Carbohydrates

[CaraT2974]

Hello,
Since going vegan, I’ve been using a calorie tracker to ensure I am eating enough calories which seems to be working well. However, I’ve noticed that my carbohydrate intake is over 200g most days. Is this expected from all the veg?
Food diary today has been;

pistachio nuts - 30g
2x popadom
Banana
Lentil and chickpea curry with onion, tomato, spices and peppers on a jacket potato
2x rice cakes
Almond nut butter (1 spoon full)
Lentil Bolognese with mushrooms, carrots, onion and tomato sauce
Wholewheat pasta (measured out per portion) as advised on the packet.
Four Fingers each of mango, pineapple and melon.

Can I have others opinions as to if that seems balanced?
Many thanks,
Cara x

 

[David3]

Hello,
Since going vegan, I’ve been using a calorie tracker to ensure I am eating enough calories which seems to be working well. However, I’ve noticed that my carbohydrate intake is over 200g most days. Is this expected from all the veg?
Food diary today has been;

pistachio nuts - 30g
2x popadom
Banana
Lentil and chickpea curry with onion, tomato, spices and peppers on a jacket potato
2x rice cakes
Almond nut butter (1 spoon full)
Lentil Bolognese with mushrooms, carrots, onion and tomato sauce
Wholewheat pasta (measured out per portion) as advised on the packet.
Four Fingers each of mango, pineapple and melon.

Can I have others opinions as to if that seems balanced?
Many thanks,
Cara x

Hi Cara,

Your food looks delicious!

Adding daily portions of calcium-rich foods would be good. Calcium-rich foods include (1) dark green leafy vegetables (specifically kale, broccoli, collard greens, and/or mustard greens), (2) calcium-set tofu, (3) calcium-fortified soy milk or other plant milk, (4) calcium-fortified fruit juice, and (5) calcium supplements.

If dark green leafy vegetables taste a little too bitter to you, then you might try adding them to soups and stews. This will greatly decrease these vegetables' bitterness, and the small amount of remaining bitterness will add to the spicy strength of the soup.

The Vegan Society has published these guidelines for vegan nutrition: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/nutrition-overview
.

 

[Emma JC]

that looks like a delicious day of eating and the only item that I see missing (at a quick glance) are some greens and/or cruciferous veggies like broccoli or cabbage or brussel sprouts... they can easily be added to the curry or the bolognese - a handful of arugula in with the pasta or chard etc

if you wish to track your nutrients, even for a short time period, you can use cronometer.com to do so

starches are great for you and you have lots of those and fruit etc

congrats!! great job

Emma JC

 

[CaraT2974]

Thank you! I’ll have to stock up on some green veg at the shops tomorrow
Do you think I need to up fats/proteins or is it normal to be carb heavy what with all the veggies?!

 

[Emma JC]

Do you think I need to up fats/proteins or is it normal to be carb heavy what with all the veggies?!

I think you have a good balance, at a glance, and it depends if you eat like that every day, are you trying to lose/gain/maintain weight? do you have specific health issues etc? Are you an athlete trying to build muscle? The fact that you are not eating animal products and are eating pretty much a balanced diet means that you are on the right track.

The advised ratio of carb/fat/protein varies depending on who you listen to.

For myself I try to stay approximately:

fat 10-20%
protein 15-20%
carbs 60-75%

Emma JC

 

[CaraT2974]

I’m trying to lose some weight as at the moment I’m classed as overweight for my height.
That’s great, my carbs today are at 60%, fat 25% and protein at 15% so that seems all okay.
Thanks for your help and guidance! Been really helpful

 

[Emma JC]

If losing weight is your goal then you may wish to consider lowering the fat number to 10-15% and try to get those numbers without added oils.

There are lots of whole food sources of fat in veggies and beans and lentils etc.

Tracking your nutrients and percentages on cronometer.com may bring you some additional peace of mind.

Keep us updated with your progress!! and feel free to share your meals as many of us do. We live vicariously through others.

Emma JC

 

[silva]

It's best to stay as close to whole foods as possible. Esp with carbs- whole intact grains are far better, feel better, and keep you full much longer than those without their bran, or milled further into flour.
I do just love to eat eat eat pasta, or bread, even whole grain ones, then just fall into a carb loaded sleep.
When I eat whole grains- like whole barley, oat groats- I'm satisfied with one serving and feel energized. I've switched to those for breakfast

 

[Lou]

I’m trying to lose some weight as at the moment I’m classed as overweight for my height.
That’s great, my carbs today are at 60%, fat 25% and protein at 15% so that seems all okay.
Thanks for your help and guidance! Been really helpful

More protein/ less fat

 

[Deleted member 5061]

It's a sad world we live in when orthorexic mindsets rule the vegan landscape thanks to quacks like "Dr" Michael Greger, when someone thinks 200g of carbohydrates are a lot in a day.

Personally, I'd say you're starving yourself of glucose. Every cell in the human body runs on glucose.

If you want to be lean and healthy and full of energy, eat as much carbohydrate as you like, while keeping fat intake low.

 

[Emma JC]

It's a sad world we live in when orthorexic mindsets rule the vegan landscape thanks to quacks like "Dr" Michael Greger, when someone thinks 200g of carbohydrates are a lot in a day.

Personally, I'd say you're starving yourself of glucose. Every cell in the human body runs on glucose.

If you want to be lean and healthy and full of energy, eat as much carbohydrate as you like, while keeping fat intake low.

Dr Greger does not recommend a low carb diet...

Here is an article of his from 2016 specifically saying why.

How a Low-Carb Diet Is Metabolically Like Being Obese

nutritionfacts.org

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

I’m trying to lose some weight as at the moment I’m classed as overweight for my height.
That’s great, my carbs today are at 60%, fat 25% and protein at 15% so that seems all okay.
Thanks for your help and guidance! Been really helpful

Try to eat more protein and less fat. Think calories from fat should be LESS than 20%. Calories from protein should be MORE than 20%. But that is hard to achieve so just think of it as GOALs.

 

[Lou]

The thing about carbs and most of the Vegan quacks is that most Americans DO eat too many carbs.

a bagel sandwich for breakfast, another sandwich at lunch. cookies or donuts in the afternoon. Pasta at night.
if you are trying to lose weight and be a vegan the best thing you can do is limit grains. Grains ARE good but if you are trying to lose weight limit your servings of grains to less than 3.

On the flip side are all the non-vegan quacks who promote a low carb (under 50%) diet, especially the Keto guys.
It is well documented that people who eat low carb are less healthy than those who eat a high carb diet

 

[Emma JC]

I agree @Lou and feel that the confusion starts when people confuse starch and carbs. Carbs are pictured as breads and donuts and cookies and pasta and rice etc. There are carbs in those and with the first few often sugars and oils as well. Starch carbs are in potatoes, corn, lentils, beans, and whole grains, and vegetables and fruit (see bananas, plantains, prunes, figs etc) those we need and can eat lots of. There are carbohydrates in lots of other fruits and non-starchy vegetables and even in nuts.

So yes, Dr Greger does not recommend eating highly processed foods with added sugars and oils and he also does not recommend eating a low carb diet.

Emma JC

 

[shyvas]

I agree @Lou and feel that the confusion starts when people confuse starch and carbs. Carbs are pictured as breads and donuts and cookies and pasta and rice etc. There are carbs in those and with the first few often sugars and oils as well. Starch carbs are in potatoes, corn, lentils, beans, and whole grains, and vegetables and fruit (see bananas, plantains, prunes, figs etc) those we need and can eat lots of. There are carbohydrates in lots of other fruits and non-starchy vegetables and even in nuts.

So yes, Dr Greger does not recommend eating highly processed foods with added sugars and oils and he also does not recommend eating a low carb diet.

Emma JC

Starch and carbs are the same thing. I would seperate the latter into two categories; whole and refined.

 

[Emma JC]

Starch and carbs are the same thing. I would seperate the latter into two categories; whole and refined.

yup I agree they are similar things and 'carbs' are viewed differently, hence the confusion

a donut has carbs in it and yet it is not the carbs that are the issue, it is the oil and the excess sugar... oh here, this article explains it so much better than I can... simple or complex is another way of saying whole and refined...

Emma JC

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STARCH AND A CARB? - PhatBurn

The problem here is the question itself. A starch is actually a type of carb. There are 3 classifications of carbohydrates. 1. Sugar 2. Starch 3. Fiber These classifications are grouped into 2 types: 1. Simple Carbs 2. Complex Carbs So the question at hand really should be what is the difference...

phatburn.com

 

[shyvas]

yup I agree they are similar things and 'carbs' are viewed differently, hence the confusion

a donut has carbs in it and yet it is not the carbs that are the issue, it is the oil and the excess sugar... oh here, this article explains it so much better than I can... simple or complex is another way of saying whole and refined...

Emma JC

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STARCH AND A CARB? - PhatBurn

The problem here is the question itself. A starch is actually a type of carb. There are 3 classifications of carbohydrates. 1. Sugar 2. Starch 3. Fiber These classifications are grouped into 2 types: 1. Simple Carbs 2. Complex Carbs So the question at hand really should be what is the difference...

phatburn.com

 

[David3]

It's a sad world we live in when orthorexic mindsets rule the vegan landscape thanks to quacks like "Dr" Michael Greger, when someone thinks 200g of carbohydrates are a lot in a day.

Safin, upon what are you basing your claim? Dr. Michael Greger wrote a book that criticizes (and ridicules) low-carb diets:

Carbophobia: The Scary Truth about America's Low-Carb Craze

Everywhere you go these days, it seems, the Atkins "A" can be found. In the first six months of 2004, no fewer than 1,864 new "low-carb" products were launched—everything from low-carb pasta to low-carb gummy bears. Yet warnings from medical authorities continue to pour in. The American Dietetic...

drgreger.org

.