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12-31-2009, 02:07 PM | #1 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Feb 2007
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do your meals rely on carbs?
There was a post a week or so ago on another thread where the poster commented on the growing waistline of her DH. She attributed it to the fact that (due to budgetary constraints) all his meals contained rice. Or potatoes. Or pasta.
Um, I've been a (lacto-ovo) vegetarian for 30 years. All my meals contain these things. We're light on soy & heavy on legumes. But each dinner contains grains in some processed form or occasionally potatoes. I know Mercola is anti-grain & I think other diets (like Paleo) are too. Am I too heavy on the carbs? Our typical dinners look something like this: vegetarian lasagna lentil enchilada any soup/stew/chili & homemade bread or cornbread polenta with veggie/bean topping ravioli with veggie marinara veggie pizza any sandwich burger vegetarian pot pie stir fry with rice cheese & zucchini manicotti burritos See what I mean? I always assumed I was eating a balanced, typical vegetarian diet. Thoughts?
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12-31-2009, 02:39 PM | #2 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NY
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
I would say that almost all our meals have carbs. We have spaghetti or a pasta based meal at least twice a week, usually more. Potatoes at least once a week. Rice every couple of weeks. And a lot of times, if it's a red sauce meal, we'll have bread as well. For the most part, I don't think our serving sizes are too crazy. My husband's waist is due to the snacking he does. No doubt about it. He has been working really hard though and it's coming off. IF I get regular exercise, I don't gain either. I do snack less than he does though.
I really do believe it's about moderation and exercise. I think the low carb/low protien/low whatever diet of the moment is nothing but a fad and that we need them all to be healthy ---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ---------- By the way...that cheese zucchini manicotti sounds awesome. Do you make it or buy it.
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12-31-2009, 06:43 PM | #3 |
Rose Garden
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,120
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Thanks for the reply.
Here's the manicotti recipe. Not exactly low fat, but it's tasty. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/S...eese-Manicotti This one sounds interesting, too. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/C...Stuffed-Shells
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12-31-2009, 06:48 PM | #4 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
My meals frequently rely on rice, potatoes, beans and other whole foods. Carbohydrates are NOT evil. I know there are others that believe carb-cutting is the key to weight loss, but I disagree completely, both through my research and through my experience in weight loss. Dr. John McDougall has some great information on high starch/low fat eating.
Jen D. ---------- Post added at 05:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:48 PM ---------- PS: His books are WAY better than his website but the web address is www.drmcdougall.com
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12-31-2009, 07:16 PM | #5 |
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A.K.A. joyinthspirit
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
You need carbs. What you are eating sounds fine to me. They aren't evil (unless you can't tolerate them). Right now I have to get all of my carbs from sweet potatoes, corn, rice, and quinoa. It stinks, and I'm not even a vegetarian. I say if you can eat them, go for it!!!!
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12-31-2009, 08:31 PM | #6 |
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Formerly NightingaleQueenofCrocs
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Food isn't as simple as Carb/non Carb (unless you're relying on refined things like sugar and white flour.) Lots of carb rich foods are also rich in protein and micro nutrients.
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12-31-2009, 09:22 PM | #7 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
I don't think you rely too heavily on carbs.
I haven't read the other thread/post, but I gather that the poster's dh is probably eating a LOT of those starchy carbs and not much of the other stuff(protein and veggies). Yes, that would pack on the pounds. I do know that the year or so that I was no-grain, no-beans, and no-lots of other foods, I lost a lot of weight to begin with and stayed there (around 125) as long as I kept to the 'diet'. Once I started adding the grains back in, I started gaining it back(and am now around 135-140). I'm seriously thinking of cutting way back on the carbs again. I felt better off of them(though I admit to craving them).
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Tanya InTJ
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12-31-2009, 09:30 PM | #8 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
I think basing meals on good carbs is the way to go. I'm not a vegetarian at the moment (I go back and forth) but to me meat is a condiment, not something to base a meal on. And vegetables, as great as they are, do not have enough calories to be the basis of your meal.
I second the recommendation to check out John McDougall's stuff. You can lose weight on a low-carb diet, but it's not healthy weight loss. You get a "feeling of wellbeing" only because your body is in a crisis mode called ketosis. I was obese in high school and got to a normal weight by eating a very high carb, low fat diet (think about 85% carbs, 10% protein, 5% fat). I kept it off, aside from pregnancy, for the last over 10 years. Anyway, nothing wrong with basing meals on carbs. The reason people gain weight on carbs is not the high carb foods, but what you put on them (mashed potatoes, for instance, are super high in butter, and then people put gravy on them, etc). Fat is what makes people fat.
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01-01-2010, 07:34 AM | #9 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Actually, I believe it's excess calories that makes people fat, not the fat itself. Otherwise we could all sit around and live off of soda and not get fat, right?
I think the human body is able to function well under many 'diet regimens'. I get so frustrated and confused reading all the different options, I don't know who to believe! LOL I think we are all wired differently, so different things will work for different people for weight loss/not gaining too much weight. Things like ethnic background, food intolerances(that we should listen to and respect in ourselves) and allergies, all play a role. We should go with whatever helps us to feel the best in our own body.
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Tanya InTJ
Wife to Randy Mom to: Brownie-18, RockSalt-16, LuLu-going on 14 and Avery, with the Lord September 2010 In essentials, Unity In non-essentials, Liberty In all things, Charity My Blogs: Living Healthy in the Modern World and Wordy Musings Last edited by Lady TS; 01-01-2010 at 07:38 AM. |
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01-01-2010, 09:19 AM | #10 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
While it's true that excess calories make you fat (and I would never advocate drinking soda all day), some things are easier to get fat on. Someone named Dr. Shintani has developed a scale called the "eat more index" that tells you how many pounds of food it would take to give you a day's calories for an average person. For the most part you can only eat about 4 pounds of food in a day (based on stomach volume, etc.)
For example, the eat more index for potatoes is 9.5, which means it takes 9.5 lb of potatoes to make up the average person's daily calories. You couldn't eat that much in a day, therefore if you ate only potatoes, you couldn't get fat. That's why I have a hard time believing that potatoes eaten in any amount are what is making someone fat. It just can't happen. The EMI for oranges is 15.6, green beans is 21.8. You can eat any of these foods in any combination and not get fat. The EMI for bread is 4.7, so even if you ate only bread, you wouldn't get fat. It's foods with EMIs less than 4 that can make you fat. Butter is .76, mayo is .77, cheddar cheese is 1.37, fried chicken is 2.23. So if you only eat these foods, you will get fat because you'd want to eat more than that many pounds of food, and thus you would get more than the calories you needed. Obviously most people eat a combination of foods with high EMIs and low EMIs. But in any case, it's impossible to get fat on just potatoes.
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01-01-2010, 10:00 AM | #11 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Aerynne---the soda thing I mentioned was just an extreme example.
I'd never heard of the EMI thing. Very interesting. I do know that my body can go a LOT further on high protein, veggies, and healthy fats than it can on high carbs(such as a lot of brown rice and less meat and veggies). Other's mileage may vary, though. I think metabolism has a lot to do with it too. I guess my ideal plate would be 15-25% meat(or other protein), max 25% grains and 50% or more veggies. When I was avoiding all grains and legumes due to allergies, it was more 25% meat/eggs/cheese and 75% veggies and fruits. Edited to ask: Would you consider my 25% meat/75% veggies and fruits to be low-carb? Because, I mean, veggies and fruits DO have carbs. Just asking...not sure what you consider unhealthy low-carb.
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Tanya InTJ
Wife to Randy Mom to: Brownie-18, RockSalt-16, LuLu-going on 14 and Avery, with the Lord September 2010 In essentials, Unity In non-essentials, Liberty In all things, Charity My Blogs: Living Healthy in the Modern World and Wordy Musings Last edited by Lady TS; 01-01-2010 at 10:02 AM. |
01-02-2010, 04:18 PM | #12 | |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Quote:
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01-02-2010, 05:11 PM | #13 |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
In my late teens and early twenties I was on a high carb/very low fat diet. I thought I felt pretty good, lost weight, but I also never lost the fat around my midsection. I ate an incredible amount of food and I always felt like I was starving. I'd get sick if I didn't eat by mealtime.
A decade later when I tried lower carb (most carbs coming from veggies and fruits) and didn't worry so much about healthy fats, my middle shrank dramatically. All that fat that was packed around my internal organs was gone. I also realized how important good fats were *for me* and my emotional well being and cognition. Plus I didn't feel like I was starving all day anymore and I could wait a half hour for my dinner without nausea, sweats and the extreme irritability my Dh came to understand as a sign I needed food. I don't have insulin resistance, but I do feel I need to be careful as diabetes is prevalent in my family and I have experienced issues with hypoglycemia while eating carbs. Having had the experience I've had, I will never go back to a high carb diet again. That's just the way my body works. It's way too individual to say one way is the answer for everyone.
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01-02-2010, 05:44 PM | #14 |
Moderator in Vegetarianism & Veganism
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Why are you concerned? Are you self-doubting your choices because of other peoples opinions?
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01-05-2010, 05:19 PM | #15 | |
Rose Garden
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Re: do your meals rely on carbs?
Quote:
Yep, pretty much. Most of what I learned before becoming and adult (and responsible for myself) came from Dr. McDougall. I've read quite a few of his books. Over the years, I've decided not to adopt some of his beliefs after hearing arguments from other 'experts' -- namely soy & oils. I limit the soy & don't stress about the oils. (Although I don't like to see oils exposed to high temps, I still cook with 'em.) I was never vegan, either. But then there are other 'experts' who are anti-grains. There are also some who are anti-beans. Not eating meat & only minimal amounts of soy, my diet is high in both grains & beans. It's pretty much all I know. I've eaten the same way my whole life. Even growing up, we didn't eat that much soy. (My mom used to make homemade tofu. ) A few mos. ago DH was eating a lot of cottage cheese for the protein. Because it was so convenient, I started eating a cup a day, too. It gave us both itchy skin so after many weeks, we gave it up, but only after I did, I realized how my cravings for simple carbs & sugars was reduced. I think it's Mercola who says if you're experiencing cravings or tiredness, you're not eating for your nutritional type. (I'm always tired in the late afternoon & get my 2nd wind around dinnertime.) So I'm wondering if I'm eating totally wrong. But I'm not sure what I can change without going to meat. I don't think I can go there, despite the fact that my family eats it. After the comment in my OP, I was left "Am I that far off base?" Hence the question.
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