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What's More Harmful? Sodium, Fat, Carbs?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Pete Incaviglia, Jun 9, 2008.

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  1. Pete Incaviglia

    Pete Incaviglia Active Member

    Jeeze, reading all these posts and it sounds like I'm doing OK.

    I'm not on any plan or anything, just lots of fruits and vegetables and square meals at normal times.

    Of course, I'm logging everything I eat, and when I eat it.

    As for calories, most - if not all - are coming from "good foods" (i.e. fruits, veggies, etc.)

    I should up my protein, I think.
     
    Pete Incaviglia, Jun 9, 2008
    #13
  2. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    I dropped pop about 10 years ago as well. Sometimes I splurge on a root beer, or use it as a mixer, but I haven't had an actual can of pop in a long time. Peanut butter would be pretty tough to give up, at least it has a lot of protein though.
     
    mustangj17, Jun 9, 2008
    #14
  3. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    The trick to using gooey sweet sauces is to not pour it all over the food, or even on the plate....you can brush it on and get the same taste without all the goop. Read the label, it's shocking how many calories there are in a tablespoon of salad dressing or bbq sauce.
     
    21, Jun 9, 2008
    #15
  4. jackfinarelli

    jackfinarelli Well-Known Member

    My cardiologist says that fat and salt (sodium) are both very harmful when taken in excess but that it is just as harmful to try to cut either of them out entirely. Restricting sodium intake to 2000mg a day is a goal that can be attained with a lot of diligence; restricting sodium intake to 1000mg a day would be VERY difficult.
     
    jackfinarelli, Jun 10, 2008
    #16
  5. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    Tension.
     
    Simon_Cowbell, Jun 10, 2008
    #17
  6. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    You need fat and carbs in your diet. So neither are harmful if you eat a healthy diet. Sodium may be harmful, depending on your blood pressure. Too much fat in your diet is VERY harmful. It clogs your arteries and can cause heart disease or stroke. Saturated and Trans fats are VERY harmful to you and cause heart disease and contribute to cancer. High fat diets cause more health risks than anything. So if you are going to pay particular attention to one thing, you can't go wrong by limiting the fat in your diet. I aim for zero fat, and avoid saturated and trans fats at all costs. It's impossible to eat and not get fat in your diet, so if you aim for zero, you will still get all the fat you need, but not saddle yourself with a high-fat, unhealthy diet--if that makes any sense.

    Carbs in excess will make you overweight. As has been pointed out, not all carbs are the same. Simple carbs--processed wheat, in particular because Americans eat way too much of it--will make you pack on weight and don't offer much nutritional value. They are not bad for you in and of themselves, but people don't limit them and they don't really give you much that is beneficial.

    Complex carbs challenge your body and are harder to digest, so they get passed through without being as readily absorbed. Things like green vegetables, whole grains, etc. They also offer more nutritional content, in general and usually pack fiber, which is good for you.

    Speaking generally, if you eat sensibly and eat mostly complex carbs and protein, and limit your fat and sodium intake, you can't go wrong. Within those parameters all you have to do is burn off as many calories as you take in and if you are at a healthy weight, you will maintain that weight and be fine.
     
    The Big Ragu, Jun 10, 2008
    #18
  7. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    For my current health kick, I'm trying to also aim for the zero fat. I eat the foods with the lowest fat, period.

    My daily intake of grams of fat should be about 65-75, but during the health kick I've limited it to about 30-35 per day. Limiting the carbs is tough too, which is why I'm probably 10 pounds to heavy. I used to be a runner, running 60-70 miles a week, so I ate meals that were sometimes strictly pasta. Now that I don't have time for those 1000 mile summers, I need to cut down the carbs. I try eating the pita breads instead of slices of bread, and I try to only eat whole grain pasta. Another benefit is that pasta retains water, so the less pasta the less you weigh essentially. Cutting out potatoes and rice completely and other carbs has been really tough.

    And don't even get me started on beer.
     
    mustangj17, Jun 11, 2008
    #19
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