Avoiding CARBage...

I went very low carb (ketosis) and got rid of all flour and grain products, and even limited fruit and starchy veggies. It made a huge difference in my life, but I limited glucose based foods by more than most. I have increased mental clarity, improved immune function, less arthritis pain, skin cleared up, steadier energy, and my cravings for "carbage" went away...

I felt poorly for about a week because I cut carbs so much that my body needed to switch to relying on fat - I was fatigued for about 2-3 days. Then my electrolyes got a bit low (from the water weight loss associated with lower carb) and it took me a few days to figure out that I needed to up my salt, potassium, and magnesium. I think that water weight loss helps reduce some bloating; bloating improved in me, but I still get a bit around TOM.

The only substitute I've found for chips is pork rinds, but to me, they really need a good dip.

Examples of White foods: cauliflower, milk, rice, potatoes,
Examples of foods high in carbohydrates: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, brown rice, legumes

Not sure why any of these would be classified as "Carbage" and need to be restricted/eliminated?

Do you eat a lot of plain pasta or bread? (I know some people love homemade bread and would, not aware of anyone doing this with the storebought stuff or pasta, but of course some may.) I ask, because I don't really think of bread or pasta as foods one eats alone or especially high cal or bad for you foods. Whole grain bread (and maybe be picky in general about the ingredients) is going to have some positives white bread doesn't, of course (I think white bread is more a vehicle for other foods and personally don't consider it worth the calories, but that means it's easy for me to not eat as I don't miss it). With pasta (whole grain or otherwise), I tend to see it as an excellent source of energy and, especially, a nice vehicle for a very healthy meal made with lots of vegetables and some lean meat. But then I've always been someone who liked the pasta more for the toppings than the noodles.

As for other foods like potatoes, I again don't really see them as unhealthy. Chips, sure, are high cal and sometimes made with unhealthy oils or too much salt, but it hardly seems fair to blame the potato (carbs) for that. Half or more of the calories from chips are commonly from fat.

Anyway, I don't eat white bread or chips because to me they aren't worth the calories. I don't feel different than when I ate them (losing weight feels good, but that's not really why I lost weight). How I stopped eating foods I stopped eating? I just did -- mostly I think about the taste vs. calories vs. my nutritional goals for the day and make choices. Sometimes the taste factor weights out and I'll include something not all that nutrient rich in my day because I like it, but I don't eat mindlessly anymore. That's what I'd recommend whatever your choices.

Also, I'd pay actual money if I didn't have to see the term "carbage," ugh. Is this a thing now? It seems like something that's supposed to be clever but isn't. (I'm not directing that at OP, as I'm sure she didn't coin it.)

JustaJoe00 wrote: »

I'm thinking her post is mostly about processed foods with white flower...and the real heavy calorie foods...White flour if bleached or processed seems to be a really not so good thing....Of course in life like everything else, some can intake as much as they like and be ok....others, not so much. It effects me a lot. If i eat bread products of any kind i just want more.....and it leads to bad eating habits.. .lack of nutritional value?

It doesn't have to lead to bad habits or low nutrition. It depends on what you eat it with. Lately, I've been making home made flat bread with white flour which are tasting better than the ones I make with whole wheat. My favorite pairings with it so far are black beans, spinach, or cauliflower. Because the flat bread is so tasty, I've ended up eating twice as many beans and veggies as I normally do which has increased my overall nutrition, so the flat bread is now added to my staples.

catscats222 wrote: »

substitute- plain pretzels - weighed.
for occasional crunch, cherrios. frosted mini wheats
i replaced pasta with wheat pasta also brown rice (not giving that up)
be fabulous at 50
more women die of heart disease than anything else - take care of your body
high carb processed/packaged foods like chips often contain bad fats, high calories, and no nutrition = carbage.

All foods have nutrients. Some choices may cause us to go over goals on specific nutrients (like carbohydrates or fat) and crowd out other things that we need, but even those foods aren't devoid of nutrients.

I just eat a well balanced and highly nutritious diet...i had pasta putanesca last night for dinner and don't see anything inherently unhealthy about that...i'm having a sandwich today for lunch...again, not seeing an issue here.

i do tend towards whole more whole grains, but c'mon...Italians have been making pasta since forever...and now it's evil...and i live in NM and there's no way i'm giving up flower tortillas.

i've never noticed these things to cause me to bloat or to put me in a bad mood or anything. i tend to bloat when i eat too much or drink too much beer and i get moody when my blood sugar gets too low...that's about it.

Carbs bad.....Veddy bad.....