What are "good carbs" vs. "bad carbs"?

My1985Freckles

Hi,

I've been on MFP fro 6 months now. I'm still learning all the nutrition stuff. Recently began tracking my sugar and finally have that under control. But, I have noticed that my carbs are always super high (well, usually at least 40% of what I eat-- I'd like to get that down to 30%). I looked at my diary and saw that it's like a 50/50 split between fruit/veggie carbs and carbs from oatmeal or pasta/bread.

Sooooo, what is the difference between "good carbs" and "bad carbs"? Are veggie carbs "good"? Bread/pasta carbs "bad"?

Also, I want to lower the percentage that is carbs and get more protein. I eat a LOT of stir fry (over rice-- usually to bring my calorie count up as I can very easily be an undereater). Would the simplest way be to increase the amount of meat I put into the stir fry and less rice?

NOTE: I am not looking to have my diary critiqued, it is not public. I will not be making it public.

JustLindaLou

Veggie. fruit carbs, beans (black beans, kidney beans) oatmeal = GOOD

Whole grains like brown rice, Whole wheat bread, ww pasta = good but not the best choices, calorie dense but not always nutrient dense

BAD carbs = white flour bread & pasta, anything with "Hostess" on the label

This is a pretty simplified answer but you get the geneal idea

cygnetpro

I"m no expert, so maybe some wiser people than I can chime in. But I have been told that simple carbohydrates, like those that come from sugar, are burned very quickly by our bodies, while whole grains (good carbs, I guess) are burned more slowly, keeping us full longer. I was told to, as much as is reasonable, eliminate most white foods: white bread, white rice, potatoes, etc.

That said, those are my favorite things to eat! haha So my carb counts tend to be high, too. I will admit that when I eat an English muffin for breakfast (maybe 160 calories, with butter), I'm hungry in an hour. If I eat a Greek Yogurt (140 cal, but packed with protein), it keeps me full much longer.

So it sounds like your idea of increasing the lean meat in your stir fry and keeping the rice at a smallish portion makes sense.

Acg67

Good carbs are ones you like and bad ones are ones you don't like.

JustLindaLou

also, have you tried quinoa or whole wheat couscous instead of rice? Quinoa is pretty calorie-dense, but very flavorful so little goes a long way. It is also high in protein and often a protein source for vegetarians and vegans. I am not sure of the nurtrient profile on couscous, maybe it is lower in cals than the rice, check it out.

not seeing your sitr-fry ingredients I am not sure what you are using, but I pack mine with tons of veggies (probably 8-10 cups of raw veggies like celery, peppers, napa cabbage, spinach, green onions, bok choy, japanese eggplant), tofu, chicken or shrimp, and sometimes some scrambled egg, and also often toss some kidney or black beans into it and skip the rice or have only 1/2 cup or so. Beans are SOOOO good for you and they are satiating, you may find you can skip the rice altogether if you add some beans.

Sl1ghtly

I think there is no such thing as good, or bad carbs.. because anything can be good or bad depending on the application or dose.

MaggiePuccini

Even though I go for brown rice, brown pasta and brown bread, I'd still try not to eat tooo much of them. Sweet potato has a lower GI than ordinary potato (and imo you'd expect it to be the other way around).

Porridge would be good carbs I guess, and oat bran. I make my own 'bread' out of oat bran. Now I am not going to lie and tell you it tastes as good as bread because nO it does NOT!! but........... maybe i will get used to it. I have completely got used to brown rice and bread and pasta. White rice tastes yuck to me now. Like mushy tasteless pulp.

mlc323

carbs translate into glycogen (energy) in your system. you metabolize carbs at different rates depending on the type. too much protein can lead to stress on your body that is unnecessary but protein tends to keep you full LONGER because it takes a longer time to process in the body.... the best recommendation i can give is to cut out refined sugar. this isn't to say start chomping diet/sugar free foods. the chemicals in that food WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCE FOR CANCER! get your sweets from whole sources--fruit is EXCELLENT sugar. agave, honey, and fresh juices are all great ways to sweeten things without using white granulated sugar. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE GRANULATED SUGAR. white breads and other "white" foods tend to be refined losing minerals that your body craves. refined foods are normally refined in a disgusting process that uses dead animal bones. gross. increase your intake of whole grains (which add fiber, helping you feel full+boosting energy AND MAKING IT LAST+helps you poop, ALL GOOD!) that haven't been processed as much as refined grains. FIBER=GOOD. WHOLE GRAINS=GOOD. PROCESSED SUGAR=BAD. Branch out from rice. White rice is bad to begin with. Try brown. BUT, try things like bulgar and quinoa, and couscous. carbs provide the energy your body needs to survive so they are NEVER bad... just be cautious of where your carbs are coming from and if they are complex (high fiber/not processed) or simple (gummi bears). eat whole foods and avoid processed garbage. your body will thank you and your carb count will even out. feed your body lots of good carbs and you'll feel like you just drank 12 red bulls!

neanderthin

People need to understand the concept of context and dosage before anything can be deemed good or bad for an individual. An obese couch potato and an olympic swimmer are good extreme examples of this premise. Basically if someone is saying GI is paramount or white carbs are death, or don't eat refined sugar, these are biased opinions based on limited information try to dealing with specific situations, which again leads back to context and dosage. Basically there are no bad carbs, only bad diets and lifestyles.

Sl1ghtly

carbs translate into glycogen (energy) in your system. you metabolize carbs at different rates depending on the type. too much protein can lead to stress on your body that is unnecessary but protein tends to keep you full LONGER because it takes a longer time to process in the body.... the best recommendation i can give is to cut out refined sugar. this isn't to say start chomping diet/sugar free foods. the chemicals in that food WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCE FOR CANCER! get your sweets from whole sources--fruit is EXCELLENT sugar. agave, honey, and fresh juices are all great ways to sweeten things without using white granulated sugar. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE GRANULATED SUGAR. white breads and other "white" foods tend to be refined losing minerals that your body craves. refined foods are normally refined in a disgusting process that uses dead animal bones. gross. increase your intake of whole grains (which add fiber, helping you feel full+boosting energy AND MAKING IT LAST+helps you poop, ALL GOOD!) that haven't been processed as much as refined grains. FIBER=GOOD. WHOLE GRAINS=GOOD. PROCESSED SUGAR=BAD. Branch out from rice. White rice is bad to begin with. Try brown. BUT, try things like bulgar and quinoa, and couscous. carbs provide the energy your body needs to survive so they are NEVER bad... just be cautious of where your carbs are coming from and if they are complex (high fiber/not processed) or simple (gummi bears). eat whole foods and avoid processed garbage. your body will thank you and your carb count will even out. feed your body lots of good carbs and you'll feel like you just drank 12 red bulls!

Rice is the staple food of nearly 3 billion people worldwide. Most of that population doesn't seem to have significant diet based health issues.

rc630

Good carbs are ones you like and bad ones are ones you don't like.

I'm in this camp. The only bad carbs are the ones you eat going way over your nutrient needs.

Jennicia

@mlc323- that was a very good and understandable explanation! THANKS!

My1985Freckles

also, have you tried quinoa or whole wheat couscous instead of rice? Quinoa is pretty calorie-dense, but very flavorful so little goes a long way. It is also high in protein and often a protein source for vegetarians and vegans. I am not sure of the nurtrient profile on couscous, maybe it is lower in cals than the rice, check it out.

not seeing your sitr-fry ingredients I am not sure what you are using, but I pack mine with tons of veggies (probably 8-10 cups of raw veggies like celery, peppers, napa cabbage, spinach, green onions, bok choy, japanese eggplant), tofu, chicken or shrimp, and sometimes some scrambled egg, and also often toss some kidney or black beans into it and skip the rice or have only 1/2 cup or so. Beans are SOOOO good for you and they are satiating, you may find you can skip the rice altogether if you add some beans.

I put tons of veggies in mine too. Usually whatever I am in the mood for (my favorites are california blend and asian blends), but I use recipes sometimes and they are typically onion and pepper heavy (which I LOVE).

I've had quinoa pasta and had no real opinion on it as far as its taste. Couscous was great, but I compared it side by side to the rice nutrition info and didn't know if it was really worth switching-- one's higher in sugar and the other in sodium. one higher in protein other lower in calories.... Nutrition is sooo complicated!

But, I WILL be switching over to all brown rice. Our pasta is already brown rice pasta (hubby has celiac's). I don't keep a lot of bread in the house, but I have a weakness for pepperidge farm cinnamon swirl with cream cheese. It's my treat lol.

My1985Freckles

Veggie. fruit carbs, beans (black beans, kidney beans) oatmeal = GOOD

Whole grains like brown rice, Whole wheat bread, ww pasta = good but not the best choices, calorie dense but not always nutrient dense

BAD carbs = white flour bread & pasta, anything with "Hostess" on the label

This is a pretty simplified answer but you get the geneal idea

I LOVE this answer lol... especially the Hostess part!

My1985Freckles

carbs translate into glycogen (energy) in your system. you metabolize carbs at different rates depending on the type. too much protein can lead to stress on your body that is unnecessary but protein tends to keep you full LONGER because it takes a longer time to process in the body.... the best recommendation i can give is to cut out refined sugar. this isn't to say start chomping diet/sugar free foods. the chemicals in that food WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCE FOR CANCER! get your sweets from whole sources--fruit is EXCELLENT sugar. agave, honey, and fresh juices are all great ways to sweeten things without using white granulated sugar. STAY AWAY FROM WHITE GRANULATED SUGAR. white breads and other "white" foods tend to be refined losing minerals that your body craves. refined foods are normally refined in a disgusting process that uses dead animal bones. gross. increase your intake of whole grains (which add fiber, helping you feel full+boosting energy AND MAKING IT LAST+helps you poop, ALL GOOD!) that haven't been processed as much as refined grains. FIBER=GOOD. WHOLE GRAINS=GOOD. PROCESSED SUGAR=BAD. Branch out from rice. White rice is bad to begin with. Try brown. BUT, try things like bulgar and quinoa, and couscous. carbs provide the energy your body needs to survive so they are NEVER bad... just be cautious of where your carbs are coming from and if they are complex (high fiber/not processed) or simple (gummi bears). eat whole foods and avoid processed garbage. your body will thank you and your carb count will even out. feed your body lots of good carbs and you'll feel like you just drank 12 red bulls!

Thanks, this is a great explanation. I cut out the refined sugars for the most part because my sugar count was out of control. And actually just decided with hubby yesterday to switch to brown rice. We tend to eat fairly clean as we both love to cook and the sodium in processed stuff makes me want to scream! I do my best to stay away from "diet" foods because they also tend to be higher in sodium and surprisingly calories aren't an issue for me so if I really want a treat, the "real" one fits in my calorie budget and tastes better :-P

Oh, and now I really want some gummi bears! LOL