I’ve been on a limited carb diet for awhile now and have recently doubled my carb intake. Problem is I’ve gotten so used to very little carbs now I’m having trouble trying to fill my carb requirements with quality ones. I usually have oatmeal for breakfast but what other types of carbs are considered optimal? Obviously vegetables are good in general but you can’t get 200+ grams of carbs a day with veggies alone. Even if you could I doubt it’d be worth it seeing that a lot of them don’t even supply enough energy to burn themselves off. I know pasta, white potatoes, milk and others are supposedly “poor” choices, so what are good ones? By the way I think the reason some people get smooth eating pasta and such is probably through water retention. Highly processed carbs tend to have a good deal of sodium versus their lower processed cousins. Also there may be something else in the carbs that cause water retention. At any rate what are some quality carb choices?
Vageta, Try using a meal replacement drink on top of your existing diet. Usually those Twinlabplex, Miloplex, GNCWeight Gainer… Plex will give you the carbs. Make sure you read how much carb and how much sugar is inside the drink you use. Too much sugar makes you burned out later on. Peace
I’d say be careful with the carbs from most MRPS, as they are mostly from maltodextrin, a carb source I wouldn’t consider optimal. Oatmeal is great, sweet potatoes are often considered very good, beans and lentils…but veggies are prime time subjects, my friend, particularly if you’re still dieting. I like to see the majority of my carbs coming from veggies if/when I cut back on cals–even for just a day. If you’re dieting, I would limit fructose and lactose also.
Sweet potatoes,wheat bran,wild brown rice, some nuts have carbs.
Yes trying to explain what good carb sources can be tough. People get hung on the GI of a carb but in reality a lot of the ones that are considered bad aren’t that high on the list. Pasta, milk, etc… Vegetables are no doubt the single best choice but it’d be impossible to get that amount of carbs in pure vegetables unless you include things like corn and white potatoes. Corn as I remember is not the greatest source either as it’s starchy like a potato.
I think here in a couple weeks I am going to really clean up my diet. I’ll consume the same calories but I want to see what kind of difference carb choices will make. Cutting out all my milk, whole wheat bread, pasta, etc… and seeing if it makes any difference on my progress. No one mentioned fruits either which are actually considered quite good if you stick to the low GI ones. Apples, pears, etc… Watermelon, bananas and some of the others aren’t quite as good.
And as far as lentils go, do you know which are the best? And what form to get them in? I'm assuming getting raw beans in a bag and cooking them is much better than a canned variety, even if they are unsweetened, no salt, etc.. I'm not sure which beans are considered the best either.
flax bread is up there with oatmeal and some whole wheat pasta isnt too bad
Beans and lentils get my vote, along with pearled barley. The barley can be a bit rubbery and difficult to chew though. If you are going to consume more legumes, be prepared to have a gassy ass for about a week. I have my misgivings about sweet potatos. They are so tasty that one can easily overeat.
Beans (black, garbanzo, navy, etc.), Peanuts and Oatmeal.
add honey to your protein shake.
if you can’t get 200 grams of carbs from veggies then you must not have much of an appetite :). If you’re just talking fibrous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, okra, squash, salad greens etc then you will have a hard time getting your carbs in. I recommend you try to get your carbs from things like oatmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, brown rice, corn, etc. These starchy complex carbs are much more desirable then any type of packaged or processed food as well as any type of carb from simple sugars (milk, fruit, etc.)
The Big Daddy Dozer calipered 5.7% bodyfat this week. down…down…down…bodyfat goin down. Carbs still make up 40% of my calorie intake for the day which I get from oatmeal, OJ, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, yams, and frozen yogert. I also eat a granola bar whenever I drink an MRP which I drink 2 a day of.
-Dozer
Way to go, Big Daddy Dozer! It’s nice to know that there are other fellas out there how can stick with the carbs and get/stay lean as a mutha! Congrats on your progress and keep bustin’ arse, bro.
I agree with Kelly that 200g of carbs from veggies are not all that much. Try the bags of frozen mixed veggies with corn, peas and lima beans (starchy) along with other fibrous veggies. I also think that other starchy, complex carbs, such as oatmeal, rice and pasta are much better choices–when consumed in proper quantities–than fruits and milk products when dieting. I understand that fruits provide fiber and other wonderful nutrients, but when your goal is to lean out, I’ve read convincing material–primarily from John Parrillo–that fruit (fructose) is not your friend!
As far as which beans are the best, I really don't know. But I know that Great Northern's taste pretty damn good. You're probably right in saying that dry are better than canned, particularly when accounting for sodium.