I ran 6 very hot miles last night. Tonight will be a shorter run with the running club.
MOWC - I hope things go OK with the work project this afternoon. It sure sounds as if it has the potential for disaster! Stay cool!
I admire all of you who are so focused and knowledgeable about nutrition. I am still on incremental baby steps. I am enjoying the Hello Fresh meals and feel that it has given me a lot more options of healthy things to cook than what I had usually been cooking. I know that I need to increase our veggie consumption and reduce our refined white flour consumption but I’m not there yet. Baby steps.
Lately I’ve been running-then-swimming most days. The hardest part of this is struggling my bathing suit over my sweaty skin.
A comment on the carbohydrate issue. A purely anecdotal data-set-of-three. My three standard poodles, specifically. I have fed all three dogs the same diet of “dog soup,” which is a mixture of meat, vegetables, egg, flax seed oil, and oatmeal. All three dogs (one is now gone, but it was true for her) weight about the same amount (54-58 pounds). The amount of oatmeal needed to maintain each dog’s weight at a constant healthy level varies substantially, but the amount of protein, vegetables, and oil is constant. In short, I regulate the individual dog’s weight by varying the dog’s carbohydrate intake. My ten-year-old female, for example, gets 1/8th cup of oatmeal each day and gains weight on more than that. My five-year-old male gets about 2/3rds cup per day and sometimes more, if his weight is down a bit.
All that is prelude to saying that this observation, made over time, is what has led me to closely regulate my own intake of relatively refined carbohydrates. In short, I eat all the vegetables I want, a moderate amount of fruit (more when favorite fruits are in season), and only rarely eat any more refined carbs. For me–as for my older female dog–more refined carbs are not a good way to maintain weight. But my husband eats lots of carbs–he has oatmeal and raisins for breakfast every day–and maintains his weight that way.
Well, I think we all survived our 95 degree fence painting service event. They had plenty of cold water available for us, and we were only out there about 90 minutes, so it was OK. We were hoping for a rain shower, but it didn’t come. I won’t be quitting my day job to paint fences. I wasn’t particularly good at it- and it’s a hard thing to screw up. We basically slapped on this black lacquer, much of which I got on my shoes and legs. I will be in cool Colorado in 3 weeks…
There’s a lot of confusion and myths surrounding carbohydrates and what constitutes a “good” vs "bad carb. It used to be that “simple” carbs (mono or disaccharides) with short carbohydrate chains in their molecular make up were “evil” because they were characterized by a quick digestion rate and therefore caused pronounced blood glucose responses. In contrast, “complex” carbohydrates (oligo- and polysaccharides) with longer chains were considered “good” because they take longer to digest and therefore cause less pronounced blood glucose responses. It’s really more complicated than that however. You need to look at a combination of characteristics including nutrient content, extent of processing, blood glucose response rate and even what other foods are eaten at the same time which impacts on how the carbs are processed. The length of the molecular chains i.e. simple vs complex carbs doesn’t tell the whole story. Even the much touted glycemic index has its limits in determining what’s a “good” vs a “bad” carb. Conventional wisdom is that high glycemic foods cause an insulin spike while low glycemic foods do not. But consider this: carrots have a higher glycemic index than a candy bar. On the “good” vs “bad” scale, which is the better carb and which is not?? That has led to more recent science pointing to glycemic load as more significant than glycemic index. Glycemic index is based on a reference quantity of carbohydrates (50 gms). Glycemic load is based on the amount of carbohydrate consumed i.e. the portion or serving size. The relationship between GL and GI is GL=GI x gms of carbohydrate/100. So, while carrots have a high GI, to eat 50 gms of carrots, you would need to eat 4 cups! In addition, foods that contain carbs plus fat, protein or fiber can have a high GI but a low GL. For example, 16 oz of soda has the same amount of carbs as 2 medium apples but has a much higher GL because the apples have vitamins, minerals and fiber and are therefore more nutrient dense. More recent research supports the conclusion that instead of simply looking for low GI, seek out carbs with low GL. It is the low GL that offers the health benefits of weight control, decreased risk of diabetes and heart disease and reduced morbidity in individuals with chronic diseases including heart disease and diabetes because of the other characteristics of the low GL foods other than the length of their carbohydrate chains. Next post: some myths.
Carbohydrates make you gain weight. The “logic” of this that the digestion of carbs breaks them down to monosaccharides which leads to a spike in blood glucose. In response, more insulin is released. Insulin promotes fat, and leads to weight gain.
The science based reality: not all carbs are equal. A carb’s GI, extent of processing, nutrient density, and other foods consumed at the same time all impact on the blood glucose and insulin response. While carbs that have a lower effect on blood glucose are better for overall health, an increase in carb consumption does not in itself lead to weight gain. There’s a ton of research that demonstrates clearly that changing macronutrient allocation doesn’t impact on weight gain. What matters is how many calories a person consumes in a day. It’s energy intake vs energy expenditure.
See Ebbeling, Leidig, Feldman, Lovesky and Ludwig: Effects of a low-glycemic load vs low-fat diet in obese young adults: a randomized trial. JAMA May 16, 2007; 297 (19):2092-2102
See Sacks, Bray, Carey et al: Comparison of weight loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein and carbohydrates. N Engl J Med. Feb 26 2009; 360(9):859-873
See Bray, Smith, de Longe etal: Effect of dietary protein content on weight gain, energy expenditure and body composition during overeating: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, January 4 2012; 307(1);47-55.
Of course, the question of weight gain is different than the question of health. You could eat junk food all day in controlled quantities and not gain weight. But I think we all know what the health outcome would be.
@abasket, the key is to avoid refined flours, processed carbs, carbs with added sugars, empty calorie carbs with little or no nutrient value. Don’t worry about “simple vs complex” carbs. Seek out whole grain, nutrient dense, unprocessed carbs. Eat simple and complex carbs that meet these criteria.Eat the quantity of carbs needed to match your energy needs. I average 11/2 - 2x my body weight in gms of carbs depending on my activity levels. I never ever go below 185 gms of carbs per day even on days when my meal planning just happens to end up on the low side of a carb intake (my body weight fluctuates between 153.5 - 155.5). At 2x my body weight, that’s about 50% of my daily caloric intake. Depending on your activity levels, carbs should constitute between 45-65% of your daily calories. Embrace the carbs! But be mindful of total calories ;).
“Don’t worry about “simple vs complex” carbs. Seek out whole grain, nutrient dense, unprocessed carbs. Eat simple and complex carbs that meet these criteria.”
I forgot to put pasta somewhere on my carb list. And I had some tonight for dinner - I just be sure to have more fresh marinara than I do pasta. But I’m still going to enjoy it here and there. I’m good with a whole grain pasta - it’s really more about the sauce and protein (if any).
Well, considering I only managed 250 + steps 7 out of 13 hours today on my Fitbit (too much necessary desk sitting at work), I managed to rack in about 14,000 steps thanks to a little gardening and a 2.5 mile run after dinner tonight.
Guess I won’t be hiring MOWC for any painting “to-do’s” at my house…
BB, yes they are but so are refined flours but refined flour is not nutrient dense and hence is often enriched. Fruit is a simple carb but qualifies as a “good carb” while fruit juice is a simple carb that has been stripped of fiber and nutrients found in the skin of many fruits. My syntax wasn’t the best, lol. My point is that simple or complex, eat unrefined, unprocessed, nutrient dense, no sugar added carbs. Without concern that eating carbs will cause you to gain weight any more than any other macronutrient.
“Fruit is a simple carb but qualifies as a “good carb” while fruit juice is a simple carb that has been stripped of fiber and nutrients found in the skin of many fruits”
Not so quick. Fruit has fiber, or chemically said, cellulose, which is a complex carb - an indigestible complex carb.
There is a very simple chemical classification of carbs which is summarized in a nutshell in this Wiki article. Not to be confused with a BS, pseudoscientific way coined by a Senate Committee that made things evenmore confusing for non-biochem majors!
I agree with you that this whole business of complex v. simple is confusing for a Joe the consumer. (And the food industry is using this confusion to their advantage).
Lol, I was thinking in terms of the fructose which is a monosaccharide, a “simple carb” (as if you don’t know that ). And yup, the fiber is an indigestible polysaccharide which makes the fiber a complex carb. And your quote really does highlight the potential for such confusion. It really makes salient how there can be confusion about why eating 2 -3 cups of whole fruits a day is good but drinking 2-3 cups per day of juice from the same fruit is maybe not so good.
Speaking of flour. Not all flour is made the same. The flours that make that chewy pizza crust or crusty bread? They are high in protein, which gives them that specific texture. The crushed whole grains have other nutrients besides the proteins and carbs. White cake flour, OTOH, is mostly pure carbs (starches), and its low protein content gives it its fluffiness. It is so tasteless, so no one in their right mind would eat white flour without anything added to it! I would not! Throw in loads of sugar and butter, and now we are talking a serious caloric bomb called a cookie or a cake. Add pasta sauce, a ton of meatballs, and a ton of cheese, and here comes another caloric bomb called spaghetti. That’s why white flour is evil.
Speaking of fiber in fruit… If you squeeze the juice out of an orange, then pulverize the leftover fiber and add the powder to the juice, the result will be compositionally equal to the starting orange, however, nutritionally the two will still be different. Why? The cellulose cell walls in an intact orange work as little containers holding the simple sugars inside. As these cells rupture, sugars get released, not all at once, as it happens when you swallow a glass of juice.
Interesting point about the cell walls, BB. Contrasts the different digestive processes that impact on the rate at which the fructose gets into the blood stream.
A number of years ago, Runners World did a comparison of post run recovery drinks. Beer was on the list. The conclusion was that beer was an ideal recovery drink: water for hydration and carb replenishment from the grains. So go for it. Just remember that each gm of alcohol is 7 calories but if you are serious about your post workout recovery routine, you probably won’t really give a damn once you are done ;).
That eating at night article is a good read. MK, what are your thoughts? I DO find myself hungry an hour or two after an evening workout. I need to work on the choices I make though to quench that hunger. For awhile I was addicted to a banana sliced in a small bowl of milk with a tiny sprinkle of raw sugar. So refreshing!
Still haven’t found the right article that says a scoop of ice cream before bed is the best thing for your health!
Just when I thought the weather couldn’t get any worse…it did. 72 degrees and 100 % humidity. Short run this morning, session with my trainer, successfully mastered my most hated exercises (because they are the hardest!).
So, beer is okay as a carb - huge relief! If I drink diet soda with my spaghetti and meatballs, does that negate all the calories I’m consuming? Abasket, ice cream is best for you when you first get home after a terrible day at work (jk). No wonder I’m confused!
In all seriousness, I think I am doing okay with what I’m eating, I just need to pay more attention to the ratios. Ohio, I am doing some workouts that are similar to what’s described in that article - it’s hard to keep picking up the pace as you go but it’s something I need to work on. I have a difficult time with the slow start - I just don’t want to go that slowly.
