Good Carbs
 

A friend recommended Terry Shintani's book "The Good Carbohydrate Revolution", of which I have read about 100 pages so far.

He suggests that certain types of carbs are good - like whole grains, vegetables and fruits - saying that cultures who's main diets consist of these types of foods and that are also low in fat, processed grains, and sugar live longer and have lower rates of obesity, cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer (among other things).

I am finding this information extremely interesting, as one of my primary worries about the LC WOL is it's lack of fiber (which I can personally attest to the problems with this) and fruits, as well as it's high consumption of saturated fats.

Now, I LOVE my steaks, butter, and cream and would have a very hard time giving them up. Also, I have managed to lose 17 pounds on this diet (CAD) and am into a size 6 finally, but I am starting to have second thoughts about low-carbing. I think going forward, in terms of the lifetime maintenance of my new slimmer self, Dr. Shintani's approach may have some merit.

Ok, so you're thinking "what's her question?"

I just want to know what other people think about this. Has anyone read this book, or heard about it? Do other people have trouble finding the logic in eating a high-fat, low fiber diet?

Just wondering...

Hi,

I agree that you should not cut back on high-fibre vegetables. They will fill you up and keep you feeling satiated. Plus they provide a lot of nutrients that the body requires.

Too much saturated fat may give rise to other problems like Colon cancer, etc.. IMO

If you follow CALP, vegetables like brocolli, cauliflower are part of the "allowed" list.

Good Luck.

RedLisaP

Re Good Carbs book

Each person has an individual tolerance level for carbs. People eating grains has only developed in the past 4 thousand years. The more processed a food is, the more it is handled by man, the worse it is for your health. The problem with grains is that people start with five grain breads and steel cut oatmeal and move on to the soft coffee colored "wheat" bread, instant oatmeal and cold cereals. Some advocates of good carbs recommend using the glycemic index as your guide and never eating higher than a 10-15. To them, these are the "good" carbs and still the amounts have to be monitored. So the answer is it works for the people that can do it without drifting to the higher glycemic index carbs and then binging.

Definitely something I wouldn't mess with until I reached goal!

Lisa, congrats on your success to date :) Nice job.

I had not heard of the book in question; it sounds interesting. However, I have read and followed Protein Power by the Eades and they make similar references to watching which types of fats you use and to increasing carbs as you approach Maintenance - which you are most definitely doing.

I do firmly believe that not all carbs are created equal and that some are better than others. The more whole, natural and unprocessed any food is, the better. Eating 80-120g of effective carbs on PP as you near Maintenance is normal. Foods like sweet potatoes, steel cut irish oats, apples and berries, 100% whole wheat grains and cereals are all part of the plan for many once they have repaired their metabolism and insulin resistance.

While you may not be at your goal right now forward thinking and planning are good ideas. The goal of maintenance is to find a balance whereby you do not gain or lose and are happy and content with your menu choices. As with all things it will take some practice, trial and error. Suddenly jumping into that phase of your fat loss journey and upping carbs considerably could have some negative effects - a gradual increase of carbs makes much more sense.

Just think of all the interesting dishes and recipes you can try out now!

Nat