NetCooks.com

Hi everyone,
A couple of news items has me wondering if people are not going too hard at this low-carb thing.
A recipe of Nutrition in Melbourne says carbs fight against cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Side effects of low-carb diets are lethargy, constipation, dehydration and bad breath The heart prefers carbs as fuel and too little may lead to disturbances in the rhythm.
Another report states that Idaho potato farmers are feeling the cut-back on their product.
Guess 'moderation in all things' is the way to go.
Have a nice day!

Tu parles!

..... I'll go along with what you said before. We did the Atkins thing here and it was hard as heck to stick with it. The main thing is that the first few weeks serve to break you of habits like reaching for bread at table and drinking all those sodas. After achieving my weight loss goals it was easier to 'lighten up' without getting back into those bad habits. I only had to go from 220 lb to 185 lb. If I had been coming down from 350 lb it may well have seemed interminable but my goal was reached in less than 12 weeks. OK, the first two weeks still seemed interminable but as with most things 'ya get over it'. Now I indulge in potatoes or rice occasionally but those items remain an indulgence rather than being a staple. Add that occasional bit of fruit and drink some electrolyte rather than a soft drink. It's more a matter of training the attitude to be right than anything else.

Most people could do with cutting back on the bread, pasta, sodas, etc. Good nutrition with good, primarily natural (not prepackaged, precooked, etc.) foods eaten in moderation is always the best diet. Unfortunately, especially in the US, we want what we want, and we want it now. And taste good/feel good seems to be more important than what is good and healthy for us. I can be just as guilty as anyone else when I am hurried or tired.

In my opinion, the low carb thing works for a lot of people because I don't think most people realize how much they over do the simple carbohydrates (white bread, sugars, etc.). Removing a lot of the simple carbs and/or replacing them with complex carbs such as veggies would make a big difference for a lot of people. But I don't think removing carbs to the extreme that some do is all that healthy either. As my good friend said after trying the Atkins - "I shouldn't have to feel guilty for eating vegtables."

I think it is a great way to get started losing unwanted pounds and have done a modified version quite successfully myself, but for health reasons, fruits and veggies shouldn't be avoided over long periods of time - even if just for the obvious dietary fiber reason.

I wish the fresh markets were as common here as (I suppose) they are in Europe. We have only a couple in my area and they are both seasonal, but it is usually much better produce, fresher, and less expensive than the supermarket.

Flash - did you notice any difference (improvement) in energy level, etc. when you cut back on the carbs? I know I sleep better and feel less fatigued when I am more diligent about cutting carbs, especially breads and sugars.

Question for anyone out there.
Is there any truth in the assertion that vegetables lose nutritional value if micro-waved?
I like to steam mine but use the m/w if I am in a hurry.
As for frozen vegetables, I find them indispensable at times.

Ewww - canned veggies! You are absolutely right RC. No flavor to them either. The only veggies in a can in my cupboard are of the tomato variety, and beans - and even the beans are only for those hurried times when I don't have time to soak my own.

Speaking of beans - this is what I was told about them...and preventing, uh, flatulence.

Don't cook your beans in the same water you soaked them in.
Make sure the beans are fully cooked. To test this, you should be able to mash a cooked bean against the roof of your mouth with your tongue.


And somewhat back to the subject - cooking with fresh (or frozen ), whole foods limits the amounts of salt, chemicals and additives we ingest - which most of the time are far too many.