Help needed on Carbs page

[chrisay59]

Hi guys, being relatively new to this I am trying my hardest to follow the Primal/Paleo Blue Print, I exercise 6 days out of seven, using kettlebell routines, Tabata Sprints and dog walking! I am about 90/10 in favour Primal in my food intake with the 10 being my weakness for Dark (70% and up) Chocolate.

What I'm struggling with is knowing how much is 50 to 70g of Carbs in relation to actual food products?

I have cut out completely all grain, breads, rice, pasta, all processed sugar, all processed foods,diary (Cow, I still have the occassional dollop of Sheep or Goat yoghurt), I drink my herbal tea neat and my coffe black, no fizzy drinks, minimal alcohol (odd glass of white wine or a glass of cold pressed cider).

A typical breakfast is 3 egg omelette with a couple of spring onions, chopped ham (farm fresh not processed) and chilli flakes, with a herbal tea

Lunch is a handful of dates plus a whey protein drink.

Dinner is meat, with a selection of steamed vegitables, water or a glass of white wine.

Snacks are ALWAYS homemade Larabars - coconut and lime being my favourite.

Thanks for the help in advance

Keep the faith!!

[Tribal Rob]

stHi fellow UK persom

I personally have never counted a carb and don't intend to, I've gone from 19st 3lbs at the start of Feb to 15st 13lbs.Yo

Your diet looks fine, Dark Chocolate is perfecty fine IMO as long as it's in moderation. Dates are a bit of a sugar hit for me so they are certainly not a daily eat and I would rather go for real food than protien drinks, but some people are more pushed for time than others. I also don't snack anymore, and once you have been primal for a while a snack should become a rarity rather than a regual thing, if you need to eat between meals, then actually you need to eat bigger meals.

[emmie]

Anything with a label should tell you the carb count for a serving of that product--like those Larabars.

Other foods you can check with online sources. I like to use Calorie King dot com--which provides calories, carbs, protein, etc. for all kinds of foods.

As has been mentioned, those dates are really high in carbs (sugar), and you might want to consider a tuna salad or something. Personally, I never do those whey shakes because to my body they are 'faux food' and very unsatisfying. You'd be better off getting your lunchtime nutrition from real foods. Then perhaps you won't need the 'snacks.'

[sbhikes]

What I'm struggling with is knowing how much is 50 to 70g of Carbs in relation to actual food products?

Looks like most of your carbohydrate comes from dates.

Date Carbohydrate Counts and Glycemic Index - Carb Profile of Dates

Carbohydrate and Fiber Counts for Dates

¼ cup chopped dates: 24 grams effective (net) carbohydrate plus 3 grams fiber and 105 calories.

1 oz dates: 19 grams effective (net) carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber and 79 calories.

Glycemic Index for Dates
One study of dates had an average GI of 103 (very high -- even higher than glucose).

More Information about the Glycemic Index
Glycemic Load of Dates

¼ cup chopped dates: 14

1 ounce dates: 11

More Information about the Glycemic Load
Health Benefits of Dates
Dates are fairly high in minerals, including potassium, manganese, and magnesium.

[chrisay59]

Thanks for your replies guys. Just a thought though, dates (natural, non processed and not coated in syrup) are surely truly Primal..?

[Tribal Rob]

No-one said dates wern't primal. Primal is not a low carb diet, it is a low toxin diet
Most people find it easier to lose weight if they are lower carb, but you can eat plenty of carbs and still be primal, or you can go very low carb, depends on your goals and your activity level. Low intensity excerise dosn't need carbs (ie walking the dog) but you may find you want some sweet potates or something on days of intense kettle bells.

[SLB0404]

Yes, they're Primal but they're still high carb/sugar! It just depends on your goals and if you want to watch your carbs or not...

[chrisay59]

The penny finally drops.....thanks guys.......sorry for being dense!

[SLB0404]

No problem! You're not being dense at all... I think it's hard to realise sometimes that even healthy, natural foods can stop us from reaching our goals.

gd luck!