September 21, 2024

Carb Servings

The Quick Eyeball Method

  

M A N G O     I C E      C R E A M

 Photo by Kristen Whittington 

 

Which foods are in the carbohydrate (carb) family? 

 

Carbohydrates come primarily from plants. Carbohydrates (carbs) can be classified in 6 families. The following foods are composed primarily of carbs with one exception: dairy products are about 1/3 carb. 

1. Vegetables 
2. Fruits 
3. Starches (pasta, potato, rice, breads, breakfast cereals, and flour) 
4. Table sugars (honey, sugar, agave nectar, cookies, cake, and pie) 
5. Genetic engineered sweeteners like aspartame (NutraSweet®) maltodextrin, and sweeteners made from # 2 corn (includes GMO corn) like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and caramel. 
6. Dairy products like milk and yogurt are about 1/3 carbohydrates. 

 

 

Sugar impacts of carbohydrates (glycemic index of carbohydrates) 

 

Veggies are typically low sugar impact carbohydrates (low glycemic index carbs). 

Fruits have about 3X (three times) as much carbohydrates as veggies. 

Starches are high sugar impact carbohydrates (high glycemic index carbs). 

Table sugars are high sugar impact carbohydrates. 

Genetic engineered sweeteners are high sugar impact carbohydrates. Some of them have even more sugar impact (higher glycemic indexes) than regular cane sugar and all of them are associated with more weight gain than real cane sugar, even if they say, “0 calories”. Examples include aspartame, NutraSweet®, maltodextrin, and sweeteners made from # 2 corn like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), and caramel. 

Dairy products are high sugar impact carbohydrates. 

 

What serving sizes of carbohydrates do we need to eat for health? 

 

We can prevent eating extra carbohydrates that our liver will turn into fats, cholesterol, and triglycerides, by using our own hand size to choose our carbohydrate servings. 

 

Low sugar impact carbohydrate servings are based on two loosely held fists. 

 

 

We can eat carbohydrates approximately equal to the size of 2 (two) of our fists held loosely for each meal if we are eating low sugar impact carbohydrates or low glycemic favorable carbohydrates that are converted slowly to sugar in the body. Meals can be served with a reasonably generous green salad on the side. Fresh vegetables are digested well when eaten with protein. This is an ideal food combination that enhances acid-base balance for athletes. Most vegetables are high water content. Veggies are nutrition power houses and most veggies are low sugar impact. 

If we are eating high sugar impact carbohydrates (high glycemic index carbohydrates), we can eat carbohydrates approximately equal to the size of 1 (one) fist tightly held for each meal. Eating meals with high sugar impact carbohydrates is not recommended for peak athletic performance or optimal cholesterol and heart health. Example: One (1) tightly held fist size serving of potatoes per meal. 

The best way is to use the eyeball method to quickly determine our carbohydrate servings for meals and snacks. Pretend your hands are heat proof and can reach into the pans and grab 2 large loosely held fists full of low sugar impact veggies plus you may have a large green salad on the side. The carbohydrate serving sizes and the fat choices are healthy in the chicken meal show below. 

 

 

High sugar impact carbohydrate serving is based on about one fist size serving. 

 

We can eat carbohydrates approximately equal to the size of 1 (one) of our fists tightly held if we are eating high sugar impact carbohydrates (high glycemic index carbohydrates), though eating high sugar impact carbohydrates is not recommended. We may also find that we need to forgo the salad or have a smaller green salad on the side with our meal. Eating super high glycemic carbohydrates (carbs), like store bought ice cream, even if we eat the right amount, is not recommended for elite athletes. High sugar impact carbohydrates have low 

nutrition value and are not power foods. We do need to eat fruits, we just keep the serving size healthy. 

 

Insulin is a bulldozer. 

 

Insulin acts like a bulldozer pushing carbs into the liver, brain, muscles, and other organs. 

For a detailed sugar impact list (glycemic index list) of foods and serving sizes refer to Appendix B of BATON Diet. 

 

 

 

 

 

The less fat we eat, the fatter we get. 

The more natural fats (including saturated fats) we eat, the thinner we get. 

 

The people who ate the most cholesterol, and the most saturated fat, and ate the most calories, weighed the least, and were the most physically active in the renowned Framingham study. (Castelli W et al, 1992, Ann Epidemol (2151) 

 

 

C O W B O Y    V E G E T A B L E S 

C H A Y O T E     S Q U A S H,     J I C A M A,     A N D     C A R R O T S 

 

 

The jicama and chayote squash are low sugar impact while the carrots are higher sugar impact. They look and cook beautifully together.

Serves 2 

1 Chayote squash (very fresh) 

1/2 Jicama (medium and very fresh) 

3 Carrots (organic, small) 

1 Tablespoon unsalted organic grass fed butter (pasture butter) 

Peel the chayote squash, jicama, and carrots. Slice them into thin slices about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Sauté the vegetables in the pasture butter for 5 to 10 minutes and serve immediately. 

This recipe works because the chayote squash cooks at the same speed as the jicama and carrots. Another squash that cooks faster would become soggy. 

Omega-6 essential fat is in the veggies. 

Omega-3 EPA/DHA essential fats in the grass fed butter. 

Saturated and monounsaturated non-essential fats are in the grass fed butter. 

 

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