Potatoes, rice, bread and all that stuff

Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?
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Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited November 2014
    jeansuza wrote: »
    Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?
    You never "need" to eat starchy carbs. You can. But you never "need to". You certainly never "need" to eat refined grains (store bought bread, pastas etc).
    I eat bread *maybe* once a week, if that, and when I do it's 100% whole grain. I eat some brown rice (+- 1 cup a week?). I eat a sweet potato once a month or so. I eat 100% whole grain pasta once every few weeks or so.
    I get plenty of carbs from fruits, veggies and dairy.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    jeansuza wrote: »
    I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?

    pretty much, yes.
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  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited November 2014
    MrM27 wrote: »
    I've never heard that bread, rice specifically should be 1/4 of the place.
    "my plate" (the government) suggests 1/4 of the plate be grains. So it's a logical conclusion.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    yes, propaganda….you can eat as many carbs as you want, unless you have some kind of medical condition that makes you sensitive to them. overeating = weight gain, not over eating carbs….

    so eat all the carbs you want, just fit them into your calorie and macro targets and you will be fine.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    You don't have to do anything...but potatoes are delicious.
  • F1tnessCh1ck
    F1tnessCh1ck Posts: 39 Member
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    smh
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    You don't have to do anything...but potatoes are delicious.

    +1

    and bread
  • Geojerm
    Geojerm Posts: 291 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    yes, propaganda….you can eat as many carbs as you want, unless you have some kind of medical condition that makes you sensitive to them. overeating = weight gain, not over eating carbs….

    so eat all the carbs you want, just fit them into your calorie and macro targets and you will be fine.


    I love when people give real answers :D
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    jeansuza wrote: »
    Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?
    You never "need" to eat starchy carbs. You can. But you never "need to". You certainly never "need" to eat refined grains (store bought bread, pastas etc).
    I eat bread *maybe* once a week, if that, and when I do it's 100% whole grain. I eat some brown rice (+- 1 cup a week?). I eat a sweet potato once a month or so. I eat 100% whole grain pasta once every few weeks or so.
    I get plenty of carbs from fruits, veggies and dairy.

    I do
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    Can you please explain what makes white rice, white bread or regular potatoes crap? Be specific.
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  • hfbs616
    hfbs616 Posts: 14 Member
    I think fresh baked bread is the best thing in the world. In all seriousness ndj1979 is right.
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    yes, propaganda….you can eat as many carbs as you want, unless you have some kind of medical condition that makes you sensitive to them. overeating = weight gain, not over eating carbs….

    so eat all the carbs you want, just fit them into your calorie and macro targets and you will be fine.

  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    PRMinx wrote: »
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    Can you please explain what makes white rice, white bread or regular potatoes crap? Be specific.

    Shape magazine
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    I've never heard that bread, rice specifically should be 1/4 of the place.
    "my plate" (the government) suggests 1/4 of the plate be grains. So it's a logical conclusion.
    1/4 plate does not mean literally taking up 1/4 of the plate's surface.

    One of my favorite dinner foods is vegetarian chicken tenders. They're battered in whole grains. I dip them in Italian dressing. That meal has a ton of carbohydrates (40+ grams)/grains. Most things people eat are not purely broken into the categories shown on choosemyplate.gov.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    PRMinx wrote: »
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    Can you please explain what makes white rice, white bread or regular potatoes crap? Be specific.

    100+ year old Asians are being slooowly killed by them
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.
    Santana-glee-rolling-eyes-festivals-gif.gif
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    eric_sg61 wrote: »
    PRMinx wrote: »
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    Can you please explain what makes white rice, white bread or regular potatoes crap? Be specific.

    100+ year old Asians are being slooowly killed by them

    It's an epidemic. I just had a baked potato the other day...and sushi before that...I guess I better get to the doctor so that I can detox from all the crap with a $200 cleanse.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    You don't 'need' to eat them if you don't want too.

    Carbs are needed for energy though - Swap white carbs for brown :wink:

    I love love love carbs... But try and watch the belly carb bloat hahah :neutral_face:
  • lolly715
    lolly715 Posts: 106
    At best, it's a simplified guideline for people who don't want to properly track their macros. By following it, people should get a somewhat balanced meal.

    But eat whatever you want that fits within your goals. I don't eat starches that much but would totally sit down to a bowl full of potatoes if I had the carbs available.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    yes, propaganda….you can eat as many carbs as you want, unless you have some kind of medical condition that makes you sensitive to them. overeating = weight gain, not over eating carbs….

    so eat all the carbs you want, just fit them into your calorie and macro targets and you will be fine.

    1056.gif

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  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    jeansuza wrote: »
    Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?

    I think you can eat them if you want. These days I believe they are saying that the amount of grains you should eat- if you eat grains- depends on your age, gender and physical activity level. I don't think they are saying the 1/4 plate thing at all anymore.
    If you don't like rice, potatoes or bread you can skip them and you will most likely be perfectly healthy if you are getting enough nutrients, fiber and calories from other foods.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    Have you ever actually looked at the differences in nutritional content of white rice vs brown...or a white potato vs. sweet potato, etc? The differences are pretty immaterial. I personally prefer brown rice to white rice myself...but as nutrition goes, there's not a ton of difference here.

    OP...eat grains and starches if you want to...or don't...it really makes no difference.

  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Need? Especially at every meal? Nope! Not if you're getting all your nutrients elsewhere. But you can, if you can handle them appetite-wise. Too many high-carb items make me SERIOUSLY hungry and I wind up face-planted in the bottom of a bowl of Doritos, so personally I can't...but if I could handle them, trust me, I'd be eating them with every meal - I love potatoes and rice! Yum.

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    jeansuza wrote: »
    Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?
    You never "need" to eat starchy carbs. You can. But you never "need to". You certainly never "need" to eat refined grains (store bought bread, pastas etc).
    I eat bread *maybe* once a week, if that, and when I do it's 100% whole grain. I eat some brown rice (+- 1 cup a week?). I eat a sweet potato once a month or so. I eat 100% whole grain pasta once every few weeks or so.
    I get plenty of carbs from fruits, veggies and dairy.

    I do
    You "need" to? ok.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited November 2014
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    it's not necessary to have carbs at every meal. I eat them, but I usually try to eat them earlier in the day along with my fruit. once or twice a week I will have them for dinner. But if you're going to have them, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown bread - never ever ever ever white anything! It's crap.

    Have you ever actually looked at the differences in nutritional content of white rice vs brown...or a white potato vs. sweet potato, etc? The differences are pretty immaterial. I personally prefer brown rice to white rice myself...but as nutrition goes, there's not a ton of difference here.

    OP...eat grains and starches if you want to...or don't...it really makes no difference.

    It's true. one potato versus one sweet potato: very little difference. I like to think of the whole lifestyle. Sweet fits into mine better. As does brown rice, as do 100%whole grain breads and pastas. Little changes leading to big rewards. A few fibers here, a few more nutrients there... but if you really dislike brown, or really prefer white, eat that.
    And yes: eat the grains and starches if you want. There's no real need to.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    jeansuza wrote: »
    Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?
    You never "need" to eat starchy carbs. You can. But you never "need to". You certainly never "need" to eat refined grains (store bought bread, pastas etc).
    I eat bread *maybe* once a week, if that, and when I do it's 100% whole grain. I eat some brown rice (+- 1 cup a week?). I eat a sweet potato once a month or so. I eat 100% whole grain pasta once every few weeks or so.
    I get plenty of carbs from fruits, veggies and dairy.

    I do
    You "need" to? ok.

    For performance purposes, yes.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited November 2014
    jeansuza wrote: »
    Question: Health-wise, if you eat enough proteins, lots of veggies and fruits, some milk or yogurt, do you really need to eat rice, potatoes or bread at every meal? I use to hear that they should be 1/4 of your plate, but is this just propaganda?
    You never "need" to eat starchy carbs. You can. But you never "need to". You certainly never "need" to eat refined grains (store bought bread, pastas etc).
    I eat bread *maybe* once a week, if that, and when I do it's 100% whole grain. I eat some brown rice (+- 1 cup a week?). I eat a sweet potato once a month or so. I eat 100% whole grain pasta once every few weeks or so.
    I get plenty of carbs from fruits, veggies and dairy.

    I do
    You "need" to? ok.

    For performance purposes, yes.

    if you say so. I've seen some great stuff from low carbers, and lots from folks who don't eat grains at all. But sure, if you do for your intense exercise or body building or whatever, ok. I'll let you judge how you perform best.
    Does the OP need to for "health" as she asked? NO, probably not.
    Do I or most of us "need to" for health? nope.