How many carbs a day are considered low carb?

[Zendaya]

I have read through quite a few posts and I'm curious as to what qyantity a day group members consider as low carb. Personally I think its important as to whether the carbs are derived from natural food or food that has undergone minimal processing compared to highly / ultra processed foods (especially containing table sugar). Also we focus a lot on carbs but many fats in our diet (even some sold as 'healthy' such as sunflower spread ) are high in omega 6 which causes a serious omega 3 / omega 6 ratio imbalance. This can lead to high inflammation.

Would love to hear everyone's views! x

[Subtle_badger]

My view is whole foods straight from the ground/hoof or modified in ways I could (at least theoretically) do in my kitchen.

Also no grains, starchy veg, sugars (eg honey) and little fruit. The second part would probably not be necessary if I hadn't broken my metabolism on unhealthy foods and avoiding fats.

I don't count anything or measure anything. I just eat the food I allow myself, when I am actually hungry.

Been maintaining for a year,so I am pretty sure I am doing fine.

[Zendaya in reply to Subtle_badger]

Thanks for your reply. That all sounds super healthy and I know our bodies are not really designed to cope with grains, and certainly refined sugar has no nutritional value. It sounds like you are following the keto diet? I have read around a bit and for the Western diet less than 130g of carbohydrates a day seems to be a number applied to what is classed as a low carb diet. However this number says nothing about the source of the carbohydrate. Anything overly processed comes with other ingredients / added chemicals which surley must have an impact on our bodies? Until about 7 years ago I spend most of life, like many others, following the low fat advice for healthy eating. Basically I was eating processed fats such as sunflower spreads, yoghurt with the fat removed and sugar added along with a large amount of cardboard ( by that I mean low calorie crispbread!)Cheers 😁

[Subtle_badger in reply to Zendaya]

Keto? Maybe. I never measure anything, nor noticed the symptoms of ketosis, but when looking for a new way of preparing a favourite dish, I will start by googling "keto <dish name>"

I've never eaten spreads just cut down on butter, but I was truly convinced in the health benefits of seed oils. Feel like an idiot now.

Some seeded crisp breads are actually nice, but I will forever have nightmares of choking down the original ryvita in the interests of good health. 😂 😭

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

For the purposes of definition, most authorities seem to accept <100g net carbs per day or <20% calories. But it's just a figure plucked out of the air, and you'll get slightly different opinions from different people.

It might be more useful to define what is not low-carb: that would be the 35-50% definition used in the majority of studies. Nutritionists believe so strongly that you'll die if you stop eating carbs that they almost never attempt to go below 35%.

As the badger said, these definitions rather miss the point anyway. The aim of the game is to change your appetite so that you no longer crave carbs; if you achieve that then you'll be eating "low carb" simply as a matter of routine, without needing to refer to any specific limits.

[Zendaya in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thanks for the reply. Yes appetite control seems the key 👍

[BridgeGirl in reply to Zendaya]

I'd say it's not so much appetite control as the change to your appetite that arises naturally when you lower your carbohydrate intake. You don't need to do any counting (though you may want to initially), just make sure you're making your choices from lower carb foods, and enjoy your meals.

I find these visual guides helpful in making choices dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vis...

[Zendaya in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thank you! Yes that is a great link. Lots of free info which is always my favourite thing! 👍

[BridgeGirl in reply to Zendaya]

😊

[KetoQueen]

It depends a bit on your body and what you are trying to achieve. Curing type 2 diabetes, addressing epilepsy symptoms or weight loss.? They need different reductions in insulin and again that varies by body. I personally cannot eat most fruit because of the blood sugar spike, but can eat the occasional McDonald’s fried chicken. The former is conventionally healthier, but drives my appetite sky high later in the day, the latter, conventionally terrible, does not.

[Zendaya in reply to KetoQueen]

You are definitely right. We are all so individual that we really need to work out what works best for us. I also think social evolution, with the development of farming grains, raced ahead of our biological evolution and our bodies are still in the hunter gatherer era! Someone I follow avidly is Proffessor Robert Lustig and he says take care of the liver and take care of the gut. I think this is very good advice as processed foods, refined grains and sugar,on a basic level, all impact on the crucial hormones insulin, ghrelin and leptin.Enjoying the discussion and hearing everyone's views.

Cheers

😀

[BridgeGirl]

Members will know to ignore this poster who has been restricted on other forums