Primal diet naturally higher in carbs than protein
(12 posts) (11 voices)-
Daughter of Grok
MemberI just started using fitday.com, and it has been extremely useful to see my stats in terms of graphs and whatnot, but something I have noticed is although my fat intake is always well over 50% of my daily calories (yay!) my carbs are always the second highest, typically 10-20% higher than my protein intake, I eat a lot of produce and this is where the carbs are coming from and I don't take any protein supplements (just eat what I get from meat, nuts, seeds, and eggs). I eat 100% primal, yet I cannot get my carbs lower than my protein intake. Is this a problem? What have the rest of you experienced in this regard? I've read many places on this forum that protein isn't all that important as it's cracked up to be, we don't need a buttload of it every day, but should it be lower than carb intake? All off the carbs I eat are complex I might add.
Posted 8 months ago # -
hannahc
MemberHuh I haven't had that problem yet. I've been about 99% primal for the past 4 weeks (ice cream once, dark chocolate once), and I'm consistently 60-70% fat, 20-25% protein, and 10-15% carbs. I do track my food though, and find that if I feel snacky at all it's better to reach for the left over chicken or flank steak as opposed to the carrots. That's probably why my protein is higher. That and I eat 2-4 eggs per day. Oh my calories range between 1600-2000 lately if that matters at all :)
I don't know if it matters unless you're trying to build muscle...maybe someone else has a more informed opinion though.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Daughter of Grok
MemberHuh, interesting. I avoid carrots and other starchy vegetables/tubers. Most of my carbs come from greens and berries. I usually allow myself a cup of berries after each meal. For me each meal usually consists of either meat/nuts/eggs as a fat/protein source, with some sort of greens (spinach/broccoli/asparagus etc), and then about a cup of berries for desert. That's about the same amount of calories I've been eating as well. Perhaps I need to throw a bit more meat into my meals, then I'd be too full for desert though :) I'll have to keep playing with it I suppose.
Posted 8 months ago # -
freshbakedpi
MemberI dunno. I aim for 115 grams of protein give or take a day. I'll probably have different numbers than most people as I eat less carbs than is probably desirable for many, mostly in the form of green leafy vegetables from my garden.
I have a neurological disorder (& metabolic syndrome caused by my medication). I eat mostly fats & protein which helps both afflictions.
I just ran a report of the last week:
Totals:
Fat - 59% (682 grams)
Protein - 29.9% (778 grams)
Carbohydrates - 9.4% (245 grams)
Alcohol - 1.7% (25 grams)Averages:
Daily Calorie Intake - 1,705 cals
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 35 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 17 gramsI do eat some raw dairy e.g. occasional seeds & nuts with 1/4 cup raw milk or ice cream.
Not to make anyone drool, but we're up to our ears in raspberries right now. We made ice cream the other day...
1/2 cup raw cream
1/2 cup raw milk
1 cup raspberries
1 peach from farmers market
1/2 tsp minced oregano
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
ground lavender
ground rosepetalswhip cream, add milk etc, pour in ice cream maker = bliss. You non-dairy folk could use coconut milk & cream, I'm sure. The herbs sound unlikely, but omg. Amazing!
Note the lack of sweetener. I might "deviate" from "Paleo" with raw dairy, but I can't tolerate sweeteners like agave etc.
Moderation in all things, though - I have a friend who's one of the top pastry chefs in America. I wouldn't be human if I passed up her contributions to humanity ;o) General every day is not a sweet occasion.
So yeah, my carb intake includes occasional raw dairy and my delicious red wine nightcap.
Posted 8 months ago # -
OnTheBayou
MemberMy intakes, too, run in the 65-25-10 percent range(s). I'm on low, low carb weight loss, not maintainence.
To achieve that you have to shun all the high carb foods and select lots of lean protein. I'm eating a whole turkey breast (Kinky!) about every two weeks. But I also get oil from coconut oil and milk.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Daughter of Grok: Sounds like the fruits and berries are the culprit.
Depends on your goals, are you trying to lose weight? Or just to live 'Primally'?
I, personally, could eat nothing but fruit all day long, so in my attempt for weight-loss, I cut it down to 1 serving of fruit per day (dessert after dinner ONLY).
Posted 8 months ago # -
Garden Diva
MemberWow, a cup of berries after each meal? No wonder your carbs are high. One cup of say blueberries is 50% of my daily carb allotment. I get 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup for dessert if needed. But I also want to lose weight and decrease insulin resistance. If you are happy where you are and don't have insulin related health problems go for it. But you mentioned that all your carbs are complex? The carbs from berries are sugar. Natural - yes, primal - yes. But don't kid yourself. As you said, if you ate more protein (or fat, 50% is kind of low) with your meal you wouldn't have room for dessert.
Posted 8 months ago # -
jostle
MemberJust going from your percentages and not knowing what absolute amounts they represent, I would say your are not getting enough protein to sustain lean body mass. Most places suggest at least 1gram/LBM of protein to sustain lean mass. Mark in a post comments that he intakes "1 gram per pound of body weight per day," http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dietary-protein/. Also, the major source of your carbs should come from veggies. I bet if you upped veggie and meat intake, you prob wouldn't have room for all the fruit.
Posted 8 months ago #
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