SociallyChallenged
Elite
- Mar 22, 2002
- 10,484
- 32
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It's fairly well established that lower-carbohydrate diets result in more weight loss and improvements in blood markers (cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure) versus the standard American diet and Mediterranean diets. It's also a fact that human beings do not need to consume dietary carbohydrate to live, so worrying about it is unnecessary.
That being said, the point of my post was not so much to crap on you as to push people towards eating more nutrient dense (and less calorically dense) foods, especially of the kind that will make weight loss or even maintenance difficult if not impossible.
For hard training athletes, who need more carbohydrates to maintain performance, good sources are sweet potatoes, squash, root vegetables (carrots/turnips/celery root), white potatoes (if you're not nightshade sensitive), zucchini, bananas, plantains, fruit. Lots of safe (i.e. low/no lectins/antinutrients) carbs plus the added benefit of they fill you up better, digest more slowly, include more fiber, and have micronutrients that you don't get from processed foods like wheat flour.
I'm not going to lie, I am an advocate of the Paleo diet, so take whatever I say with that knowledge in hand. As a Crossfit and Olympic weightlifting coach I've seen a lot of positive transformations in people when they switch to a Paleo diet, so that's one of the reasons I'm convinced of its efficacy and supremacy, but that's just my experience.
This being said, the Paleo diet isn't bad and might be something worth looking into. There are points that I don't necessarily agree with (excess animal fat intake, grain Nazis), but there's one thing that's for sure: it creates a solid plan and clear idea of what to eat, it cuts out a lot of junk, and it supports a lean body (even if you're sedentary). OP, maybe you could look into some Paleo recipes that you like? You don't have to be Paleo all the time to enjoy some of the healthier dishes.