrate. Period. You should eat mostly fat, then moderate protein, and little carbs.

Acg67

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Acg67

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