Carbs?

[emarie96]

Does anyone else track their macronutrient intake? I track mine with an app and was wondering if I should track net carbs (excluding fiber, alcohol sugars, etc) or total carbs? I want to keep my carbs low enough to promote liver healing, but I am a little confused. I also am following a Mediterranean diet and found a lovely dietitian who specializes in it Any advice would be great.

[Kokomodo]

I’m unclear on why you imply carbs are detrimental to liver health. Most of the research I’ve seen on liver health recommends a diet of 50% nutrient rich carbs. That’s total carbs. Fiber, in a healthy diet, will likely be 50 to 70 grams of that. Sugars maybe another 75 grams average, mostly from whole fruit. That assumes you are walking or doing some other moderate exercise about an hour a day. Sugar alcohols will not do you any favors, and they are often found in “bars” that are high in saturated fat.

What does your dietician recommend? Does the dietician specialize in the Med diet or in liver health?

What are your goals?

[dave_tsda]

I do track my nutrition info, but decided to do just total carbs. I know there is a lot more science behind it, but net carbs sounded too complex and error prone. So i just aim to keep under a certain amount of total carbs for the day.

[Unclemud]

A comment from the moderator

I HAVE LEFT THIS POST HERE AS IT ILLUSTRATES THE CHALLENGE WE FACE. THE USDA SPENT 40 YEARS PROMOTING A LOW FAT DIET. IF YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THEM PUSHING TRANS FATS INSTEAD OF BUTTER. GENERATIONS WERE TAUGHT THAT FAT BAD CARBS GOOD AND TODAY WE HAVE AN EPIDEMIC OF DISEASE AND MANY DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD FOR US. WE ALL HAVE SOMEWHAT DIFFERING RESPONSES AND THIS WRITER IS DEALING WITH HIS BODY'S RESPONSE BUT OUR VIEW, SUPPORTED BY A LOT OF RESEARCH YOU CAN READ ON THE WEBSITE, IS THAT EXCESS CARBS AND SIMPLE SUGARS ARE YOUR ENEMY.

I don't get what everyone has against carbs, the studies into studies have turned things upside down. Carbs don't cause diabetes, saturated fat does, the benefits from the Mediterranean diet have been shown to be from vinegar and not the olive oil, even though monounsaturated fats have some health benefits. The human digestive system is best suited to carbs. But the quality of the carbs" refined" creates the problems. I myself have switched to Organic Sprouted Bread, and I eat about a loaf a day, but can't eat one store bought muffin without aggravating my liver. A Big red apple hurts more then 2 avocado toasts. Fructose is almost as hard on the liver as alcohol. There are charts on the sugar ratios in fruits and vegetables, which you can use to reduce the load on your liver.

[lecc in reply to Unclemud]

Hi Unclemud,

you gave me a lot of new information and I would like to learn more about that.

Could you perhaps direct me to the articles that show that the benefits from the Mediterranean diet come from vinegar and not from olive oil?

Furthermore, could you also perhaps point out articles that show that carbs don't cause diabetes but saturated fat does (even though the former cause insulin spikes, while the latter doesn't)?

[Erushbass in reply to lecc]

Saturated fat does not cause diabetes.

Refined sugars and high Carbohydrate foods like grains mainly cause FLD and Diabetes.

Frankly, I have no idea what this person is going on about.

[Unclemud in reply to Erushbass]

I'm talking about the facts. Plan and simple. Modern technology has been improving researchers abilities, and they have shown insulin receptors become clogged with saturated fat. Plain and simple. Research has shown that a plant based diet with loads of healthy carbs can reverse diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Gregor has mentioned many studies that show this. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has been showing this in a study that he started in the 70. Check out the Real Truth About Health. Dr's debate these topics all the time. The debate isn't about weather fat causes these problems, it's about how best to eat to reverse them.

[Erushbass in reply to Unclemud]

Reported for potentially dangerous advice.

[Unclemud in reply to Unclemud]

Everyone that is concerned about they're carbs should watch "Fat Chance: Fructose 2.0" it's on you tube. My health was on a downward spiral, and don't stop there, keep researching until you get whole story. When I went for my Fibroscan this summer I was told what ever I'm doing keep doing it. I don't eat meat anymore almost no fruit, no corn,no oils for cooking or toppings. It's a lot of an adjustment but not only has my liver improved but many other health conditions have gone away. My best advice is, find healthy foods to add to your diet first. I struggled with depression thinking that life socks if you can't enjoy the foods you eat. You will find many flavourful foods and enjoy them. Good luck.

[nash2 Partner]

Hi Marie

Congratulations for getting on top of things and you are lucky to find that nutritionist. My view is that net carbs are the main concern. You especially don't want to limit fiber. I don't track carbs but I think about all of them when I make choices. Of course, I am also in a maintenance mode. I lost 30% of my weight after diagnosis so I was more specific during that process. I limit sugars and simple carbs but do get complex carbs in dense vegetables and I still take plenty of olive oil.

Wayne

[emarie96 in reply to nash2]

Wayne, I have a question for you. When my doctor did my LFT my ALT was 159, my AST was 131. Everything else in the test came back within normal range. When I had my gallbladder out in March, my surgeon was originally going to biopsy because of my numbers and chose not to because he said my liver did not look extremely unhealthy. I also had an MRI and ultrasound and the notes say images are mild diffuse hepatosteatosis. My doctor wants to run another liver function test in february, but I have an irrational fear that I have cirrhosis. Do you have any advice and/or tips on how to stay calm?

[nash2 Partner]

Well Marie, fear is a tough companion at times. I think knowledge is your best defense. You have two different perspectives which suggest that you have a mild fatty liver from your surgeon and your imaging. The condition leading to cirrhosis is scarring and while you may have some you don't have an indication that it is at all close to a cirrhosis diagnosis. You are making the changes that will help your liver so there is no reason to expect that anything is getting worse so take a deep breath and try to get your doc to do a stiffness test on your liver. That is what actually looks at the scarring issue.