Quality Carbs -- Starches and Greens page 2

[ChocoTaco369]

Leafy greens are wonderful but not particularly a carb source.

This.

Unless you have a medical reason to be in strict ketosis, don't count greens as carb sources. They're sources of nourishing vitamins and minerals, but they're basically useless for energy. I don't even count carrots, turnips, broccoli or brussels sprouts as carbs even though they have some starch or sugar content.

Fruits/potatoes/sweet potatoes/parsnips/taro/cassava/jicama/plantains and added sugar sources like honey, maple syrup, molasses count for your carb sources. And obviously, any non-Primal things you may eat like wheat, corn, rice, beans, etc. If you're picking lettuce leaves out of your salad because you're afraid it'll put you over some irrelevant "carbohydrate curve" number, you're doing it wrong

[Sandra in BC]

I'm trying to add some more carbs into my diet. I know leafy greens are generally understood to be the best (particularly in terms of weight maintenance), but I find a half cup of winter squash really satisfies me far more than 2, even 3 cups of raw greens.

Eat a potato. There is nothing to fear here.

[Scott FM]

I like to look for diverse items to compliment the proteins and fats. I have to keep it interesting.
Squash is very nutritious, bell peppers, eggplant, onions, etc..all consumed in reasonable quantities will provide a ton of benefit. Sweet potatoes are especially satisfying- baked and seasoned with some butter, fresh rosemary salt and pepper. Given the bulkiness of these items, I don't find that I can or need to consume massive quantities

[Ally415]

I noticed a lot more definition/tightness on my body after having my first high carb day (4 sweet potatoes for dinner). I lift heavy weights and little cardio. Some people have gotten past weight loss plateus by adding in extra carbs. Carbs are not the enemy, unless you have a health issue that needs to be adressed first, or your body make-up just doesn't tolerate carbs. Getting in a variaty of nutrients helps with weight.

[Ally415]

root veggies/sweet potatoes/tubers are very nutrient dense. I like to add some raw butter and cinnamon to keep blood sugar levels stable since I eat a big amount of carbs in one sitting usually (dinner on workoutday)

[Paleobird]

This.

Unless you have a medical reason to be in strict ketosis, don't count greens as carb sources. They're sources of nourishing vitamins and minerals, but they're basically useless for energy. I don't even count carrots, turnips, broccoli or brussels sprouts as carbs even though they have some starch or sugar content.

Fruits/potatoes/sweet potatoes/parsnips/taro/cassava/jicama/plantains and added sugar sources like honey, maple syrup, molasses count for your carb sources. And obviously, any non-Primal things you may eat like wheat, corn, rice, beans, etc. If you're picking lettuce leaves out of your salad because you're afraid it'll put you over some irrelevant "carbohydrate curve" number, you're doing it wrong

Ok, so you count the carbs from a parsnip but not from a turnip? How much sense does that make?

I agree that the OP probably doesn't need to be restricting carbs to ketosis levels. That does not mean that the ONLY people for whom ketosis is beneficial are people with serious medical conditions. Once again you are generalizing from your experience with higher carb primal and saying it is right for everyone. We don't really know what the OP's stats are other than being a student and therefore probably pretty young.

As to the "irrelevant carb curve" comment. Could you be a little more snotty to Mark on his own site? The carb curve actually works for an awful lot of people. You are an outlier. Yay you.

Nobody is picking lettuce leaves out of a salad. Tilting at strawmen again, I see.

[jakey]

the carb curve is some bullshit. can't wait till mark walks that one back, or admits that it's not real science, and is just a recommendation for inactive, out of shape people.

[magnolia1973]

I dunno, I think that if you are serious about losing weight via ketosis, that number is pretty relevant. If I were serious about ketosis, I'd be more likely though to look at a plan like Atkins modified for real foods (or just eat real foods at the levels they reccommend).

I feel like people try Primal, try and do the ketosis thing and then have trouble because maybe they don't have enough information (if you read, he doesn't really promote ketosis as a holy grail). I think the best source of that information lies in the Atkins community.

I think if you are trying to acheive ketosis, you do need to be more careful about vegetables. If you are just eating primal, you really don't unless you just can't control yourself around fruit and sweet potatoes to a big enough degree that you overeat the calories.

[ChocoTaco369]

Ok, so you count the carbs from a parsnip but not from a turnip? How much sense does that make?

A lot.

100g of raw turnips have 6g of carbohydrate with 2g of dietary fiber for a grand total of 4 net carbs. The GI is a 2.

100g of raw parsnips have 18g of carbohydrate with 5g of dietary fiber for a grand total of 13 net carbs. The GI is 5.

100g of raw potatoes have 17g of carbohydrate with 2g of dietary fiber for a grand total of 15 net carbs. The GI is 7.

A parsnip is over 3 times more carbohydrate-dense than a turnip and is close to a potato, which is a significant starch. A turnip is close to a radish, which is a fibrous low-starch root.


Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Parsnips, raw
Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Turnips, raw
Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Potatoes, white, flesh and skin, raw [Includes USDA commodity food A215]

[Neckhammer]

If I were a counter I would count all fruits, root veggies including tubers and the squash family. After that your really micromanaging to count everything else.