For my complex carb intake i pretty much only use oatmeal (quaker quick oats). Maybe once a week i'll use brown rice and whole wheat pasta but for the rest of the week its oatmeal in 4 out of my six daily meals. Anything wrong with using oatmeal as primary carb source?

I eat tons of veggies, and also have protein with each meal as well.

What about fruit?

and sweet potato:eat:

It's always good to strive for variety. But personally if I was limiting myself to one carb source I'd go with sweet potatoes.

How are you getting your vitamins? Fruits give lots of good carbs, but also lots of vitamins and minerals. Variety is always good.

Yea i have fruit as well, 2-3 servings a day banana's and apple's.

I can't stand sweet pototoes and regular pototoes are ok.

A related question: Would this be acceptable even if the OP weren't eating fruits and veggies, but taking in ample vitamins/minerals through supplements?

A related question: Would this be acceptable even if the OP weren't eating fruits and veggies, but taking in ample vitamins/minerals through supplements?

Well, quick oats suck. He should be eating old fashioned or steel cut.

And vitamin supplements are NO substitute for the more readily bioavailable micronutrients in real foods.

A related question: Would this be acceptable even if the OP weren't eating fruits and veggies, but taking in ample vitamins/minerals through supplements?

yes, variety is good... but it's not the end of the world if you don't get it (variety that is)... my hubby doesn't eat veggies at all... or fruit for that matter... and he's just fine... he takes vitamins several times a day, as do I... I eat veggies though... and sometimes an apple

I also don't see any problem with eating oatmeal exclusively for your carb source as long as you don't mind monotony ;)

Well, quick oats suck. He should be eating old fashioned or steel cut.
I think quick-oats are old-fashioned, just pre-split so that they cook faster. Is that really a problem? Does it affect their GI?

And vitamin supplements are NO substitute for the more readily bioavailable micronutrients in real foods.
Could you say more about this? Is it because that vitamin supplements only contain so many vitamins/minerals? "How" unhealthy would it be to rely on supplements?

(If you can't tell, I rarely eat fruits/veggies. They're expensive, (often) time-consuming, and difficult to systematize. I take vitamin C and a daily vitamin/mineral supplement, and feel fine . . .)

Interesting article on the subject, if a little dramatic: http://home.netcom.com/~rogermw/vegetable/veg1.html

If I ate oatmeal 4 times a day I would go mad.... I eat it once a day and sometimes thats even to much and I gotta switch it up with a couple slices of 12-grain toast.

Interesting article on the subject, if a little dramatic: http://home.netcom.com/~rogermw/vegetable/veg1.html

Are you kidding me? You've GOT to be kidding me. That is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Reminds me of the youtube peanut butter video 'disproving' evolution.

Interesting article on the subject, if a little dramatic: http://home.netcom.com/~rogermw/vegetable/veg1.html

LOL!

Are you kidding me? You've GOT to be kidding me. That is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Reminds me of the youtube peanut butter video 'disproving' evolution.

Then clearly you haven't read his reviews of The Challenge of the SuperFriends (http://home.netcom.com/~rogermw/cotsf/)... :lol:

Well, quick oats suck. He should be eating old fashioned or steel cut.

And vitamin supplements are NO substitute for the more readily bioavailable micronutrients in real foods.

Quick oats are old fashioned.

Could you say more about this? Is it because that vitamin supplements only contain so many vitamins/minerals? "How" unhealthy would it be to rely on supplements?

(If you can't tell, I rarely eat fruits/veggies. They're expensive, (often) time-consuming, and difficult to systematize. I take vitamin C and a daily vitamin/mineral supplement, and feel fine . . .)


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ex=1327640400&en=7c85a1c254546157&ei=5088

Foods can behave very differently than the nutrients they contain. Researchers have long believed that a diet high in fruits and vegetables confers some protection against cancer. So naturally they ask, What nutrients in those plant foods are responsible for that effect? One hypothesis is that the antioxidants in fresh produce — compounds like beta carotene, lycopene, vitamin E, etc. — are the X factor. It makes good sense: these molecules (which plants produce to protect themselves from the highly reactive oxygen atoms produced in photosynthesis) vanquish the free radicals in our bodies, which can damage DNA and initiate cancers. At least that’s how it seems to work in the test tube. Yet as soon as you remove these useful molecules from the context of the whole foods they’re found in, as we’ve done in creating antioxidant supplements, they don’t work at all. Indeed, in the case of beta carotene ingested as a supplement, scientists have discovered that it actually increases the risk of certain cancers. Big oops.

What’s going on here? We don’t know. It could be the vagaries of human digestion. Maybe the fiber (or some other component) in a carrot protects the antioxidant molecules from destruction by stomach acids early in the digestive process. Or it could be that we isolated the wrong antioxidant. Beta is just one of a whole slew of carotenes found in common vegetables; maybe we focused on the wrong one. Or maybe beta carotene works as an antioxidant only in concert with some other plant chemical or process; under other circumstances, it may behave as a pro-oxidant.

Quick oats are old fashioned.
Rolled oats are old fashioned. Quick oats are more finely rolled than old fashioned, and have a higher glycemic index, but they cook in about 3 or 4 minutes instead of about 5 minutes.

http://www.foodsubs.com/GrainOats.html

Ok, maybe I should have read that article a little more closely... I mean, it is ridiculous, but he's essentially asking the same question I'm asking: what makes vegetables worth eating? Here's what I've got so far: They're low-GI carbs. They're high in fiber. They contain healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Anything else? Because if that's it, I can drink my green tea, take my multi-vitamin, eat low-GI, complex, fibrous carbs, and be on my way. I understand that fruits and vegetables are such a basic part of what is considered healthy eating that it seems ridiculous for anyone to claim that they're actually useless, as that guy does in the article. But the question has some serious practical consequences: fruits and vegetables have just about the lowest cost-efficiency of all my foods, they're time-consuming to prepare, and they keep me going to the grocery store more often than I would otherwise have to.

Ok, maybe I should have read that article a little more closely... I mean, it is ridiculous, but he's essentially asking the same question I'm asking: what makes vegetables worth eating? Here's what I've got so far: They're low-GI carbs. They're high in fiber. They contain healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Anything else? Because if that's it, I can drink my green tea, take my multi-vitamin, eat low-GI, complex, fibrous carbs, and be on my way. I understand that fruits and vegetables are such a basic part of what is considered healthy eating that it seems ridiculous for anyone to claim that they're actually useless, as that guy does in the article. But the question has some serious practical consequences: fruits and vegetables have just about the lowest cost-efficiency of all my foods, they're time-consuming to prepare, and they keep me going to the grocery store more often than I would otherwise have to.


Read guava's post above. Vitamins are probably an OK safety net, but we still don't know enough about all the various combinations of micronutrients and antioxidants to have a clue as to why some things work as they do to promote health.

I buy big tubs/bags of spinach at Sam's for $3 that is plenty for 5 or 6 salads. How's that expensive? Same for broccoli. If you buy in quantity and at the right places, they aren't as expensive as protein or fat sources for the most part. Calorically, maybe, since they are low calorie, but in nutrients given? They're cheap.

Rolled oats are old fashioned. Quick oats are more finely rolled than old fashioned, and have a higher glycemic index, but they cook in about 3 or 4 minutes instead of about 5 minutes.

http://www.foodsubs.com/GrainOats.html

Thanks for that Guava, i never realized the was a difference. How much of a GI difference are we talking? Would i be better off with the old fashioned in terms of nutrition?

Thanks for that Guava, i never realized the was a difference. How much of a GI difference are we talking? Would i be better off with the old fashioned in terms of nutrition?
No, the nutrition is the same. I think the fibre is the same too.

The difference is in your body's blood glucose response. More insulin will be released after eating the quick cooking oats, and blood glucose levels will subsequently drop lower over the next few hours. This will speed up the return of hunger, increase subsequent food intake, and leave you feeling less full when compared to the less finely rolled oats.

The glycemic index is estimated to be about 58 for the rolled oats and about 66 for the quick cooking. I'm not really sure how much of a "real" impact that makes. http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/glycemicindlist_2.htm

(Incidentally, you get a similar kind of difference when comparing overripe fruit with underripe, and overcooked pasta with undercooked.)

My enthusiasm for eating vegetables can be attributed to similar reasons as those mentioned above. I need carbs for energy, and vegetables have the lowest glycemic response of nearly all carbs, so they're my preferred source. The more fibre and water in a vegetable, the better is is, because it will fill up my stomach, and will not result in drastic changes to my blood sugar levels. :tu:

I think quick-oats are old-fashioned, just pre-split so that they cook faster. Is that really a problem? Does it affect their GI?


Could you say more about this? Is it because that vitamin supplements only contain so many vitamins/minerals? "How" unhealthy would it be to rely on supplements?



Interesting article on the subject, if a little dramatic: http://home.netcom.com/~rogermw/vegetable/veg1.html


Just wanted to expand on the subject of "whole" foods vs. taking only vitamins. I have couple patients who now in their 40's who have been relying only on intravenous nutrition practically their entire life. The intravenous nutrition is protein, fat, and carbs (dextrose) as well as vitamins and minerals added. They do NOT eat anything because of medical reasons (actually they can NOT eat). And, they both look fit and healthy. I don't know how long they'll live but based on what they look like now, I don't think they'll die prematurely or become "malnourished".

For my complex carb intake i pretty much only use oatmeal (quaker quick oats). Maybe once a week i'll use brown rice and whole wheat pasta but for the rest of the week its oatmeal in 4 out of my six daily meals. Anything wrong with using oatmeal as primary carb source?

I eat tons of veggies, and also have protein with each meal as well.



Oatmeal is great, but if you have a few extra minutes on the weekend, try some Irish Cut oats...they taste decent with just a bit of cinnamon and a few raisins or other fruit. I usually have that post workout with a few slices of lean turkey breast. I love it. cheers!