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Carbs for a Dummy please

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Low Carb Dieting

' Forum started by amberstone, Feb 6th, 2014 at 23:07 PM.
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Feb 6th, 2014, 23:07 PM  
amberstone
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Scotland
Posts: 11

Carbs for a Dummy please

Whats the whole issue with Carbs? I get that carbs turn to sugar so limit it. But thats about my overall understanding. Anyone have a general, basic explanation or point me in the right direction. I did google but didn't get a very clear picture ... but then maybe that's just because I'm tired!! And hungry....
 
Mar 13th, 2014, 08:46 AM  
KatieMac
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 129

It doesn't help to think about this when you're hungry, I have the same issue when I grocery shop

Here's the basic issue. Carbs are in things like veggies, "plant foods". These are the good carbs. The ones with high fiber and the greener the better, so they say. These process really well in your body and don't "turn into extra fat".

The problem is that there are also carbs in sugars and refined grains, like white bread, pasta and starchy foods (potatoes). And the general rule is the more "processed", the worse for your body. I can't explain how they turn into sugars, but the "bad" carbs don't process in our systems as well, so they turn into fat more easily.

Better to stick with the list of "good" carbs...and when people talk about going "carb- free" most often they mean the "bad" carbs. I know it's not super in depth, but I hope this helps.
 
Mar 15th, 2014, 10:22 AM  
Stephen Reed
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: West Dorset, UK
Posts: 122

Quote:
Quote by amberstone View Post
Whats the whole issue with Carbs? I get that carbs turn to sugar so limit it. But thats about my overall understanding. Anyone have a general, basic explanation or point me in the right direction. I did google but didn't get a very clear picture ... but then maybe that's just because I'm tired!! And hungry....
This is the deal with carbs.

Carbs are not actually needed at all in the human body, so they are not ESSENTIAL, the body can produce all the glucose it needs from a variety of sources.

Carbs, whatever the type, eventually end up as glucose. Fructose from fruit, still becomes glucose, but it has to be processed directly in the liver, it can't just be stored in muscle tissue like glucose from starchy carbs ca.

Glucose is preferentially used by the body to fuel energy needs, in fact, the brain, heart, and some other functions can ONLY use glucose.

There are a couple of ways glucose from dietary carbs can be stored. In the muscles and liver as a storage for future activities (intense activity requires glucose for energy, lower intensity aerobic exercise can utilise fat for fuel). The stored glucose is called glycogen.

The reason carbs (it does not matter whether simple of complex carbs) can be stored as fat is that once the muscle and liver stores are filled (around 500g total capacity for most people), the body will convert carbs into fat storage to help maintain safe blood sugar levels.

Most sedentary people eat far too many carbs for their activity levels. A good starting point for the relatively non-active is 10-150g of carbohydrate per day.

Re slow release carbs. Yes, eating carbs with fibre will slow down release from the gut, but if you eat fat with your meal (as most people do) this also slows down gut emptying.

I think it is fair to say that if you are after fat loss, keep the carbs in check 100g a day to start, get pretty much all of that from veg and a little fruit. If you want to eat white rice and starchy carbs, then eat them in moderation, or get involved in high intensity activity and eat them afterwards, when the body will more readily shuttle them into muscle glycogen repletion.

Unfortunately, most people think that because so many carb sources are available, it is our god given right to eat them, not advisable if you want a good body composition.

Steve
 
 
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