Is cars the problem, or is it the type of carbs? page

[superseiyan]

Hey guys I'm curious where you guys fall on the issue of carbs.

I think there is general consensus that processed flours and sugarbomb drinks/foods are bad.

Now from there is where it gets tricky. I know some people monitor their carb intake meticulously and won't go over 10g or so per day. Others will eat pretty much anything provided it is real and natural (i.e. Nikoley over at freetheanimal who eats potatoes, Dr. Kurt Harris at paleonu who si fine with dairy, or the Italians/French who are fine eating lots of grains while still looking beatiful and being healthy).

So from both a perspective of weight and disease--what is optimum. What is the big danger here? Is it simply an issue of eliminating all carbs even cheese for example, or is the answer more complicated than that?


Note: I don't know or have an answer obviously.

[jimdunk]

I can just offer my opinion. I read The Primal Blueprint and lots of the great information on this site. By following the Primal Blueprint dietary rules, I lose fat. When I start flaunting the rules, I gain. So my answer would be, if you haven't already, read Primal Blueprint (or the dietary information on this site).

I find it hard to dispute the facts and figures that Mark back's up his dietary suggestions with. But I also buy into the whole PB lifestyle program.

Does that mean you'd have to follow PB to lose fat? No way. Years ago I lost a significant amount of fat on the Body for Life Program, I was eating lots of non Primal stuff. I was also doing chronic cardiac, and other non PB things. For me, personally, I like the PB approach better, and I'm sticking with it.

[quelsen]

Dr Robert Lustig...

done

[DaisyEater]

I think the sugar and processed grains are the worst of the worst and you get the biggest incremental gain in health avoiding them. However, I think keeping all grains out of your diet will help you be even healthier. One step I would've put in between is the elimination of gluten grains. They're the most problematic. Stuff like white rice is pretty innocuous where gluten can wreak havoc in some people's bodies.

[Boogins]

I think there are some people who truly do better on fewer carbs (especially "healthy" ones), but I've known people, as I'm sure most have, who kept carbs considerably low eating crap and still got some benefits of LC eating. That said, however, I do believe that the type of carbs consumed is part of 'the game'. If you're sticking to mostly veggies & a small amount of fruit and somehow go over you 150g carbs (I say this because for me, pesonally, it's very difficult to do so), I really don't see much harm in that. I've never known anything but 'trouble' on a high amount of carbs coming from 'heart healthy whole grains', pasta, sugar, etc.

[yodiewan]

Some starch is probably good for most people as long as they're from healthy sources (not cereal grains). Also, I firmly believe that carb intake should be tied to activity level. If you're burning lots of glycogen through intense exercise on a regular basis, fuel up with plenty of carbs. If you're sitting at a desk and on the couch all the time, you don't need nearly as much.

[JKC]

OOPS! I voted wrong - meant to hit the second, not the first. If I eat too many carbs, I get the "big hungrys"s so I tend to avoid them. I don't think this is the issue with everyone. And I am a woman in my 40s. A guy in their 20s could prolly get away with a whole lot more.

[ChocoTaco369]

I chose "Eliminate only processed grains and sugar drinks." Why? Because "eliminate" means to never have them, and processed grains and sugar drinks are the only carbs that should truly be limited 100% of the time. Other starchy sources of carbs should be used limited and strategically to manipulate hormone levels.

White rice, potatoes, yams and soaked legumes can be very useful for carb refeeds to break through a plateau. I'd try to stay away from wheat and brown rice as much as possible, but potatoes, white rice and legumes can be very beneficial as long as you use them properly. Definitely don't make them a staple, but when used strategically, they can't be beat.