why do people think carbs are so bad/evil?

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  • smokaiba
    smokaiba Posts: 14
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    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    if you go over on anything you will gain weight. low carb diets are just a way to lower calories and still maintain healthy levels of fat and protein.

    Only if you're going over on calories.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I eat a plant based whole foods diet so it is very high in carbs, very low in fat and lower than average protein, and it is working for me. I think a lot of people also confuse simple carbs (breads, bagels, sugar, ect) with complex carbs like vegetables, grains and beans, which are also sources of protein and fiber and low in calories compared to the simple carbs.

    http://www.drmcdougall.com/medical_nutrition.html

    Sugar is a simple carb.
    Bread and bagels are complex carbs.

    not really if made with refined white flour which breaks the chain into smaller bits...comparatively from a chemical standpoint .not nearly as complex or healthy a choice as rolled oats or brown rice. My point was that there are carb choices that are healthier than others...such as choosing beans and brown rice over muffins, or bagels. The whole foods, in the state closest to how they were grown, are more nutrient dense and have fewer calories than the processed versions which have more calories and fewer nutrients for the same amount of food.

    Ummm....YES! Really! Bread is NOT a simple carb, no matter what color it is, or how refined the grain! Unless it is something like "sugar bread" that is full of processed sugar, or something called "cake," which is technically not a bread at all.

    It's a matter of chemistry, not colors or processing.

    The difference that you are thinking of in terms of white bread versus whole-grain bread is the amount of fiber present. The fiber is what slows down the digestion, not the molecules of the grain. Fat can also slow the absorption of sugar, but that's a separate topic. :flowerforyou:
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I don't! I love carbs! And they've never had any adverse effects on me such as weigh gain or bloat......unless I eat an entire package of cookies by myself in one sitting...that would be the definition of too many carbs!!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    It's the same as people saying that Chinese food is bad for you. (or so many other foods)

    Smoking tobacco is bad for you. Food is not. :ohwell:

    some of what we Americans call Chinese food...where everything is fried and so meat centered are not so healthy but a traditional Asian diet which was mostly rice and vegetables, small amounts of lean meats sure is!!

    Meat is good for us, not bad. And deep-fried foods is not "bad for you" either, when eaten in moderation. It's the diet as a whole that makes it healthy or not, not one item or one meal. :flowerforyou:
  • smokaiba
    smokaiba Posts: 14
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    I've been a vegetarian for 20 years- my entire adult life-


    In your vegetarian case, you are not gouging yourself on fast food getting massive amounts of unneeded carbs. I would imagine, after 20 years, you have learned exactly what you need to eat to survive and then stop there. Carbs from beans and veggies are not the same, to me, as carbs from fast food.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Because people don't know how to look at a 'study' scrupulously. Yes, there is a benefit to ketogenesis, but it is only short term and the benefit is negligible. As you have pointed out OP, you can achieve the same or equivalent results without stressing about your macros. In some cases, a deep ketogenic state can be hazardous to one's health so it's obviously not ideal.

    But... there are some that look for some magic formula to weight loss even though they know the basics. Eat less and move more. They believe they need something more than that. Psychologically, they probably do need more than just eat less-move more because if they accept the reality that eat less-move more is all that is needed, then they must accept accountability for the state that they got their bodies into in the first place.

    I fully expect someone to rail on my post. I don't care. If you are somehow offended by what you just read, then that just means that to some degree, you know it's true.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I've been a vegetarian for 20 years- my entire adult life-


    In your vegetarian case, you are not gouging yourself on fast food getting massive amounts of unneeded carbs. I would imagine, that for 20 years, you have learned exactly what you need to eat to survive and then stop there. Carbs from beans and veggies are not the same, to me, as carbs from fast food.

    I don't think you've met enough vegetarians.....Yes, I eat a balanced and healthy diet including beans and vegetables, but my diet also includes pizza. French fries and oreos are vegan foods. There are plenty of what I call "pizzatarians" that don't eat meat but still survive on fast food, and fat vegetarians. A lack of meat does not inherently make a diet healthy- there's no vegetarian police that ensures vegetarians eat beans and vegetables any more than anyone else.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.

    this^^^^^

    people don't just have "a" piece of pizza or lasagna...they have 2 or 3 , its all about portions too...goes for everything
  • smokaiba
    smokaiba Posts: 14
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    Eat less and move more.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a91pJDut50E
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    I've been a vegetarian for 20 years- my entire adult life-


    In your vegetarian case, you are not gouging yourself on fast food getting massive amounts of unneeded carbs. I would imagine, after 20 years, you have learned exactly what you need to eat to survive and then stop there. Carbs from beans and veggies are not the same, to me, as carbs from fast food.


    a carb is a carb....fast food, fruit, pasta, its all carbs
  • kimmianne89
    kimmianne89 Posts: 428 Member
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    I do low (ish) carb because of PCOS, it's advised to avoid high processed foods, and high carb foods. It helps when I lower the intake of it, so thats what I do, whether or not its beneficial to weight loss isn't actually the main reason :-)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.

    this^^^^^

    people don't just have "a" piece of pizza or lasagna...they have 2 or 3 , its all about portions too...goes for everything

    But that is a problem of too many calories, not too many carbs.
  • smokaiba
    smokaiba Posts: 14
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    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.

    this^^^^^

    people don't just have "a" piece of pizza or lasagna...they have 2 or 3 , its all about portions too...goes for everything

    On a side note, two slices of cheese pizza have over 3000mg sodium.
  • smokaiba
    smokaiba Posts: 14
    Options
    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.

    this^^^^^

    people don't just have "a" piece of pizza or lasagna...they have 2 or 3 , its all about portions too...goes for everything

    But that is a problem of too many calories, not too many carbs.

    If you eat an entire lasagna in one sitting the calories and carbs are going to adversely effect you if you don't burn them off. Many Americans are couch potatoes and on average eat 3500 calories a day (average on thanksgiving is 4500).
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.

    this^^^^^

    people don't just have "a" piece of pizza or lasagna...they have 2 or 3 , its all about portions too...goes for everything

    On a side note, two slices of cheese pizza have over 3000mg sodium.

    False. And entire large pizza maybe has that much sodium.
  • lmeasterling
    lmeasterling Posts: 139 Member
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    Mmmm...I love me some carbs! In moderation, of course. :)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    If you eat an entire lasagna in one sitting the calories and carbs are going to adversely effect you if you don't burn them off. Many Americans are couch potatoes and on average eat 3500 calories a day (average on thanksgiving is 4500).

    If you ate an entire lasagna pan full of hamburger or chicken (all protein) and didn't burn off the calories, you would gain weight. It isn't the CARBS that are the issue. It's too many calories.

    I don't watch my carbs. I eat cheese and crackers and pasta and fruit. I restrict calories and I have no problem losing weight.
  • julimonster
    julimonster Posts: 243 Member
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    (just another opinion, love your profile pic btw)
    I've switched the empty carbs I used to eat for healthy carbs, there is a difference!
  • smokaiba
    smokaiba Posts: 14
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    In america, the average persons eats 600g+ carbs/day when they should be eating less than 300g.

    this^^^^^

    people don't just have "a" piece of pizza or lasagna...they have 2 or 3 , its all about portions too...goes for everything

    On a side note, two slices of cheese pizza have over 3000mg sodium.

    False. And entire large pizza maybe has that much sodium.

    try looking it up before claiming false.

    http://www.cdc.gov/salt/pdfs/sodium_fact_sheet.pdf

    Sodium content can vary significantly within food categories. For example, a regular slice of frozen cheese pizza can range from 450 mg to 1200 mg,

    1200 + 1200 +1200 = 3600 (3 slices)

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