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elleng

(130,895 posts)
Sun Feb 4, 2018, 08:57 PM Feb 2018

On the Whole30 Diet, Vowing to Eat Smarter Carbs for More Than 30 Days

'Last January, as one does, I pledged to eat better. Not one to phone it in, I adopted a meal plan with almost every vice crossed off the list. I blame Instagram, which was where I first spied the hashtag #Whole30, along with hundreds of iPhone-perfect images of delicious-looking food. If I ate nothing but whole, unprocessed foods for 30 days, the Whole30 program promised, I would have less bloating, fewer cravings, better sleep and more energy.

Adhering to Whole30 involved staying away from almost everything I loved. Wine? Forget it. Bread? No way. Even foods I’d assumed were healthful were verboten, including peanuts and chickpeas. (There went my hummus habit.) Other no’s included: no wheat, no dairy, no soy and no sugar. For one whole month I subsisted on air and water (just kidding).

Watching everything I eat is nothing new for me, since I have lived with Type 1 diabetes most of my life and monitor my blood glucose levels dozens of times throughout the day. I can eat sugary foods and other carbohydrates; I just have to give myself insulin to coincide with the elevated glucose running around in my bloodstream, typically about 10 to 30 minutes after each meal. The fewer carbs I eat, the lower my insulin requirements.

While there are no refined sugars in the Whole30 diet, there are plenty of carbs: vegetables, fruit, even nuts have them. For an entire month I happily consumed plants, protein and fat. Breakfast became coconut yogurt layered with blueberries, chia seeds and hemp hearts. Lunch was a mound of kale, carrots, tomatoes and tuna. Dinner featured roasted sweet potato, zucchini “noodles” and salmon. For snacks I ate nuts, unsweetened jerky and green apples, which are generally less sweet than red ones, and less sweet means fewer carbs.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/well/eat/whole30-diet-low-carb-carbohydrates-diabetes.html?

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On the Whole30 Diet, Vowing to Eat Smarter Carbs for More Than 30 Days (Original Post) elleng Feb 2018 OP
Not too long ago it was cut out carbs. The problem with diets is that they are not sustainable. wasupaloopa Feb 2018 #1
Of course, you can't just cut carbs completely. forgotmylogin Feb 2018 #2
Thanks this is new to me and useful flamingdem Feb 2018 #3
 

wasupaloopa

(4,516 posts)
1. Not too long ago it was cut out carbs. The problem with diets is that they are not sustainable.
Sun Feb 4, 2018, 09:32 PM
Feb 2018

You go back to your old ways sooner or later.

forgotmylogin

(7,528 posts)
2. Of course, you can't just cut carbs completely.
Sun Feb 4, 2018, 09:42 PM
Feb 2018

There are natural carbs, and your body needs them. Corn, peas, moderate amounts of potato, and all the non-starchy vegetables.

I think people can benefit from lowering intake of processed carb like sugar in general, and bread, crackers and other pastry where a whole lot of carbohydrate is packed into a small and easily edible amount that's easy to overindulge in.

I learned to think less about carbs and more about glycemic load - processed carbs without fiber provide the highest glycemic load and spike the blood sugar, which is the effect which long-term causes insulin issues and addiction to carbohydrate. Low glycemic carbs provide energy for longer instead of in one spike. It's the difference between keeping warm by burning lots of paper that burns hot for a short time, and burning wood which takes a while to get going but sustains moderate heat for a longer period of time.

flamingdem

(39,313 posts)
3. Thanks this is new to me and useful
Mon Feb 5, 2018, 01:09 AM
Feb 2018

I went to a dietician and she didn't recommend anything this extreme but I love the "it's only 30 days" idea.


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