To be confused about carb heavy diet?

[GreenestValley]

Just reading a thread on here about weight loss and diet. Many posters commenting that the Op in that thread has a very carb heavy diet.

I feel quite confused about it as I always thought carbs were an important part of a balanced diet and a source of energy. Obviously not too much white bread, white pasta etc, but from a personal perspective I have to have a fairly carb based diet or else I get hungry and end up snacking. And I’ve always had a normal weight.
I was also under the impression that the “low carb” diets of the early 2000s eg Atkins etc that were very popular, were kind of debunked now.
Am I missing something? Do carbs affect some people differently to others? Would welcome a bit of de mystifying here if anyone has expertise just for my own understanding!

"A traditional Mediterranean style diet"

What is that... I mean, how would you know you were on it or not on it?

@anotherpersontoday

Carbs are important and yes low carb diets have been debunked but people love a gimmick.

That’s completely untrue. A low carb diet is a very effective and healthy way of losing weight. Nobody needs carbs.

@SpuriouserAndSpuriouser

Obviously his methods may be effective for some, but I don’t think that that sort of restrictive diet is healthy or sustainable in the long term, physically or mentally.

But what is absolutely restricted on the diets he proposes other than simple processed carbs ? Sure the calorie count is restricted on some but only for a short period or intermittently.

But if you are a healthy weight @SlopesOff you don't need to worry about insulin resistance. So carbohydrates probably aren't an issue for you. But people who are overweight are likely insulin resistant and for them cutting carbohydrates is necessary, particularly refined carbohydrates.

Nutrition has been poorly understood and much of the research is poor. But there is definitely a place for reducing carbohydrates and it's certainly not a fad.

Nobody needs carbs.

@VinylDetective, I think this is where people get confused. I would clarify this statement by saying nobody needs sugar and simple carbs. However, natural unrefined carbohydrate rich foods contain some important nutrients so should still be eaten but in the right amounts for your energy requirements. If you have excess body fat to utilise for energy, your energy requirements from food and drink will be less than normal.

[quote veryvery]**@SpuriouserAndSpuriouser

2. Like most things in medicine, nutrition is quite a lot more complicated than most people realise and can’t really be summed up in a post on an internet forum so please stop bleating on about insulin.

It was this comment that prompted me to say you weren't really engaging in countering any of the points. Whilst I admittedly posted about insulin quite simplistically you didn't actually say what exactly you objected to, specifically, in terms of being inaccurate.

It's almost as if you believe nutrition isn't for ordinary people just for the initiated elite few who converse in a complex magical language that only they can appreciate.....[/quote]
I will admit that my comment did sound a bit rude, it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and wasn’t actually aimed at anyone in particular but it does sound bad so I apologise for that.

I definitely don’t think that nutrition is only for the elite few, but like a lot of complicated scientific topics, someone without a background in the subject will struggle to gain much insight if they are reading literature that’s not written with them in mind, such as journal articles (which almost always overstate their findings and need to be read critically). That’s why science communication is so important, so that everyone can benefit from genuine advances in our understanding of different topics without having to be an expert in that area themselves. That said I am definitely not a science communicator, and I’m not trying to pass myself off as some sort of online lecturer, I’m just browsing mumsnet on a Monday evening and I don’t particularly want to get drawn into an in-depth discussion about insulin.

It's almost as if you believe nutrition isn't for ordinary people just for the initiated elite few who converse in a complex magical language that only they can appreciate

Well, plenty of ordinary people are dieticians. The thing is, if you haven’t studied it properly, you’ll have a limited simplistic understanding of it and base most of your opinion on things that ‘work for you’. I think the issue the other poster is highlighting is that untrained people shouldn’t speak as if they have been trained or give advice to others. That’s all.

Actually everyone should eat carbs. The suggestion that we should eliminate them is dangerous.

As per the NHS advice here, which suggests about half of our diet should be carbs:

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/why-we-need-to-eat-carbs/

I've tried v low/no carb. Constipation central. In addition I found I got a tummy ache quite a lot.

I also just wasnt that happy. I enjoy food &variety is pleasant.

Low carb is also low fibre, which is a serious health risk actually. Not surprised you got constipated!

[quote MillyMollyFarmer]Actually everyone should eat carbs. The suggestion that we should eliminate them is dangerous.

As per the NHS advice here, which suggests about half of our diet should be carbs:

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/why-we-need-to-eat-carbs/[/quote]
What rot. Nothing dangerous at all. You lover makes all the glucose you need.

If half my diet was carbs I’d be fat, diabetic and probably riddled with heart disease or cancer.

If you have excess body fat to utilise for energy, your energy requirements from food and drink will be less than normal.

^^ this with knobs on !

If you are morbidly obese like myself, your body has rather cleverly laid down all the additional and unused calories I have eaten over the years as fat. I have huge reserves actually on my body, that I carry around with me at all times. If I reduce the amount of calories I put into my body and increase the amount of calories my body needs to use, it will go to those reserves and use them. Most of the additional calories I have eaten have been in the form of carbohydrates , for me that would be toast, chips, crisps and wine. I do not know of a single human being who would suddenly become nutritionally compromised if they didn't eat those things ?

@SpuriouserAndSpuriouser

that said I am definitely not a science communicator, and I’m not trying to pass myself off as some sort of online lecturer, I’m just browsing mumsnet on a Monday evening and I don’t particularly want to get drawn into an in-depth discussion about insulin.

Well, in that case, it is only polite to refrain from pouring scorn on points that you either do not wish to or do not have the ability to counter.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland zero carb means less waste. You simply poop less. Unless you did it without supplementing electrolytes. It’s a mistake many people make, feel rotten and give up.

Low carb is also low fibre, which is a serious health risk actually. Not surprised you got constipated!

Not true because you still eat vegetables and complex carbs which are high in fibre. The higher the fibre the lower the effective carbohydrate because you excrete the fibre. Thus low carb!

Are you a dietician @MillyMollyFarmer ?

There are some interesting statements on here.

I do not propound to know every bit of research there is , I've read studies that apply to my personal need as in I have PCOS , specific familial hereditary health issues and a year and a half ago was 8 stone overweight. Low carb and keto is simply not a gimmick.

I lost 8 stone, maintained it for 6 months (granted not a long time but there doesn't seem to be a sign of it changing and I can't make time go faster). Interestingly I had blood tests done for an unrelated issue (gynaecological and not in any way related to nutrition) and was over the moon when the gp confirmed that everything was in normal range which is fantastic because I've always been close to the bone with diabetes , nafld. Granted my iron was seriously low but it's been that way since I was 11 so I'm not counting that.

People are very quick to dismiss things because they are out of their personal frame of reference.

In reality a way of eating will not suit everyone. Some people will suit a higher carb level some will respond better to keto. To be naive and claim gimmick from a way of eating that has been referenced as far back as 1862 is a bit silly.

I firmly believe that you need to look at each way of eating and consider the research as to whether it suits your health issues and your needs.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I've tried v low/no carb. Constipation central. In addition I found I got a tummy ache quite a lot.

I also just wasnt that happy. I enjoy food &variety is pleasant.

Weirdly I tried vegan in the past and got very ill, then tried eating vegetarian and piled my plate high with vegetables and developed terrible stomach pains and wind. So horses for courses and anecdotal data.

Lots of people do very well with alternative diets and I’m pleased for them. Personally I’m following the eating plan I feel best on and helping my health into the bargain. I had a comprehensive blood profile completed as part of my HRT plan and my results were so good the doctor wanted to know what I was doing. He was fascinated when I told him about low carb and intermittent fasting.

LongPauseNoAnswer

You’re arguing with NHS dieticians

@Shinyletsbebadguys

There are some interesting statements on here.

I do not propound to know every bit of research there is , I've read studies that apply to my personal need as in I have PCOS , specific familial hereditary health issues and a year and a half ago was 8 stone overweight. Low carb and keto is simply not a gimmick.

I lost 8 stone, maintained it for 6 months (granted not a long time but there doesn't seem to be a sign of it changing and I can't make time go faster). Interestingly I had blood tests done for an unrelated issue (gynaecological and not in any way related to nutrition) and was over the moon when the gp confirmed that everything was in normal range which is fantastic because I've always been close to the bone with diabetes , nafld. Granted my iron was seriously low but it's been that way since I was 11 so I'm not counting that.

People are very quick to dismiss things because they are out of their personal frame of reference.

In reality a way of eating will not suit everyone. Some people will suit a higher carb level some will respond better to keto. To be naive and claim gimmick from a way of eating that has been referenced as far back as 1862 is a bit silly.

I firmly believe that you need to look at each way of eating and consider the research as to whether it suits your health issues and your needs.

Bloody hell thats an amazing weight loss!!!!! Well done you!

for me that would be toast, chips, crisps and wine. I do not know of a single human being who would suddenly become nutritionally compromised if they didn't eat those things

So you only ate carbohydrates in those foods? You’re right that everyone can survive without toasts crisps chips and wine. But they’re not the only sources of carbs

No, very not a dietitian, I trained in it though but didn’t like the work because most people don’t listen and want quick fix diets. Plus, it seemed an industry catering to only people with money. Are you a dietician? Low calorie vegetables won’t be ‘high’ in carbs or much else, but their carbs as a percentage of overall calories is not low. They won’t fill you up though, spinach, peppers etc are very low calorie. As the NHS link above states, you do need a variety of foods and that should include starches as well.

From the NHS link:

The government's healthy eating advice, illustrated by the Eatwell Guide, recommends that just over a third of your diet should be made up of starchy foods, such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, and over another third should be fruit and vegetables. This means that over half of your daily calorie intake should come from starchy foods, fruit and vegetables.

@MillyMollyFarmer

LongPauseNoAnswer

You’re arguing with NHS dieticians

They'd be the first to admit the typical 'beige' high carb diet is low in fibre I'm sure.

They'd be far better off promoting high fibre, rather than using carbs as a proxy for fibre.

Also from NHS link:

• Diabetes and low-carb diets

There is evidence that low-carb diets are safe and effective in the short-term for most people with type 2 diabetes. They help with weight loss, diabetes control and reducing risk of complications.

It's recommended you talk to a GP or your care team before starting a low-carb diet as it's not suitable for everyone with type 2 diabetes. Your care team should provide advice on how many carbs you should eat. Diabetes UK also provides a 7-day low-carb meal plan on its website.

It's also important to be aware of possible side effects of a low-carb diet, such as low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia).

There is no evidence that a low-carb diet is more effective in the long-term for people with type 2 diabetes than other types of diet such as a reduced-calorie diet.

There is currently no strong evidence that low-carb diets are effective for people with type 1 diabetes.

Low-carb diets are not recommended for children with diabetes as they might affect growth.