So, are carbs evil or not?

mryak750

I have quite a few chinese friends at work....and everyday they eat a ton of white rice....75% of their plate is white rice..alot of it...and a little boiled piece of meat/chicken/pork..and some green veggies....they stay slim...why? because they don't eat junk

TakinSexyBack

People that cut out carbs to lose weight usually end up failing.

Wow! Just wow. Judgmental much? 65% of people that try to lose weight fail and I highly doubt that they are all low carb eaters.

Totally agree!! It's not only low carb eaters who fail!! Yes, if someone is low carb and they go back to eating a lot of carbs quickly, they will definitely gain the weight back (and probably more). That is a lifestyle that many people choose to keep for life. I don't understand why so many people make assumptions about low carbers. I know a lot of low carbers who are in it for life and have lost a lot of weight.

SanteMulberry

I'm sure this has been asked time and time again, but I'm always hearing contradicting stories from people. Some who swear that cutting carbs helped them lose a lot of weight, and others who say that it doesn't really matter in the end (basically that calories are calories). Right now I'm trying to just count calories, and watch how many carbs I take in.

I wouldn't say they are "evil" but the bodies of obese folk have this nasty habit of turning carbohydrates (especially simple ones like starch and sugar) into fat quite readily (instead of for energy as nature intended). The main reason for this is that obese people tend to run blood sugars that are on the high side (thus, the link between obesity and Type II diabetes). In order to keep blood glucose (and the appetite) under control, carb restriction can make a lot of sense. If you are slim and work out a lot, you will need to boost your carbs in order to give your muscles a good supply of glycogen (and eating carbohydrates is the fastest way to accomplish this). I personally follow a "lower carb" plan. You can get significant appetite control if you keep your carbs down to 75 to 100 grams a day without going into ketosis. I cut out all added sugar and wheat. This leaves a lot of room for other more nourishing food (while still staying under my calorie restriction). I personally do not think it is a good idea to go low fat and low carbohydrate at the same time as most people I know who have tried it find it impossible to stick with. I know several people who have gotten ill from eating a very low fat diet. On the other hand, paleo/primal people tell me that you can go low carb forever.

SanteMulberry

Carbs are what made mankind! Without carbs your brain can not function. People that cut out carbs to lose weight usually end up failing.

On a side note, carbs kill kittens.

you decide!

Actually, it is untrue that "...without carbs, your brain cannot function..." Our brains are quite comfortable burning ketones for energy. Mankind would have become extinct a long time ago without an ability to function when carbohydrates are not available. Many hunter-gatherers have very low carb diets, subsisting on game and a few roots and berries, for long periods of time.

SanteMulberry

I have quite a few chinese friends at work....and everyday they eat a ton of white rice....75% of their plate is white rice..alot of it...and a little boiled piece of meat/chicken/pork..and some green veggies....they stay slim...why? because they don't eat junk

Yes, they are not sugar eaters. However, since they started having a lot more sugar in their diets, and as they especially feed it to their pampered only children (because of the "one-child" policy) obesity is starting to be a rising problem in China.

judydelo1

I get most of my carbs from fruit and veggies. You don't have to eat flour products or white rice to get plenty of carbs. More nutrients in fruits and veggies than refined carbs.

SanteMulberry

My thought on the "I cut carbs and dropped 30 pounds" thing is that the people who go balls to the wall "low/no carb" are probably the ones who were stuffing themselves with enriched pasta, bread and chips. Of course you're going to drop tons of weight if you stop stuffing yourself with garbage.

If you know which carbs are the best for maintaining a healthy diet (red/sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc.) and keep them in moderation then no, they aren't "evil".

I get around equal amounts of protein and carbs each day... I'm not dead (or obese). I educated myself on which carbs are the best in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.

Brown rice is one of the worst health food myths ever. White rice is healthier, in general.

I'm curious about this, why is it healthier? I thought brown rice is just like regular rice, plus fiber.

The fiber is actually the problem. The fiber in brown rice is the hull. The hull is indigestible. The majority of the nutrients in brown rice are in the hull. Meaning, on paper brown rice has more nutrients, but the human body can't digest and absorb them. It ends up being a waste of calories, really. Bioavailability is a much more important marker of nutrition than just what the food contains. White rice is far more bioavailable than brown rice, making it a better choice. Plus there are much better sources of fiber out there.

Phytic acid is also a problem with whole grains in general because it is stored in the bran and seeds of plants. From there it chelates the available minerals and thus blocks their uptake. It especially blocks iron and zinc but also the macro-minerals calcium and magnesium. Since most of us (about 85% of us) tend to be magnesium deficient, eating whole grains can further exacerbate the problem.

_Lori_Lynn_

My thought on the "I cut carbs and dropped 30 pounds" thing is that the people who go balls to the wall "low/no carb" are probably the ones who were stuffing themselves with enriched pasta, bread and chips. Of course you're going to drop tons of weight if you stop stuffing yourself with garbage.

If you know which carbs are the best for maintaining a healthy diet (red/sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc.) and keep them in moderation then no, they aren't "evil".

I get around equal amounts of protein and carbs each day... I'm not dead (or obese). I educated myself on which carbs are the best in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.

Brown rice is one of the worst health food myths ever. White rice is healthier, in general.

I'm curious about this, why is it healthier? I thought brown rice is just like regular rice, plus fiber.

The fiber is actually the problem. The fiber in brown rice is the hull. The hull is indigestible. The majority of the nutrients in brown rice are in the hull. Meaning, on paper brown rice has more nutrients, but the human body can't digest and absorb them. It ends up being a waste of calories, really. Bioavailability is a much more important marker of nutrition than just what the food contains. White rice is far more bioavailable than brown rice, making it a better choice. Plus there are much better sources of fiber out there.

Interesting info guys and girls. Thanks for sharing. I am going to read up on this now. It would be a good thread for debate on here if anyone is up to all the drama it would stir. Would be educational though and interesting to see what people have to say about it.

lilmissymoo90

in my mind carbs are EVIL! just kidding some people can eat them some cant im lowcarbing but having a day of once a week and dont count carbs in fruit and veg x

_Lori_Lynn_

Cutting carbs can make the number on the scale go down due to water weight. It isn't fat loss. Stay within your calories, eat at least 1 gram protein per lb of lean body mass (find out how much you have here: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/ ) and eat at least .35 gm fat per lb lean body mass, and let the carbs fall where they may.

I agree with all of your answer except the first two sentences. Yes, initially you will see a quick drop in water weight when you start eating low carb. But, I know people who have lost 50, 60 and more than 100 lbs eating low carb. You can't say that is JUST water weight. You will lose fat on low carb long term also.

Yes, when there are no carb stores left, your body taps into fat stores for energy. What i don't like about the low carb diet is that I tried it once and dropped a bunch of weight in about 5 weeks. However, i then started a new job and went back to eating carbs, but wasn't eating ridiculously. I was eating "on the go" but that meant, I would run to the grocery and get a weight watcher's pizza, etc. Staying pretty much within calories, but was back to eating carbs. I started gaining weight nearly at a rate of 3 lbs a week and sometimes a pound a day. I gained it all back in just a few weeks. And I looked squishy in my tummy (worse than before the low carb diet). It was depressing and really weird. I won't try it again. I do try to eat about 105 - 130ish a day which is less than I used to eat.

blu_meanie_ca

That bread is plotting to slather it's self in honey, jump on my plate, and cause a flare up in my psorasis (a strange allergy symptom, but there it is).
So, carbs, not evil.. unless you are diabetic -or in my case insulin resistant...So, yes, carbs are evil! Bread is the devil! and pasta! and gross things made with tapioca and rice flour, I don't care if they are gluten free!

No wait, being IR and allergic to wheat sucks. Food is good, except tapioca.

tigersword

Carbs are what made mankind! Without carbs your brain can not function. People that cut out carbs to lose weight usually end up failing.

On a side note, carbs kill kittens.

you decide!

Actually, it is untrue that "...without carbs, your brain cannot function..." Our brains are quite comfortable burning ketones for energy. Mankind would have become extinct a long time ago without an ability to function when carbohydrates are not available. Many hunter-gatherers have very low carb diets, subsisting on game and a few roots and berries, for long periods of time.

Actually, very few hunter-gatherers have very low carb diets. The Inuits are the only ones that I know of off hand. Most hunter gatherers eat a majority of fruits, nuts, seeds, and wild grasses, as "gathering" makes up much more of the diet than "hunting." And the Inuits tend to have much shorter lifespans, and much higher disease incidences, so I wouldn't exactly use them as a shining example of how great low carb is, as they kind of prove the opposite. Your brain can survive on ketones, but I wouldn't say it's comfortable. It much prefers glucose, and always gets at least 25% of its energy from glucose, regardless of the amount of carbs you eat.

SanteMulberry

Carbs are what made mankind! Without carbs your brain can not function. People that cut out carbs to lose weight usually end up failing.

On a side note, carbs kill kittens.

you decide!

Actually, it is untrue that "...without carbs, your brain cannot function..." Our brains are quite comfortable burning ketones for energy. Mankind would have become extinct a long time ago without an ability to function when carbohydrates are not available. Many hunter-gatherers have very low carb diets, subsisting on game and a few roots and berries, for long periods of time.

Actually, very few hunter-gatherers have very low carb diets. The Inuits are the only ones that I know of off hand. Most hunter gatherers eat a majority of fruits, nuts, seeds, and wild grasses, as "gathering" makes up much more of the diet than "hunting." And the Inuits tend to have much shorter lifespans, and much higher disease incidences, so I wouldn't exactly use them as a shining example of how great low carb is, as they kind of prove the opposite. Your brain can survive on ketones, but I wouldn't say it's comfortable. It much prefers glucose, and always gets at least 25% of its energy from glucose, regardless of the amount of carbs you eat.

Perhaps that is true of hunter-gatherers today, but I would point you to the "plains indians" of yesteryear. Before the white man came, they subsisted mostly on buffalo meat and whatever they could forage (and in the plains, that wasn't much). The Inuit may have a lot of illness and shorter lifespans today, but that is a result of being corrupted by foodstuffs from the south. They were quite healthy in the past--to the point that medical researchers believed that they somehow were genetically different from the rest of us to be able to not only survive but thrive on their mostly meat based diet. The faultiness of their reasoning was revealed when explorers came up from the south and lived among the Inuit. It is a fact that they adopted the Inuit diet...and they thrived. The historical accounts are available.

Shadowknight137

They were quite healthy in the past--to the point that medical researchers believed that they somehow were genetically different from the rest of us to be able to not only survive but thrive on their mostly meat based diet.

Yes, but it is still a very boring diet.

ldrosophila

Carbs are so evil that stupid organ you call a brain is constantly asking for carbs. We all know that we wouldnt be fat if we didnt have a brain. So yes carbs are the devil's food remember to never eat fruit, grains, milk, and vegetables again.

SanteMulberry

They were quite healthy in the past--to the point that medical researchers believed that they somehow were genetically different from the rest of us to be able to not only survive but thrive on their mostly meat based diet.

Yes, but it is still a very boring diet.

Well, that is likely true. But then, I DO NOT advocate that kind of diet, nor would I follow it if given a chance to have a balanced diet. There are a lot of nutrients in vegetables and fruits that I would not want to miss out on.

Brownsbacker4evr

Nope. There are good carbs and bad carbs though. Just have less of the bad ones.

SanteMulberry

Carbs are so evil that stupid organ you call a brain is constantly asking for carbs. We all know that we wouldnt be fat if we didnt have a brain. So yes carbs are the devil's food remember to never eat fruit, grains, milk, and vegetables again.

I eat vegetables, fruit and dairy products every day. Just because I limit my carbohydrates by avoiding the ones that are high in calories and low in nutrients doesn't mean that I am not well-nourished. Some carbohydrates are definitely much better than other carbohydrates in terms of providing nutrients.

SanteMulberry

Cutting carbs can make the number on the scale go down due to water weight. It isn't fat loss. Stay within your calories, eat at least 1 gram protein per lb of lean body mass (find out how much you have here: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/ ) and eat at least .35 gm fat per lb lean body mass, and let the carbs fall where they may.

I agree with all of your answer except the first two sentences. Yes, initially you will see a quick drop in water weight when you start eating low carb. But, I know people who have lost 50, 60 and more than 100 lbs eating low carb. You can't say that is JUST water weight. You will lose fat on low carb long term also.

Yes, when there are no carb stores left, your body taps into fat stores for energy. What i don't like about the low carb diet is that I tried it once and dropped a bunch of weight in about 5 weeks. However, i then started a new job and went back to eating carbs, but wasn't eating ridiculously. I was eating "on the go" but that meant, I would run to the grocery and get a weight watcher's pizza, etc. Staying pretty much within calories, but was back to eating carbs. I started gaining weight nearly at a rate of 3 lbs a week and sometimes a pound a day. I gained it all back in just a few weeks. And I looked squishy in my tummy (worse than before the low carb diet). It was depressing and really weird. I won't try it again. I do try to eat about 105 - 130ish a day which is less than I used to eat.

Could be that the stress of starting a new job jacked up your cortisol levels and that does weird things to the metabolism.

blu_meanie_ca

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Perhaps that is true of hunter-gatherers today, but I would point you to the "plains indians" of yesteryear. Before the white man came, they subsisted mostly on buffalo meat and whatever they could forage (and in the plains, that wasn't much). The Inuit may have a lot of illness and shorter lifespans today, but that is a result of being corrupted by foodstuffs from the south. They were quite healthy in the past--to the point that medical researchers believed that they somehow were genetically different from the rest of us to be able to not only survive but thrive on their mostly meat based diet. The faultiness of their reasoning was revealed when explorers came up from the south and lived among the Inuit. It is a fact that they adopted the Inuit diet...and they thrived. The historical accounts are available.
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Not only have you obviously never seen the ecological divisercity of the plains, you are lacking in your history. The "plains indians" ate a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with buffalo, deer, rabbit, ect. There is an abundance of vegetation on the plains, with a very long growing season (which is why it's now a center for agriculture). (There are "plains" in Canada too).

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/indians/reports4/plains2.htm