Are starches fattening?
The Facts:
Many foods high in starch, like bread, rice, pasta, cereals, beans, fruits, and some vegetables (like potatoes and yams) are low in fat and calories. They become high in fat and calories when eaten in large portion sizes or when covered with high-fat toppings like butter, sour cream, or mayonnaise. Foods high in starch (also called complex carbohydrates) are an important source of energy for your body.
Tip:
A healthy eating plan is one that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; is low in saturated fats, trans fat, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
SOURCE: The Weight-control Information Network (WIN)
This is the exact diet I got fat on. Seriously. Low fat, low calorie, whole grains, low/non fat dairy, lean meat (and no meat at times), veggies, fruit, legumes, low sugar (well, added sugar – carbohydrates turn to glucose in the body, regardless. I reached the highest weight of my life on this diet, and felt horrible. And I’m not the only one.
There is so much more information out there now, from eminent doctors, researchers and scientists, that confirms my (and others) experience with this type of diet (actually, this info has been around for literally centuries – just in the last 40 years or so it has gotten pushed aside). It’s worth looking into. Not only have people lost weight by limiting carbohydrate foods (to varying degrees), they have reversed or improved the symptoms of many common ‘diseases of civilization’.
I think you’re doing a great thing here, but please, please look beyond the mainstream nutritional information that has led many of us down the road to worse – not better – health.
Hi Tracy,
Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your thoughtful comment. You are right – this post is based on mainstream nutritional information, but there are other posts that discuss other points of view. It’s funny, because I also hear that I need to feature more mainstream posts. Anyway, I try to include several sides of the weight loss issue on FFTV. I would love to know more about your weight loss, and possibly feature your story, if you are interested.