Good and bad carbs?

rose313

How do I know if a food with carbs is good or bad, and is there a number of carbs I should stay under? I have been eating multigrain waffles, whole wheat bread, whole wheat english muffins, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, crackers, baked potato chips (only sometimes) and thats about it for bread and grains. I always choose the one that has the lowest calories and sounds the healthiest, for example I dont eat chocolate chip granola bars covered in fudge, I eat Nature Valley or Special K bars. All these grains seem to be keeping me full and satisfied, and I can even eat more calories and not gain weight. I want to keep eating this stuff but if its too many carbs will I have to give most of it up?

terrellc1

Google Low GI foods.

PeggysDad

General rule:

Wholegrain = good

White = bad

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Everyone is different...........

I have impaired Metabolic and Endocrine systems.

Therefore my body is extremely sensitive to carbs. My carbs come from fruits and vegetables ONLY. That works for ME (and others too)...........

What I am getting at is you will have to learn YOUR body and what will work for you. We can all make suggestions based on our own personal experiences, but since we are all bio-individually different what works for me or the next person might not work for you.

rose313

I would like to find out if I am sensitive to carbs...is the only way to do that to cut carbs and see if there is a loss? I see that most of the foods I am eating have a glycemic index of 55 or under, does that mean the same thing as low-carb?

edit: Figured out the GI question myself.

rose313

I am reading about the low GI foods, I was told by a few people that carbs make your body hold more fat, but I havent read anything so far about that, just blood sugar spiking making you more hungry. Maybe thats why I feel more full when I eat grains, because they dont make my blood sugar high?

Shan605

I am reading about the low GI foods, I was told by a few people that carbs make your body hold more fat, but I havent read anything so far about that, just blood sugar spiking making you more hungry. Maybe thats why I feel more full when I eat grains, because they dont make my blood sugar high?

What ever carbs you eat, your bosy hold double that in water weight. So you eat a lb of cooked pasta ( which is only a handful) your body holds 2 lbs of additional water to process that.

terrellc1

I have IR, so I am extremely carb sensitive. If I eat bread or sugar, I instantly feel drunk and like I need to pass out. So, I don't eat them. I restrict my carb intake < 30 g net each day. Not everyone can do this. I am able to because I know how I feel if I go over 30, so it's not even a struggle with me.

I eat lots of protein, good fats, veg (lots of broccoli, dark lettuces, asparagus, cauliflower), and I find that I do not have hunger pangs. In fact, there are times when I have to remember to eat.

If I want something sweet, I'll put a little splenda and whole cream into my coffee. But most times I drink it black. I also drink TONS of water and herbal tea (hot and cold). I never feel deprived of anything because I am quite creative in the kitchen.

Some people drop their carbs below 20 net grams for two weeks, then up them in increments of 5 g a week until they find where their body is happy.

Take a look at Atkins and South Beach and the Paleo diets. Lots of free info on the web.

Good luck, and let us know how you do.