Fruit N Veggie Carbs(???)
FitLeahBee
Posts: 10 Member
After a day of logging on MFP and eating a ton of fruits and veggies, along with soba noodles (a buckwheat plant noodle that is high in protein), I notice that I am either over halfway through my carb gram goal on MFP or I am close to being over.
The actual amount of processed carbs I eat are pretty low, but the carbs from the fruits and veggies take up alot of my daily carb allowances and i was wondering if I should just ignore the carbs I eat from fruits and veggies? I am pretty sure that carbs from fruit/veggies are alot different from processed carbs and lately I have been seeing them as two different types of carbs. Am I right to think that? I dont want to over-do the carbs so I just wanted some input from you guys
thanks!
The actual amount of processed carbs I eat are pretty low, but the carbs from the fruits and veggies take up alot of my daily carb allowances and i was wondering if I should just ignore the carbs I eat from fruits and veggies? I am pretty sure that carbs from fruit/veggies are alot different from processed carbs and lately I have been seeing them as two different types of carbs. Am I right to think that? I dont want to over-do the carbs so I just wanted some input from you guys
thanks!
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Replies
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I totally consider vegetables (and fruits) as different than heavily processed carbs. I focus on choosing nutrient dense, high fiber carbs (vegetables, fruits, some whole grains) over nutrient poor, low fiber carbs. Otherwise, if you're not on a low carb diet, I wouldn't sweat it if you're otherwise eating a balanced diet.
Eat lean meats (or other protein), good fats (nuts and seeds, avocados...), and nutrient dense, high fiber carbs, don't eat too much, and you'll be great.0 -
Well really, a carb is a carb is a carb. They're all carbs; however, carbohydrates from fresh fruits and vegetables often contain a fair amount of fiber and can be nutritionally dense. I count all carbs because they're all carbs, whether it is from a strawberry or from rice matters not to me.
Some people count net carbs, where you take the carb content and subtract the fiber. This means that foods like Kraft Mac N Cheese end up higher in carbs than apples, even if they have the same total amount of carbs. So you could look at it that way instead. Subtract the fiber from the total carbs and come up with net carbs.
But do you need to count carbs? Are you still within your macros?0 -
Are you suppose to eat every 3 hours to keep your body fueled or can you just eat 2 or three meals?0
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Eat whenever you want. It doesn't matter. I personally try to eat breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and then evening snack because it keeps me feeling satisfied.0
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FitLeahBee wrote: »After a day of logging on MFP and eating a ton of fruits and veggies, along with soba noodles (a buckwheat plant noodle that is high in protein), I notice that I am either over halfway through my carb gram goal on MFP or I am close to being over.
The actual amount of processed carbs I eat are pretty low, but the carbs from the fruits and veggies take up alot of my daily carb allowances and i was wondering if I should just ignore the carbs I eat from fruits and veggies? I am pretty sure that carbs from fruit/veggies are alot different from processed carbs and lately I have been seeing them as two different types of carbs. Am I right to think that? I dont want to over-do the carbs so I just wanted some input from you guys
thanks!
If you are tracking carbs I wouldn't ignore fruit and vegetables, but why track carbs anyway? Normally the more significant thing is calories and getting enough protein and fat, and after that carbs are personal preference.
If you are doing low carb, often people track net carbs -- depends on your particular plan.
But you seem to be approaching this as if there are "unhealthy" carbs (everything but fruits and veg) and "healthy carbs" (fruits and veg) and that's not the case. Not to mention that loads of non fruit and veg carbs are not "processed" in the sense I assume you mean. For example, those in dairy and legumes and many of your standard starches like oats, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
I would, of course, differentiate between FOODS and not consider an apple identical to a piece of bread to a cake, but that has nothing to do with worrying about carbs (and the cake -- which I'd say is fine in moderation -- gets a ton of its calories from fat, so it would seem weird to classify it as simply a "carb").0 -
"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.1 -
Are you suppose to eat every 3 hours to keep your body fueled or can you just eat 2 or three meals?
Meal timing / frequency is irrelevant for weight loss. Just eat the number of meals that help you stay the course.
Keep in mind that losing weight is just part 1.......maintenance is part 2. The maintenance part is forever. Try not to re-invent the wheel here. Just eat the number of meals you can see eating for the rest of your life. This is why I'm not a low carb dieter.......no medical issues........not doing it forever.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
I generally agree, but think the crucial point is that FOODS (not "carbs") are different and focusing on whether they are "carbs" or not (especially since so many foods are a mix, like legumes and dairy) seems beside the point, unless you are focusing on meeting some other macronutrient that you are low in, doing a low carb diet, or trying to fuel a workout plan and concerned about carbs for that reason.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
I generally agree, but think the crucial point is that FOODS (not "carbs") are different and focusing on whether they are "carbs" or not (especially since so many foods are a mix, like legumes and dairy) seems beside the point, unless you are focusing on meeting some other macronutrient that you are low in, doing a low carb diet, or trying to fuel a workout plan and concerned about carbs for that reason.
That was not my point. My point is that all carbs are not the same. They, more than other nutrients, are very different.0 -
I track all my carbs including fruits and veggies (and I get almost all my carbs from fruits and veggies). I happen to be carb "sensitive" so I actually don't eat high carb fruits like mangos or pineapple. Just don't feel as well when I do it. But I love my carbs in apples; greener pears, berries, etc, broccoli. Also get carbs from sweet potatoes and quinoa. These seem to work for me. Don't really feel as good when I eat pasta or brown rice, bread or donuts or sugary foods or whatever so those aren't really on my food plan. I try to eat in a way as someone put in on this thread so I can "stay the course" and eat at a calorie deficit and exercise without feeling hungry, or weak, or unhealthy. We each have our own unique genetics/epigenetics, combined with age and life circumstances, so most of us have to figure out (with whatever help we need) what works best for us. I'm not the same as a super fit 25 year old guy, or even my super fit 25 year old daughter, so what helps me eat at a calorie deficit is not the same as what they do.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
I generally agree, but think the crucial point is that FOODS (not "carbs") are different and focusing on whether they are "carbs" or not (especially since so many foods are a mix, like legumes and dairy) seems beside the point, unless you are focusing on meeting some other macronutrient that you are low in, doing a low carb diet, or trying to fuel a workout plan and concerned about carbs for that reason.
That was not my point. My point is that all carbs are not the same. They, more than other nutrients, are very different.
Shrug. I thought we were basically agreeing, but if you want to claim these are vastly different points, whatever. Getting into a discussion of whether the "carbs" in apples are the same as the "carbs" in milk or those in legumes seems ridiculous to me. The carbs are technically different--even as to the sugars they are different types of sugar, the legumes have starch (a more complicated molecule), and apples and legumes have fiber (which may or may not be considered a carb)--but getting into that or trying to focus on sugar being different from starch or one mix of sugars being different from another type of sugar--doesn't really get to why the FOODS have different effects on (most) people and that's why, for most, worrying about their carb content in isolation probably doesn't make that much difference.
Obviously fiber (a carb in the US) is quite different than a sugar or starch, which is why in some countries they apparently are not included in the carb count.
Edit: I think my broader objection is to this idea that there's a general category of "carbs" into which foods should be classified and into which category apples and cake and legumes and bread (of all kinds) all fall. Instead, all of these foods CONTAIN carbs to a greater or lesser degree (and the # of grams they contain depend on whether we call fiber a carb), but their nutritional value depends on a bunch of other things (although the carb content may be relevant to this, depending on one's goals).0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
Well considering a carbohydrate is just an arrangement of saccharides in some form a carb is a carb, but we could argue till we are blue in the face.
Your body will use the energy in carbohydrates whether it is supplied by a piece of fruit vs. a slice of bread in the same manner.
Carbohydrates are not evil they are simple one of 3 macronutrients used for energy.
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FitLeahBee wrote: »After a day of logging on MFP and eating a ton of fruits and veggies, along with soba noodles (a buckwheat plant noodle that is high in protein), I notice that I am either over halfway through my carb gram goal on MFP or I am close to being over.
The actual amount of processed carbs I eat are pretty low, but the carbs from the fruits and veggies take up alot of my daily carb allowances and i was wondering if I should just ignore the carbs I eat from fruits and veggies? I am pretty sure that carbs from fruit/veggies are alot different from processed carbs and lately I have been seeing them as two different types of carbs. Am I right to think that? I dont want to over-do the carbs so I just wanted some input from you guys
thanks!
Carbs are carbs, whether it's from fruit/veggies or candy and pasta. Your body will not notice the difference in the carb portion of the food and it will process them accordingly. If you eat it, count it.
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As long as you are eating in a deficit - don't worry about where you are getting your carbs from (fruit and veg and generally the best source)!0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
Which is exactly what I stated. A carb is a carb. The food itself is different due to other nutritional aspects, such a fiber content, protein content, fat content, etc. So if you are concerned with counting carbs, you can't just ignore something because it happens to be fruit. It counts. It's a carb. You can focus on making sure that much of your carbs are coming from sources that offer more fiber and are nutritionally dense.
I understand the different ways carbs are processed by the body. Because I'm diabetic I make sure that most of my carbs are coming from sources that encourage slower digestion/absorption to keep my blood sugar stable. But at the end of the day, all carbs are counted towards my goal. I can't eat an excess of apples just because they're apples and not lollipops. I'm still going to see a spike in blood sugar.
That's my point.0 -
ldrosophila wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
Well considering a carbohydrate is just an arrangement of saccharides in some form a carb is a carb, but we could argue till we are blue in the face.
Your body will use the energy in carbohydrates whether it is supplied by a piece of fruit vs. a slice of bread in the same manner.
Carbohydrates are not evil they are simple one of 3 macronutrients used for energy.
WTH does evil have to do with anything? Some carbs are absorbed and some aren't. That's what makes them not the same in dietary terms.
If you want to get all specific they are still very different in their arrangement of saccharides.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
I generally agree, but think the crucial point is that FOODS (not "carbs") are different and focusing on whether they are "carbs" or not (especially since so many foods are a mix, like legumes and dairy) seems beside the point, unless you are focusing on meeting some other macronutrient that you are low in, doing a low carb diet, or trying to fuel a workout plan and concerned about carbs for that reason.
That was not my point. My point is that all carbs are not the same. They, more than other nutrients, are very different.
Shrug. I thought we were basically agreeing, but if you want to claim these are vastly different points, whatever. Getting into a discussion of whether the "carbs" in apples are the same as the "carbs" in milk or those in legumes seems ridiculous to me. The carbs are technically different--even as to the sugars they are different types of sugar, the legumes have starch (a more complicated molecule), and apples and legumes have fiber (which may or may not be considered a carb)--but getting into that or trying to focus on sugar being different from starch or one mix of sugars being different from another type of sugar--doesn't really get to why the FOODS have different effects on (most) people and that's why, for most, worrying about their carb content in isolation probably doesn't make that much difference.
Obviously fiber (a carb in the US) is quite different than a sugar or starch, which is why in some countries they apparently are not included in the carb count.
Edit: I think my broader objection is to this idea that there's a general category of "carbs" into which foods should be classified and into which category apples and cake and legumes and bread (of all kinds) all fall. Instead, all of these foods CONTAIN carbs to a greater or lesser degree (and the # of grams they contain depend on whether we call fiber a carb), but their nutritional value depends on a bunch of other things (although the carb content may be relevant to this, depending on one's goals).
I'm not disagreeing with most of that, just saying it has little to do with my point, which is that when it comes to weight loss, a carb is not just carb because some carbs contribute towards your ingested calories and some do not.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »ldrosophila wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"a carb is a carb" is the most incorrect statemnent that is widely repeated on these forums.
All carbs are not that same. Some carbs are not absorbed by the body and therefore do not contribute to your calorie or carb goal, some are rapidly absorbed by that body, and some are absorbed slowly by the body. These differences can be important in terms of satiety and health.
Besides the carbs themselves, what is eaten along with the carbs is also important. Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients beyond just carbs.
Well considering a carbohydrate is just an arrangement of saccharides in some form a carb is a carb, but we could argue till we are blue in the face.
Your body will use the energy in carbohydrates whether it is supplied by a piece of fruit vs. a slice of bread in the same manner.
Carbohydrates are not evil they are simple one of 3 macronutrients used for energy.
WTH does evil have to do with anything? Some carbs are absorbed and some aren't. That's what makes them not the same in dietary terms.
If you want to get all specific they are still very different in their arrangement of saccharides.
That's what I said but the carbohydrates that contribute to energy will all be metabolized in a very similar process regardless if it is a carbohydrates in fruit, beans, bread, or broccoli. All will contribute 4kcal of energy measurement to power our little mitochondria.
Not referring to polysaccahrides found in long chains such as starch or cellulose which we cant digest (I know some starch we can pull off the glucose). I think the OP was just referring to the disaccharides found in fruits and vegetables which the body is able to use for energy in the form of glucose.
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Im not sure how to respond individually but I think from reading an assortment of responses, I have concluded to - continue eating fruits and veggies regardless of carbs, continue eating "clean" and stay in a calorie deficit.... thanks guys!!!0
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Alatariel75 wrote: »
Yep, I agree, in fact most of them! Fruits contain a ton of sugar. If you are trying to lose fat, it's best to avoid them entirely! 0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »
Yep, I agree, in fact most of them! Fruits contain a ton of sugar. If you are trying to lose fat, it's best to avoid them entirely!
Most of the vegans I happen to know are quite health conscious, and thin. But anecdotes are pretty pointless, so maybe you have a cite for the claim that most vegans are fat?
Most fruit does have lots of sugar. But why on earth should we need to avoid it to lose fat?
This is why the low carb battles break out, btw -- I couldn't care less whether someone else eats fruit or not (I only eat lots of it when it's in season). I do care if people are claiming falsely that eating fruit interferes with losing weight or is unhealthy.0 -
Eating as much fruit and veggies as I care for is what helped me lose 50lbs. Just sayin, fruit isn't the enemy.
And for the record I find it incredibly easy to stay slim as a vegan. 0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »
Yep, I agree, in fact most of them! Fruits contain a ton of sugar. If you are trying to lose fat, it's best to avoid them entirely!
I've met plenty of vegans, none of whom were fat, but I do not dispute the existence of them.
Different fruits have different levels of sugar. I wouldn't consider any of these to have "tons" of sugar.
I'm taking in a lot less calories now that I am using fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth rather than baked goods.0 -
Are bananas where you are that low in sugar ? UK bananas (imported, obviously) come in at 20% sugar and 23% carbs (excluding fibre)0
This discussion has been closed.
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