I'm trying to get my daily carbs up. After using the equations on Marcus's post, I came up with about 300g of carbs a day. I am having a hard time getting that many, the only time I came close was when I threw in a can of corn which was about 85g of carbs. I looked in glycemicindex.com, and the GI seems to vary from Sweet corn, frozen, heated in microwave: 47 GI to Sweet corn, boiled (USA) : 60. I really like the fact I can easily eat a can of it and get so many carbs, where as other foods, I have to use much larger servings to get the same carbs. But if it might hinder my weight loss progress, I will drop it. Any advice on this? Keep it or not?

Bananas, good or evil? Banana, slightly under-ripe (yellow with green sections) (USA): 42 GI. I would like to be able to eat these as a snack, but it seems peoples opinions on bananas differ a lot.

Finally, pasta. How do I know the pasta I am eating is "safe?" As in it is not going to make me fat.

all of those foods are great, i would limit wholewheat pasta because its pretty calorie dense, although since your shooting for 300g carbs thats probly a good thing :)

GI is almost irrelevant, it should limit your food choices, especially if they are all healthy, the GI get greatly effected by other food items (like lower-GI carbs also included in the meal, proteins, and fats all lower the GI) also previous meals also lower the GI, so when making food choices dont let the GI limit them, go eat your white potatoes and banana's, they are GREAT for you!

Assuming your caloric level is appropriate, no macronutrient is going to make you fat by itself. The sources of carbs, protein and fat and the timing of your consumption of them are what will determine their effect on your body composition. Generally, you should try to avoid sugar and other high-GI carbs and the insulin spike they cause. Not combining large amounts of fat and high-GI carbs is another popular guideline, especially if, as you indicated, you're trying to lose fat. As for Marcus's post, macronutrient ratios are one area where there's a decent amount of variation in what people use and have success with. If you're having trouble getting 300g of "good carbs" per day, don't be afraid to alter the proportions a bit. Do some research and find something, perhaps a 40-40-20 or 40-30-30 ("Zone"), plan that is appropriate for your goals.

Regarding the specific foods you mentioned, bananas are good, as is whole wheat pasta. As its name implies, quite a few of those carbs in sweet corn come from sugar. Although you're getting some vitamins and fiber from it and it has a relatively low GI, vegetables with less sugar might be a better option.

Yams. Low GI, 50% more calories than a potato. 1 cup is 40g carbs.

I thought corn was higher GI. If you are trying to increase carbs (bulking or very active) anthing below GI of 60-65 I think is fine, especially if eaten with fats and protein as part of a meal.

The only 'evil' thing about bananas in my opinion is that they contain quite a lot of carbs, so eating them can be an issue for those trying to restrict carbs.

The only time I have heard people say bananas are bad is becuase they say they are high GI, which clearly they are not likely to be (I think there is one published example where someone got a number of 75).

i wouldnt restrict any healthy carb because if the GI, i say eat all the corn, white potatoes, banana's you want, as long as your not eating them alot, after a 12 hour fast, you should be fine!

The glycemic index is based on eating a carb in a fasted state with no other macronutrients present. Protein and fat both taper the GI in any case. The real way to distinguish whether a carb is bad is natural vs. refined. If you were to follow the glycemic index we could get lean by eating ice cream, M&MS and peanuts all day, right?

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. To say things like carrots, bananas, potatoes and corn are bad is ludicrous.

Also the "GI" for carrots is based on 18 large carrots. That is alot of carrots.

Take a look at my blog - I posted actual food menus, etc. I averaged about 300 grams of carbs per day. My protein was only around 100 grams - that was a cutting phase where I lost 30 pounds in 12 weeks. Pictures are at the top, menus are as you scroll through the daily entries, it is in reverse chronological order ...

http://www.bodyblog.com/Public.asp?id=507

Jeremy

I'm trying to get my daily carbs up. After using the equations on Marcus's post, I came up with about 300g of carbs a day. I am having a hard time getting that many, the only time I came close was when I threw in a can of corn which was about 85g of carbs. I looked in glycemicindex.com, and the GI seems to vary from Sweet corn, frozen, heated in microwave: 47 GI to Sweet corn, boiled (USA) : 60. I really like the fact I can easily eat a can of it and get so many carbs, where as other foods, I have to use much larger servings to get the same carbs. But if it might hinder my weight loss progress, I will drop it. Any advice on this? Keep it or not?

Bananas, good or evil? Banana, slightly under-ripe (yellow with green sections) (USA): 42 GI. I would like to be able to eat these as a snack, but it seems peoples opinions on bananas differ a lot.

Finally, pasta. How do I know the pasta I am eating is "safe?" As in it is not going to make me fat.

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. To say things like carrots, bananas, potatoes and corn are bad is ludicrous.

Mostly, though, it's just oversimplifying.

It all depends on context. And I'd put potatoes in a different category than the other three, mostly because the way they tend to be served, it's really easy to eat way too many of them.

I get in this silly argument with my roommate whenever he offers me a glass of juice, and I decline. He says it's "unacceptable," "stupid," or "ridiculous" that I don't drink juice. Sure, for you and your priorities, maybe. But I've done my research and know myself, and if I drink juice I'll get a lot of calories I don't want real fast without being any less hungry.

Sure, the juice isn't "bad," but just because something isn't "bad," that doesn't mean you should eat as much of it as you can whenever you want all the time.

When you eat too much food, it's a good idea to limit the good stuff as well as the bad. Keep everything reined in and under control, especially at first.

i wouldnt restrict any healthy carb because if the GI

Yup, as well, even without GI considereations carrots and potatoes are very low calorie/lb compared with may other foods. I guess some people can eat a lot of potatoes and pack in the calories, but I always felt like they gave a good 'bang to the buck' so to speak. Also, in any case if you look though the GI list for potatoes it's really variable. Even 'new potato' in Canada got results from 47 to 70!

Having said that, I cut potatoes out 6 months ago and won't be going back. I think it's kind of like the 'milk thing'. You try it, if it works great if not people have certainly got ripped eating potatoes.

hmmm... judging carb foods based on GI = very close to useless, especially compared to judging them on the basis of being unprocessed &/or nutrient-dense. this gets kind of out there, but even micronutrient-sparse carb sources have their place in the diet. as it's been mentioned, GI application has a ton of confounding variables, don't live by it. as for potato trivia, they actually have a higher satiety index than any of the other foods tested by susan holt's team. there's unique nutritional benefit to be gained from each plant species that isn't an abject poison to the body. yup, each species contains beneficial nutrients absent in other species, hence the importance of broadening the variety of foods you eat, not narrowing it. i suggest you bring those taters back. give them a proper welcoming parade.

Luckily for me, I dont miss potatoes all that much. I liked them when I could eat them without worrying about gaining or not losing weight, but I easily dropped them no questions asked. Thanks for the yams idea, I will replace my banana with yams and use bananas as a cheat snack every so often, just to be on the safe side. As far as the corn goes, replacing that with pinto beans might be a good way to get those carbs, they are high in carbs, not really any sugar, and high in protein. Not to mention they are cheap and actually taste good.

Probably a dumb question, but can nutrients that are missing from a diet, be obtained from something like a multi vitamin? Or is it not really the same as if somebody was eating a wide range of foods.

i suggest you bring those taters back. give them a proper welcoming parade.

haha, damn right. Potatoes are one of the most filling foods I eat.

Mostly, though, it's just oversimplifying.

It all depends on context. And I'd put potatoes in a different category than the other three, mostly because the way they tend to be served, it's really easy to eat way too many of them.

I get in this silly argument with my roommate whenever he offers me a glass of juice, and I decline. He says it's "unacceptable," "stupid," or "ridiculous" that I don't drink juice. Sure, for you and your priorities, maybe. But I've done my research and know myself, and if I drink juice I'll get a lot of calories I don't want real fast without being any less hungry.

Sure, the juice isn't "bad," but just because something isn't "bad," that doesn't mean you should eat as much of it as you can whenever you want all the time.

When you eat too much food, it's a good idea to limit the good stuff as well as the bad. Keep everything reined in and under control, especially at first.

The real determinant of whether a carb is bad should be based on natural vs refined, not the Glycemic Index.

Luckily for me, I dont miss potatoes all that much. I liked them when I could eat them without worrying about gaining or not losing weight, but I easily dropped them no questions asked. Thanks for the yams idea, I will replace my banana with yams and use bananas as a cheat snack every so often, just to be on the safe side. As far as the corn goes, replacing that with pinto beans might be a good way to get those carbs, they are high in carbs, not really any sugar, and high in protein. Not to mention they are cheap and actually taste good.

Probably a dumb question, but can nutrients that are missing from a diet, be obtained from something like a multi vitamin? Or is it not really the same as if somebody was eating a wide range of foods.
if you liked the taste of potatoes, there was no good enough reason to drop them. i'll say it again, all species & even subspecies of foods have specifically different micronutritional profiles, & i'm not talking about just vitamins/minerals.. banana as an occasional cheat snack? that's ludicrous. nix the notion that bananas are decadent, for crying out loud. they have an average of 50 more calories than the typical fruit - nothing to miss out on their unique benefits over. and about replacing corn with (whatever, you choose), you're just simply nixing the unique carotenoid content therein, & joining the millions who court macular degeneration as a result of deficiencies in the wide & untapped spectrum of phytonutrients that support eye health. have both, rotate them if necessary, don't sell yourself short. there are probably hundreds, if not thousands or more, micro-nutritional cofactors that we have not isolated from plant & animal tissue. no, you cannot get them in supplemental form. it almost angers me to hear folks kicking foods out of their diets for reasons based on misinformation. variety is KEY for optimal nutrition. tatoo that one.. i know folks are sensitive at this site, so pardon my preaching. good luck in your quest, i'll be happy to give you further suggestions.

The real determinant of whether a carb is bad should be based on natural vs refined, not the Glycemic Index.a-men.

Bananas, good or evil?I personally find them evil because they turn my intestines inside out. I've tried bananas by themselves and with just about every kind of meal available and they never cease to make the food flow through my digestive tract loud enough that it sounds like I'm living under a water processing plant, then soon whatever room I'm in smells nautiously like dead roadkill before I'm off to the bathroom for 3-5 bouts of diarrhea over the course of the next two hours. Even a juice with banana in it (like an orange/strawberry/banana mix) will cause a similar (though somewhat diluted) effect.

Beyond my personal issues, if you can stomach them, go right ahead. I don't have anything to add to Alan or Steve's posts, though I'll echo their sentiments.