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Old Fri, Feb-06-04, 17:35
Lisa N's Avatar
Lisa N Lisa N is offline
Posts: 12,028
 
Plan: Bernstein Diabetes Soluti
Stats: 260/-/145 Female 5' 3"
BF:
Progress: 63%
Location: Michigan
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Klodomir...I agree with you to a point. The indiscriminate use of low carb products, basing your entire menu on them, would be a huge mistake (and one that I sadly see people doing even here); the same mistake that many people made with low fat products eating them indiscriminately simply because they were labeled "light" or "low fat". The majority of your daily intake should be coming from foods as close to their natural state as possible.
However...using a low carb product here and there (such as a low carb sauce, bread or other similar product) can be helpful and give more variety to an otherwise healthy low carb plan. Let's not forget about those who are on maintainence or pre-maintainence as well where whole grains would be permitted in the form of whole wheat pasta or whole grain bread.
For example, I use a bread that has 8 grams total carb per slice with 5 grams of fiber per slice giving it a net carb count of 3 grams per slice. It has no additives, preservatives or hydrogenated fats. It's made largely from unprocessed wheat bran and flax seeds and contains a healthy serving of Omega 3 per slice. Is that frankenfood? I don't believe it is. Yes, it's "processed", but then again, cooking meat is a form of processing. No, it doesn't taste like Wonder Bread (thank God...I hated that stuff), but I find the taste pleasing in its own right. Come to think of it, frozen veggies could qualify as "processed"; someone had to pick them, clean them, cut them up, freeze them and then package them for sale.
OTOH, we have low carb protein bars and other foods with ingredients that I can barely pronounce, let alone recognize what they are and whether they are good or bad for me that are highly processed and far removed from their original form. That's my definition of "frankenfood".
My point here is that just because a food could be considered "processed" doesn't make it evil incarnate. As I've always advocated, read labels and choose those low carb products that you want to incorporate into your plan wisely. Avoid completely those with known unhealthy ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fats. Keep the majority of your food as unprocessed and natural as possible (ie don't live on low carb protein bars and shakes...yuck!). Do some research on what all those ingredients that you don't recognize on the label are and the potential effect they could have on your health when deciding whether or not you actually want them in your body.
Last, but not least, don't make the mistake of replacing healthy natural foods such as unprocessed meats, fresh or frozen vegetables etc...with low carb convenience food. As a treat once in a while or when you find yourself short of time or choices...fine...not several times a day.
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