Question:
What is good carb. and bad carb

were can i go to find out the good carb. and to stay away from the bad carb. the doctor that was in the chat room the other night said to go with 15% fat,40 to 50 % good carb. and the rest protein.so can anyone help out please i am 6months.out and doing great 180pds.loss of 92pds.40 more to go yes thanks so much and god bless you all    — nancy A. (posted on December 3, 2003)

December 3, 2003
Not to go against the dr, but 15% fat sounds awful low to me! If you eat so little fat your skin starts to dry out and your hair looks like straw.<p>"Good" and "bad" carbs mean different things to different people, but I can tell you how I classify them. "Good" carbs are high in fiber. They are not excessively refined. They have naturally occurring vitamin/mineral content. They have a lower glycemic index (more on that later).<p>"Bad" carbs are low in fiber and naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. They generally have the nutritional value added back to them after all the natural stuff has been processed away. They are often white (or close to white) from having the natural bran stripped. They have a high glycemic index.<p>These I would classify as "good carbs:" 100% whole grain products (the ingredient list should say 100% whole XXX flour and not list any other flour) like bread, tortillas, pasta, etc.; fresh fruits and vegetables;canned or frozen fruits and vegetables with no added sugar; rices other than white that contain fiber (there are several varieties); "unconventional" whole grains that you can substitute for rice like barley, quinoa, millet, etc.; beans, nuts, seeds, and lentils; some milk products like no-sugar-added yogurt and, I'm sure, much more. As far as baking one relatively good carb substitute is granulated fructose which has a low glycemic index and usually does not cause dumping (unless you are sensitive to fruit sugar).<p>I would classify the following as "bad carbs:" White bread, white flour, white rice, white potatoes (yes, they not refined but they have a high glycemic index and I will not forget to explain that :), white pasta, white or brown or any other color of sugar, overly refined products, products with added sugar, and then all the stuff you KNOW is "bad" like candy, cookies, cakes, etc.<p>The way the glycemic index is determined for a food is by testing its effect on a person's blood sugar. Glucose (or sugar) is considered 100. Glucose hits your system like a freight train: It causes your blood sugar to rise very high very quickly then plummet as the body sends insulin to try to balance things. The closer to 100 the glycemic index of a food is, the closer that food's effect is to glucose. Putting your body thru a constant blood-sugar roller coaster ride by eating a lot of foods with a high glycemic index can cause intense cravings in the short term and insulin resistance over the long term.<p>Foods with a lower glycemic index cause a slow, steady rise of your blood sugar to a moderate level and a corresponding tapering-off to resting levels. When you eat these foods your body doesn't respond with the flood of insulin like with the high glycemic index foods and your body chemistry is not adversely affected and so you feel full longer.<p>I don't think any food is necessarily ever truly off limits, but in general I do try to substitute "good" carbs for "bad:" instead of white bread, eat whole wheat; instead of white potatoes, eat sweet potatoes (without sugar and marshmallow, of course ;); instead of white sugar, use fructose or--even better--Splenda; instead of rice, use pearl barley.<p>I hope this helps. Sorry I was so long-winded but it is a bit complicated! It sounds like you are doing fine in any case, but I understand you wanting to know!
   — ctyst

December 3, 2003
Just to drive you nuts...I consider PASTA and rice (even brown) a bad carb. only whole grains, nuts, unsweetened fruits and vegetables get on my good carb list. So, the interesting thing you run into here is that everyone has a slightly different opinion. I'd defer to what your Dr has for a program, assuming he gave you one) The plan you outline sounds kinda high in carb and low in protein. To simplify, I follow this: it's always protein first, then veggies, then carb if you have room. Not very scientific- I know, but it works! Good luck to you!
   — LMCLILLY

December 3, 2003
I am supposed to be at 50% protein 30% carbs 20% fat. Even at 20% I am drying out all the time.
   — mrsmyranow

December 4, 2003
There are good books on foods with low glycemic indexes (the good carbs have a low glycemic index). I highly recommend that you get one. They have been really helpful for my husband and I to lose weight before surgery. Good luck to you.
   — Susan F.