What the hell are carbs?

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Replies

  • annabel92
    annabel92 Posts: 77 Member
    annabel92 wrote: »
    Wow, some of these points scrutinising everything I say for no reason really...

    I'm not saying to cut out bread and pasta - I eat both - I'm answering the first question asking what the nutritionist meant by carbs. It's obvious she didn't mean vegetables.

    Eating bread isn't the same as eating vegetables; cooking salmon doesn't make it artificial. Absolutely ridiculous points you're trying to make.

    BREAD WOULD NOT EXIST UNLESS SOMEONE COMBINED THE INGREDIENTS, KNEADED IT, LET IT RISE, AND BAKED IT; yes, it's made from natural ingredients, that doesn't make it a raw food, which I'm guessing is what the nutritionist is referring to - you're not eating wheat raw, are you?!

    I'm not saying to cut out bread and pasta, I'm saying that a low carb diet refers to this (again, like atkins and keto diets).

    It's not rocket science.

    Chili wouldn't exist unless someone chopped the ingredients, mixed them, and applied heat. Salmon, as a food, wouldn't exist unless someone went to the water, got a fish out, killed it, cut it into pieces, applied seasoning, and cooked it. So . . . what's the point?

    What does any of this have to do with whether or not we should eat bread?

    I have not once said we shouldn't eat bread, I have said that a LOW CARB DIET cuts out high calorie carbs such as pasta and bread. That's all!!!!!!
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited July 2017
    sijomial wrote: »
    So if I restrict myself to 50g of carbs a day and they all come from pasta & bread that's not a low carb diet?
    You better make that just about 20 or 30 grams of carbohydrates (Very Low Carb) in case you need to go into ketosis.
    No reason to confuse the tourists. ;)
  • annabel92
    annabel92 Posts: 77 Member
    annabel92 wrote: »
    annabel92 wrote: »
    Wow, some of these points scrutinising everything I say for no reason really...

    I'm not saying to cut out bread and pasta - I eat both - I'm answering the first question asking what the nutritionist meant by carbs. It's obvious she didn't mean vegetables.

    How is it obvious that's what her nutritionist meant? Surely her nutritionist should know what her client is regularly consuming and shouldn't just blanket state she is eating too many carbs without reviewing what it is that she is actually eating. OP has stated she mostly eats meat, fish, fruit, veg and nuts, no mention of over-indulging in bread and pasta.

    I really didn't mean to offend anyone, I'm simply making the point that complex carbs are not the same as simple carbs; no low carb diets (that I know of) cut out vegetables, but almost all cut down on pasta and white bread.

    100g of bread is generally considered worse for you than 100g of broccoli in general nutrition & calories.

    However, you're right - if she's only eating those foods and the nutritionist wasn't referring to refined carbs, she needs to sack the nutritionist immediately.

    People are busting your chops over the whole "natural fiber carbs" phrasing, which is not helpful for people trying to grasp the basics of nutrition (especially since what has the OP baffled is that her diet is already heavily veg and less-processed foods).

    Rather than setting up a false black-and-white dichotomy between two foods (your example has evolved to raw broccoli vs. baked bread, whereas they should be seen as points on a multilateral continuum), one should consider them within the entire context of a diet, and measure them against the specific goals of a person's given diet.

    The biggest problem with seed-based food like bread or beans is that it is SUCH a powerhouse of energy (ie, calories) it can really add up if not properly burned off. But that is not a bad thing, it is just different--seeds are what they are, and they play a very valuable role in many diets, even in bread format.

    Yes, and I agree with you. My wording was perhaps a little off; I was trying to keep it very basic when explaining to someone with no knowledge of what a carb is. I thought it simpler and easier for her to read that low carb diets usually cut down on bread and pastas, rather than cucumber like she's mentioned.

    Long and short of it, you're not going to get fat because you've eaten cucumber alongside your meat and nuts - if you did, that's a hell of a lot of cucumber.

    Despite my several responses, I'm not actually trying to argue with anyone. I hadn't heard of low carb diets that don't focus on eating veg rather than higher calorie carb options - I stand corrected, and it's noted.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    DamieBird wrote: »
    annabel92 wrote: »
    annabel92 wrote: »
    I would imagine that your nutritionist is referring to heavy/refined/processed carbs that don't have much nutrition, such as bread or pasta.

    Carbs in fruits and vegetables are fine as they're natural - these are 'fiber' carbs and needed.

    Just like sugar in a banana is natural when compared to sugar in sweets, natural carbs are full of nutrition (such as fibre) and are a much better choice when compared to processed carbs.

    So carbs in bread....are not fiber carbs...and are not natural? Hmmmm.

    No, bread isn't natural, it's man made and it's a refined carb (especially if it's white, whole grain is better for you and more nutritional). Bread is made from natural ingredients (wheat) so does have fiber in it, but it's a 'starchy' refined carb and nowhere near as nutritional as natural fiber carbs found in vegetables that grow naturally, such as broccoli.

    So....ummmm...is it the chopping that makes wheat not a "natural fiber carb"? And...uh...what happens if you chop the tender broccoli florettes from the thick, inedible, gnarly, but surely naturally fibrous stalks?

    [French Peasant scratches her head as she looks at a stand of wheat growing next to some broccoli plants in her garden.]

    A bit off topic, but you're missing out if you don't eat the stalks ;). They're the best part! You may have to trim the very outside off if you're not cooking them, but the steamed broccoli stalk is fabulous. I'm at the point where I get mad at the preponderance of stores only selling broccoli crowns.

    Ugh tell me about it... love the stalk. My kids eat the "tree leaves but not the trunks". But hey...my kids eating broccoli at all?...not many complaints from this mom.
  • emmaellery1989
    emmaellery1989 Posts: 15 Member
    Ok sorry everyone let me explain myself a bit better. I wrote this in a hurry!

    Just to make you all aware the title was meant to be ironic. I apologise!

    My original discussion with my nutritionist was that a low carb diet was generally avoiding things like white bread and potatoes. (This is a very very vague explanation as we went through many different things!)

    But then when I got on here everything I logged was coming up as carbs. So when we looked at my results at the end of each day my diet said I lived on carbs!!

    I haven't seen her since then because I'm waiting for an appointment. And before you all attack her she has been brilliant and helped me a lot. I just can't get enough appointments so have to work it out myself a bit in between.

    Does this make more sense to anyone?

    (Basically I'm avoiding what I've been told to avoid, but my stats are saying I'm living on carbs.)
  • emmaellery1989
    emmaellery1989 Posts: 15 Member
    I'm also the healthiest I've ever been now as I can't have gluten. And anything with starch in it seems to absolutely destroy my stomach and cause me lots of pain.
  • Dazzler21
    Dazzler21 Posts: 1,249 Member
    Ok sorry everyone let me explain myself a bit better. I wrote this in a hurry!

    Just to make you all aware the title was meant to be ironic. I apologise!

    My original discussion with my nutritionist was that a low carb diet was generally avoiding things like white bread and potatoes. (This is a very very vague explanation as we went through many different things!)

    But then when I got on here everything I logged was coming up as carbs. So when we looked at my results at the end of each day my diet said I lived on carbs!!

    I haven't seen her since then because I'm waiting for an appointment. And before you all attack her she has been brilliant and helped me a lot. I just can't get enough appointments so have to work it out myself a bit in between.

    Does this make more sense to anyone?

    (Basically I'm avoiding what I've been told to avoid, but my stats are saying I'm living on carbs.)

    So basically you're still seeing Carbs listed on here. You're likely already on low GI carbs then :lol:
  • emmaellery1989
    emmaellery1989 Posts: 15 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    So with help of a nutritionist I'm meant to be on a low carb diet.

    But now I'm confused.

    Items such as cucumber are coming up as carbs? And so are carrots?

    And she's told me now I'm eating too many carbs??

    I live on meat, fish, fresh fruit, veg and a few nuts.

    So what are carbs???????

    OP, your thread kind of got hijacked here but I waned to add something.

    If I remember correctly, it came up in another thread that your diet is already very restrictive due to stomach issues. It is completely unnecessary to restrict your diet any further than it absolutely needs to be. If a food agrees with your digestive system, log it and eat it. You don't HAVE to eat low carb to lose weight.

    I would strongly recommend asking your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to go over the foods that upset your stomach and how to make a healthy diet from what's left. :drinker:
    kimny72 wrote: »
    So with help of a nutritionist I'm meant to be on a low carb diet.

    But now I'm confused.

    Items such as cucumber are coming up as carbs? And so are carrots?

    And she's told me now I'm eating too many carbs??

    I live on meat, fish, fresh fruit, veg and a few nuts.

    So what are carbs???????

    OP, your thread kind of got hijacked here but I waned to add something.

    If I remember correctly, it came up in another thread that your diet is already very restrictive due to stomach issues. It is completely unnecessary to restrict your diet any further than it absolutely needs to be. If a food agrees with your digestive system, log it and eat it. You don't HAVE to eat low carb to lose weight.

    I would strongly recommend asking your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to go over the foods that upset your stomach and how to make a healthy diet from what's left. :drinker:

    Hi, thanks for noticing my original question . I have just explained what I was actually trying to say.

    I get severe stomach pains from gluten, starchy foods and most dairy. So I tend to just try and eat a very basic diet and that's what works for me.
  • Dazzler21
    Dazzler21 Posts: 1,249 Member
    p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Dazzler21 wrote: »
    p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?

    @Dazzler21
    woo
    n.(or adj), the way a person is when they uncritically believe unsubstantiated or unfounded ideas. Short for "woo woo".(See Russell's definition of woo woo)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Dazzler21 wrote: »
    p.s what's a "Woo"? is that like a lol elsewhere?

    It apparently has 2 meanings....confusing

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10575403/woo-button