Hi everyone,
I just received this review article regarding carbohydrates today, and I really like it. I thought I'd share it within a post, incase anyone would like to read it.
authoritynutrition.com/9-re...
Hope everyone is having a great week.
Lowcal 
Edit on 17th August 2018:
A further report on Carbohydrate intake from the Lancet reported, and I've done a post here:
healthunlocked.com/healthye...
Zest (formerly known as 'Lowcal')
Very informative article Lowcal. I like to eat carbs as part of a balanced diet and go for whole foods such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa and bulgar wheat. I also enjoy bananas, kidney bean etc so looks like I'm on the right path. I used to eat a lot of refined carbs, but not since I began my journey and I am sure my body is benefiting all round from the food and exercise.
Thank you for sharing this with us today hun and yes I am having a great week and hope that you are to
Hi Trafford,
Yes, I also go for whole foods - and all those you listed are really delicous! Yum! Particularly with a good trout fillet 
(couldn't resist)...
I'm having a good week thanks, and enjoyed another gym session today! I am improving on my running time on the treadmill, so hope to do better on the 3rd go.
I'm wondering what to eat for dinner tonight. What are you having?
Lowcal
Yes indeed they do go with all of the above Lowcal
I am so glad your having a good week and pleased to hear you enjoyed another gym session today. I love that you have changed it up and gone in a different direction with the exercise and hopefully this will ensure that you get into the 12's and I so can't wait for your Monday post.
Dinner was going to be fish, but I decided marinate my mini chicken fillets in some jerk and had them with bulgur, onion and peppers baked in the over with some chopped tomatoes and I thoroughly enjoyed it all in it was only 400 calories. Going to have fish tomorrow and I am so looking forward to that
I just got back in from my evening walk which was really nice. Walk for an hour every evening after my food has settled and I'm feeling good and confident that this week will see a loss. Fingers crossed for Sat
Enjoy the rest of your week and your 3 rd gym session this week and we will catch up on Sat morning hopefully with some good news to share
Trafford1 x
Hi Trafford,
What a delcious meal - you've given me some ideas for tomorrow 's meal, as I have some chicken that I need to use up. I'm going to marinate it in Cajun spices I think - but I like the pepper and onion and tomato combo, and I think it would be good to have some bulgur wheat - so I think I'm going to model my meal tomorrow night on your idea. Thank you!
I will look forward to catching up with you on Saturday morning. I think you'll be celebrating another great result by then. I will do my best to try to get into the 12's for Monday. Hopefully we will be able to compare great results!!!
Lowcal xx
I like to season my chicken in cajun spice as well, but I ran out, must remember to buy some on my next visit to the shops. I'm glad I gave you an idea for tomorrows dinner. I'm always thinking of what to have today for tomorrow and I even had the mini chicken fillets all seasoned up this morning so when I got home from work all I had to do was turn the oven on and set the timer. This is how it is every day in my house and I find it helps to plan meals when you've had a meal and not think about food on an empty stomach.
Keep going your doing great and yes hopefully we will be able to compare results
Very interesting article, thank you, Lowcal. It's an informative site!
I found the part about the effects of good gut bacteria particularly interesting. There's a lot of research on this subject and how it links to several health problems and obesity. How many carbs anyone can eat, even unprocessed carbs, can depend a lot on your metabolic health.
I'm in the middle of making chicken soup/stew and will be adding some sweet potato and root veg to it.
Hi Penel,
Yes, the part about the good gut bacteria is really interesting.
Your meal sounds really tasty for tonight. Sweet potato and root veg are a lovely combination in a soup/stew.
I had some pasta parcels with spinach and ricotta cheese in them with some tomato arrabiatta sauce in the end, along with 2 vegetarian sausages (quorn ones I think). It was tasty.
Hope you are having a great week.
Lowcal
This is a very interesting article and one I am glad to see. I too like to include some carbs in my diet and have switched to all whole foods like brown rice, wholewheat flour, whole grains, seeds, nuts as well as lots of vegetables including root ones.
I have totally excluded all processed foods and intend to continue that way for the rest of my life.
My son who is a real health nut has advised me to read the book "The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good!" and I am waiting for it to arrive from Amazon.
Hi LotToLose,
Really glad you found the article interesting too, and that you also liked it.
You've made some healthy changes, and I hope that you enjoy the book you've ordered. You'll have to tell us what it's like. I've not heard of that one before. I'll have to look it up.
Hope you're having a great week.
Lowcal
Thank you, yes it is a good, but tiring week. I shall report back about the book once I have digested it (hmmm, how many calories would that be??).
Great - sounds like a delicious read - you might even burn off calories whilst reading it...!
I've also made the change from white starches to wholewheat versions, but not 100%. I've been experimenting with rice noodles with my lunches this week (with carrot, broccoli, quorn and kimchi), but noticed I feel pretty hungry by mid afternoon. So white rice noodles are maybe proving unfilling... back to the oatcakes I think!
Hi Ruth,
I also eat quite a few oats - they are really sustaining and keep me full - I really enjoy my porridge in the mornings, and I also made some granola this week, and have been having that with some Greek yoghurt - I don't have any added sugar in the granola - just sweetness from the dried fruits. Pretty similar to the one you made - I remember you posted your recipe once. Really good!
I notice you've had some kimchi in your lunch - I remember somebody else posting about fermented foods like Kimchi and Saurkraut - I've not tried Kimchi yet, so I'm wondering what it tastes like. I can't remember what they told me Kimchi is - I must try to find that other post, as the person kindly told me how to make it.
Hope you are enjoying your week so far.
Lowcal
It's the first time I've tried kimchi. I got it in Whole Foods. It's fermented cabbage with some carrot, ginger and chilli. It's a bit weird and tastes/smells quite strong, but I'm hoping for a probiotic effect a bit like yogurt so I'm sticking it out! Penel recommended I try it ages ago, and I've finally got round to trying it! I've also experimented with rice noodles but I think that's not been such a success...
Thanks for explaining it, Ruth. I think I might try buying it ready made, rather than trying to make it myself - just to see if I like the taste.
Hi again Ruth,
Just a quick question - don't rush to answer it, as I know you're busy, but I just wondered how often you are eating the Kimchi. Also, do you have something that is fermented every day, i.e. do you perhaps have kimchi and then some yoghurt another day, to ensure you have some probiotic type foods every day?
Lowcal
I wasn't that systematic, didn't really know what to have the kimchi with apart from stir fry, and not sure if I got any benefit from it even... I kept it a week or so longer than it advised and didn't finish it all and have now thrown the rest away as I'm a bit nervous what might be growing in there if I kept it any longer! I think if I try it again I'll try making a very small amount from scratch but the jury's still out to be honest! I'm still off dairy but thinking of reintroducing probiotic yogurt as the first item. But for now the best thing for my stomach still seems to be small portions, simple food and general moderation, as boring as that sounds!
Thank you for the post Lowcal, it's a sensible and realistic article that brings balance to the various arguments for and against fad diets.
I've done some studying of early human diet as part of my research into local history which starts from the end of the last ice age. Diets are very localalised and where I live, in Kent/SE London, the diets were very varied. The Thames estuary was the area that I studied and there was an abundance of protein in the form of fish, game birds and mammals. The close proximity to water also meant that there was an abundance of plant life, both natural and cultivated. As we look how populations have developed globally, we can see that the human population centers mainly in close proximity to water, for the very same reasons.
Populations only expanded when humans became propagators and herdsmen. Much has been said in some diet regimes that humans had to fast, because of lack of food. This is not correct. When populations expanded and natural events occurred, such as drought, extreme cold, flooding, unseasonable weather etc . Many people did indeed go without food. They DIED. This continues to happen in this modern age.
There is danger in dabbling in science when it comes to understanding diet and I believe it's far better to stick with the known and proven.
Thank you again for the post.
Hi Tewson,
I appreciate your reply, and it was interesting to hear your comments about the research you undertook. The history of dieting must indeed be a fascinating study. I can understand why you chose it as part of your local history research.
Hope you are enjoying your week so far.
Lowcal
I kept my response short, because I had lost track of time, and we had to run full speed to the school, half a kilometer away LOL.
I think I'm going to use a lot of calories today. We have football after school and loads to be done in the house.
Have a great day lowcal and a belated welcome back
Sounds like you've got another full-on day today Tewson, full of activity - I like your new icon with the tight-walking image. Looks like a skillful portrayal of someone who is juggling lots of things but making it look easy!
Many thanks for the welcome back, I am really happy to be back!
I know I can't cope without my porridge. My whole eating system woukd dissolve.
Hi Aqua,
I rely on having porridge for breakfast too - it is such a great start to the day, and I usually put some nuts and seeds with it, and some fresh or dried fruits, depending on what I have available. I really enjoy it, and it keeps me full up all morning!
Keep up your porridge Aqua, as it would be awful if your eating system was to dissolve!
Hope you are having a great week.
Lowcal
Hi Concerned,
The benefits of fibre are numerous - and I'm glad that no-one is arguing against the value of fibre for digestion. The Department of Health recommends 18g of fibre a day, and according to the estimates by scientists at the Paleobiotic Laboratory in New Orleans, USA) the average intake in the UK is around 13-14g per day, which is considerably less than the 80 - 130g eaten daily by our ancestors 5,000 years ago.
Basically, the average intake in the UK is lower than the Department of Health recommendation - and substantially lower than the Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) on food labels which is 24g (but the discrepancy of 18 - 24g utilised by the two is due to different measurement methods apparently).
The benefits of fibre are numerous, and complex carbs provide good sources of fibre and other nutrients. For example:
"Insoluble fibre - e.g. wholegrain bread, pasta and rice and vegetables - help to speed the passage of food through the gut, and prevent constipation and bowel problems.
Soluble fibre - e.g oats, beans, lentils, nuts, fruit and vegetables - reduces LDL cholesterol levels and helps control blood glucose levels by slowing glucose absorption.
High-fibre foods are beneficial for weight loss as they fill you up and promote satiety."
(N.B. - Above quoted text is from Anita Bean's book entitled "Food For Fitness" (4th edition). Anita Bean is a registered nutritionist (Sports and Exercise).
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study of 519,978 individuals, recruited from ten European countries, found that in populations with low average intake of dietary fibre, an approximate doubling of total fibre intake from foods could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 40 per cent.
The review I mentioned at the start of this post, and numerous other things I have read continue to convince me that the benefits of complex carbohydrates are numerous, when eaten as part of a balanced diet.
I merely wish to highlight the positives of complex carbs within a healthy balanced diet.
Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year in 2016.
Lowcal
Hi Concerned,
I am certainly not purely focusing on fibre, although I can appreciate that my recent response to you probably suggested that - I guess my passion for the benefits of fibre overcame me in that moment. I would however like to point out that similarly your responses appear to focus quite heavily on 'glycaemic index' (GI), so I would like to take this opportunity to discuss this further with you.
Glycaemic Index (GI) doesn't take account of portion size, and can therefore potentially create a falsely bad impression of a food. Anita Bean (nutritionist) has made this statement in her book, and gives the example of watermelon - GI of 72 - classified as a high-GI food, but an average slice (120g/4.2 oz) provides only 6g of carbohydrate - not enough to raise your blood glucose level significantly. Anita Bean goes on to say that you would need to eat 720g of watermelon to obtain 50g of carbohydrate - the amount used in the GI test.
Speaking personally, if I was choosing some watermelon, I'd have an average slice and have some nuts and seeds with it, thereby concentrating on the glycaemic 'load' of the snack, rather than the glycaemic index of the individual foods. By making this combination, I would be aiming to have a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrate and fats within that snack.
Similarly, I'd choose to eat a jacket potato with some butter and some tuna or chicken as a healthy balanced meal. I am aware that a baked potato has a GI of 85, so I wouldn't choose to eat it in isolation, but eating it with other constituents of the meal means that the glycaemic 'load' of that meal is much healthier. I'd also focus on my portion sizes. For example, crisps have a lower GI (54) than baked potatoes (85), but crisps are easy to over-eat because they are not very filling, and therefore I'd try to eat very few of them. GI is useful, but it is not the whole story, as I am sure you can appreciate.
Therefore, sticking to balanced combinations of carbohydrate, protein and fat in any meal and/or snack, thereby attending to glycaemic 'load' of a meal is surely a good way to proceed?
I therefore reiterate that the aim of my post about complex carbohydrates was just to point out that they are a healthy constituent of a healthy balanced diet, and I hope people will consider them as part of their healthy eating plans.
Thanks for your New Year wishes. I really hope that 2016 will be a great year for all of us.
Lowcal
Interesting post and your choice of accompaniments with melon. Personally, I'd have a small honeydew melon halved and deseeded, with the hollow of the melon filled with a nice white port and some berries. In order to keep it balanced, I'd remove a small slice of the skin from the underside, in order to stop it wobbling 
