Fiber and its Benefits - Low Carb?

Diet and Nutrition
1

In today’s article about nutrition (“Eat Your Lungs Out While Getting Leaner”), it mentions that carbs are the most likely cause of unnecessary weight gain. I’ve competed in bodybuilding several times and gone through the contest diet to get extra lean, and carbs were essential in my program for the intake of fiber. Maybe I’m just dull, but I’m not getting the low carb approach. I’m probably overthinking it.

In addition, good carbs are essential, as Dr. Lowery states, for managing weight loss since it lowers the glycemic index of meals. In addition, when I went low carb, I also got constipated, which over the long haul, can potentially increase the risk of colon cancers.

What are your thoughts? Here’s an excerpt from a website on fiber and its benefits

Benefits of Fiber

There are many health benefits to be gained from eating an adequate amount of fiber in your diet. Some of them include:

* Cholesterol Reduction. By trapping bile acids that would otherwise be absorbed and converted into cholesterol, fiber can help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides.
* Improved Protein Absorption. Eating foods high in fiber while eating foods high in protein will slow down the breakdown of that protein, thereby allowing for greater absorption.
* Better Colon Function. This one you are likely aware of already (aka "keeps you regular"). I'll leave it at that.
* Prevents Body-Fat Storage. Soluble fiber helps the body use carbs for glycogen synthesis and energy production, rather than storing them as fats. Also, just as fiber slows down the body's processing of proteins, fiber can slow down how fast your body metabolizes carbs. For you, this means that your insulin levels will not spike as a result of eating a high-GI food, which is yet another way to help prevent body fat storage.

Foods High in Fiber

Now that you know the types of fiber and the benefits of fiber, you’ll probably want to know exactly where to find the stuff. Use the list of high fiber foods below to help you consume 30-40 grams per day if you’re a man, or 20-30 grams if you’re a woman. Each category is arranged with the highest-fiber foods at the top.

HIGH FIBER FRUITS

* Pear - 1 medium - 5.1 grams
* Figs, dried - 2 medium - 3.7 grams
* Blueberries - 1 cup - 3.5 grams
* Apple, with skin - 1 medium - 3.3 grams
* Strawberries - 1 cup - 3.3 grams
* Peaches, dried - 3 halves - 3.2 grams
* Orange - 1 medium - 3.1 grams
* Apricots, dried - 10 halves - 2.6 grams
* Raisins - 1.5-ounce box - 1.6 grams

HIGH FIBER GRAINS, CEREAL, and PASTA

* Spaghetti, whole-wheat - 1 cup - 6.3 grams
* Bran flakes - 3/4 cup - 5.1 grams
* Oatmeal - 1 cup - 4.0 grams
* Bread, rye - 1 slice - 1.9 grams
* Bread, whole-wheat - 1 slice - 1.9 grams
* Bread, mixed-grain - 1 slice - 1.7 grams
* Bread, cracked-wheat - 1 slice - 1.4 grams

HIGH FIBER LEGUMES, NUTS, and SEEDS

* Lentils - 1 cup - 15.6 grams
* Black beans - 1 cup - 15.0 grams
* Lima beans - 1 cup - 13.2 grams
* Baked beans, canned - 1 cup - 10.4 grams
* Almonds - 24 nuts - 3.3 grams
* Pistachio nuts - 47 nuts - 2.9 grams
* Peanuts - 28 nuts - 2.3 grams
* Cashews - 18 nuts - 0.9 grams

HIGH FIBER VEGETABLES

* Peas - 1 cup - 8.8 grams
* Artichoke, cooked - 1 medium - 6.5 grams
* Brussels sprouts - 1 cup - 6.4 grams
* Turnip greens, boiled - 1 cup - 5.0 grams
* Potato, baked with skin - 1 medium - 4.4 grams
* Corn - 1 cup - 4.2 grams
* Popcorn, air-popped - 3 cups - 3.6 grams
* Tomato paste - 1/4 cup - 3.0 grams
* Carrot - 1 medium - 2.0 grams
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Low-carb diets allow for limitless fibrous, non-starchy vegetables: tomatoes, spinach, okra, onions, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, cucumbers, and lettuce. I never had constipation on any low-carb diet. In fact, I still went to the bathroom one to times per day, everyday on them because of my fiber intake.

No one NEEDS starchy carbs in the literal sense; you don’t need them to live.

Some people do good with carbs; some don’t. Dorian Yates consumed a 50 - 60% carb diet; so did Mike Francois; that ain’t for me, and it’s not for most.

3

you said Lowery said to eat carbs to lower the G.I. of a meal…now I’m sure if there weren’t carbs in the first place(i.e. meat and nuts) I doubt it’d rank too high on the G.I. scale

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[quote]bkmacky9288 wrote:
you said Lowery said to eat carbs to lower the G.I. of a meal…now I’m sure if there weren’t carbs in the first place(i.e. meat and nuts) I doubt it’d rank too high on the G.I. scale[/quote]

I think he meant taking fibrous carbs to lower the GI of a meal, which can consist of starchy carbs and protein both of which can cause an increase in blood glucose level.

5

I have never, in all of my life, met anyone who got fat from eating too many fruits and vegetables.

In a sense, he’s a reactionary. He sees fat people who eats carbs.
Then he treats all carbs are being the same.

Eat no carbs except for fruit and vegetables. Try getting fat. Really, try it.

It won’t happen.

Now-a-days, though, people hear “carbs,” and think, “cereal, cookies, cakes.” Even people on this site have trouble with nuance.

So you gotta realize that he’s overstating his position because most people are too fucking moronic to be spoken to as intelligent adults.