Good Carbs...

I answered a question about what good carbohydrates really are.. hopefully my answer helps a few of you.. I feel I have a pretty good grasp on this and would like to share what I know...this is a copy and paste from a previous post to Diana.. "You wanna look for carbs of color.. look for "whole grain" or "multi grain".. look for fiber in these products.. generally speaking if the item has 3 grams or more of fiber its usually a pretty good choice.. Bread.. use whole grain or multi grain bread over white. Tortillas.. the same.. try "flat out" or "joeseph's wraps/pitas" or Mission makes a whole grain tortilla .. LaTortilla makes an excellent one that is only 50 cals and has like 8 grams of fiber. Potatoes use sweet potatoes instead of white. Sweet potatoes are actually a great source of fiber and low calorie. Just make sure you doctor them smart with FF butter spray and splenda/cinnamon instead of real sugar and butter. Use brown rice or wild whole grain rice instead of white rice. Use whole wheat flour, soy flour or almond flour in recipes in place of white flour. Use whole grain pasta instead of white pasta. they make high protein whole grain pasta now too! Whole grain english muffins and waffles in place of regular. use non starchy veggies in place of your carbs.. like spaghetti squash in place of noodles, cauliflower mash in place of mashed potatoes, zuchinni in place of noodles in lasagna.. etc. Fruit I do feel can hinder us also.. look for lower sugar fruits such as berries.. melons, grapes, pineapple and bananas tend to be very high in natural sugars and can be a slippery carb slope. Apples are sorta middle of the road. Try google searching "glycemic index of foods". This will help u a lot. Milk carbs are "ok".. try No added sugar yogurts, low fat cottage cheese, light or FF sour cream, light cheese (fat free tends to have more carbs and you need some fat), low fat or FF milk. If all else fails, remember this saying.. "If it's white, it aint right".

Thank you for posting this seperately. I'll bookmark this because it will be really handy for pointing out for others who have questions about good carbs. Another choice is soy/whole wheat tortillas. The one I use is called Soyfull Heart Flat Bread and has 100 calories, 3 gr. fat, 14 carbs, 4 gr. fiber, 1 gr. sugar, 6 gr. protein. That is higher calories and less protein than yours but what is the carb difference? If the LaTortilla is better I'll switch. Ack, it is way past my bedtime! Another frigid day ahead tomorrow so I'd better rest up while I can. Molly

My La torilla have 50 cals, 2 fats, 11 carbs, 8 fibers and 5 protein. Honestly they are the best whole grain high fiber product I have haver found on the market.

Ok, I'm switching! Mmm...bet they taste really good too! The Soy tortillas were an 'acquired' taste. LOL

They honestly aren't bad at all, I love a whole grain taste tho and if u don't like that well it totally tastes "whole grainey" (is that a word?) But I have always loved bread of color and not white actually (how did i get so obese?.. thats a dumb question.. I overate). Anyway.. i love them with laughing cow cheese spread on them and then some lunch meat and romaine, onion and olives with a splash of white vinegar or balsalmic vinegar and greek seasoning.. my never ending love of a wrap!

***Also.. remember everyone, fiber is undigestable by the human body.. the calories we get from "fiber carbs" are basically free calories.. so if u see a product has 15 carbs and 4 are fiber.. u can safely say 11 total NET carbs. However.. not to confuse you.. the FDA doesn't put a lot of regulations on manufacturers on some of their "fiber" labeling. There is 4 calories for ever protein and carbohydrate and 9 for fat. Sometimes the calories a product has (when it has a lot of fiber) has already been adjusted to reflect the fiber cals being deducted.. told you this would get confusing. So if you see a product that has 10 carbs and 5 are fiber.. take 10 x 4 = 40. If the product says its total calories are 20.. they have already deducted for the fiber content. Now that you are REALLY confused... just focus on eating the RIGHT carbs with good amounts of fiber.. and some even have decent protein amounts to go along with it.. thats the BEST combo!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I was wondering this after you sent the post yesterday about carbs.........i actually forwarded the info to my mamma--she weighs 145 so she BARELY has a weight issue....but has found that CARBS are an issue for her as well.....i will forward this to her and i know she will thank you too....... Have a GOOD day--and congrats on advancing to soft protein! ha

Hi, Everyone... I have an update on my lab results, which I want to share with the Dec '06 MB. Many times I wonder just how accurate the Nutritionist info is to their patients. So many people report that their labs are near perfect. I am not one of those people. I have been on many supplements and have requested my specific lab result #s and the normal ranges for the tests. I feel that I eat well...many of the foods that you've listed above and more...all to ensure that I will be OK. I don't eat sugars or over-processed foods. I journal all of my foods, paying attention to the protein levels, etc. I have been taking Potassium pills since surgery and eating potassium-rich foods. Many of these foods are high in Vitamin A. My July labs were low in Vit. A so I started taking a little over 10,000 units per day and added more Vit. A-rich foods. In the July results, I was at 19 based on a normal range of 38-98. My January labs were ZERO; based on 30-90...so I am to double the supplements and up the Vit A foods. --0-- Vitamin A the "eye", cancer, and infection preventing vitamin... oh great... just the Vit to have a --0-- Please understand that I knew the risks of malnutrition going in and that I am not in a Panic over the results. Boy, am I disappointed that my efforts to eat well have not shown up in the labs. Just knowing that I do monitor the lab #s and have been eating in kind gives me some peace. I can't imagine the shape that I would be in if I had not been eating these rich foods. The local lab did not complete the test for B7... Biotin.. but I updated the Nut that my hair has been falling out again... hair loss... so I am taking a second Biotin now. The main concern was my Potassium. Due to taking blood pressure meds that reduced my potassium, I needed IVs in the hospital, as my labs were at 2.3, which is near total body depletion. My January labs decreased slightly from the "July" 3.8 to 3.7, which is in the low normal range based on 3.5 - 5.3... I will be continuing on at least 2 pills per day again and eating more potassium-rich foods. The Nutritionist OK'd changing to Calcium Citrate plus Vit D... it must have Vit D and can be a pill or chewable. I also take a Vit D supplement, as that was low in July. Here's my supplement arsenal: 2 multi-vitamins, 3 calcium w/ Vit D, 2 - 3 potassium, 2 sublingual B12, 3 Vit C, 2 Biotin, 1 Vit D, and 20,000 units Vit. A. I take the calcium with food, but not with the other supplements. I halve the potassium and take it 4 times a day for maximum absorption. Same for the multi-vits. I quarter the Vit C and take it through out the day for maximum absorption. All supplements are taken with food and the remaining are spaced AM and PM. Based on Pre-WLS cholesterol #s, WLS has been very helpful. My 2004 Total was 216 with 135 LDL and 45 HDL; January Total is 124 with 65 LDL and 46 HDL. The 70 point drop in LDL puts me in the normal range (< 100) Another plus is that my iron is normal, as is my copper. I ASK for the actual result #s and the ranges... this is my advice to everyone. Thanks for your support! XOXOXO Ro

Thanks for posting this I am saving it!! A friend of mine just bought me a pack of La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delcious Wraps. She said they had different flavors and she got me the one with extra Virgin Oive Oil. They are BIG and have 90 calories, 3 grams fat, 20 grams carbs (high), 13 grams fiber and 8 grams of protein. I ate one this week and was IMPRESSED with how good it was. I think I have the Josephs ones too. I love love love the "if it aint white..it aint right" That will be my new motto D

OOPS I realized I said it wrong..(I think I know my problem now) "if its WHITE.. it aint right" D