veggies vs starchy food

**xenithon** · 04-07-2002, 09:13 AM

hi all,

I would just like to know what the differences are (advantages/disadvantages) between veggies and starchy things like cereals. before u all answer about sugars and fiber and GI - i mean comparing veggies to things like wholemeal cereals, those which are even lower in sugar and GI than veggies (and honestly taste a million times better). besides the vits /minerals u may get from veggies and not cereals (although many cereals have all these added), is one better than the other??

for a basic example : butternut. its low in GI (around 45), has about 25g carbs/serving, around 5-8g sugar,, no fat, little protein, and about 2g fibre/serivng. if u compare that to letsay bran flakes. a serving for the same amount of carbs is about 1g sugar, no fat, and about 8-10g fibre. most of the cereals I get are lower in sugar and GI and higher in fibre than most vegetables! are veggies still better for some reason?

**xenithon** · 04-12-2002, 10:58 AM

bump for any answers

veggies or other carb sources? which ones are better? I can never decide whether to have a small bowl of oats or 300g of brocolli and cauliflower

**xenithon** · 04-13-2002, 11:09 AM

superbump

sorry guys, its just one of those question which have been buggin me for ages and kept from a good nights sleep. anyone have an opinion?

**PaPaPumP** · 04-14-2002, 08:55 PM

What is this?

Dude, you want an answer? I'll give ya an answer.

You said in that PM that you sometimes ate 300-400g of carbs via broc and cauli. That is a fugload of vegetables my man..probly two big salad bowls worth filled to the brim. Those are usually counted as 'carbless' carbs as they reall have no affect on insulin levels, and as they are so rich in fiber, that it takes more energy to digest them, then is in the actual food. Let's say you wanted to get 150 grams of carbs a day. Eat whatever fibrous veggies AND salad that you want, and the actual carbs can come from our butternut, potatoes, rice, and oatmeal. Have 50g of carbs for your first two meals, and 50g post workout. The rest of the day your body will be forced to burn fat for energy, as long as you have enough amino acids flowing thru your body all day. Add some healthy fats to further slow down protein absorbtion, so you will not become catabolic. I don't even think I would use ECA without anabolics. Maybe get some clen , like I told you previously, because that isn't nearly as catabolic as ECAs or T3.

Good luck bro.

**xenithon** · 04-15-2002, 12:38 AM

i think there was a a misunderstanding. i have about 300-400g of carbs like broc and cauli, which comes to about 20g of carbs (remember I split my daily carbs intake of around 125 into 5 meals of 20-30g per meal). but all in all that answered my question - have the oats and high fibre sugarfree cereals and butternuts etc. on top of a decent serving of those fibrous, very low carbs veges. right? (cause right now MOST of carbs comes from those veges, only oatmeal like 1-2x per day)

**jbrand** · 04-15-2002, 01:48 AM

the basic idea is to keep your insulin levels steady throughout the day. Avoid high GI carbohydrates. I also find it helpful to be sure to take in mono/polyunsaturated fats with starchy foods as it will slow digestion and avoid a spike in insulin levels. You usually can't go wrong with isocaloric meals with low GI carbs, high BV proteins, and mono/polyunsaturated fats.

**xenithon** · 04-15-2002, 03:01 AM

so in other words, it doesnt really matter if its low GI starchy things like cereals or low GI vegetables?

**jbrand** · 04-15-2002, 01:38 PM

Originally posted by xenithon
so in other words, it doesnt really matter if its low GI starchy things like cereals or low GI vegetables?

It's a matter of keeping insulin levels steady without fluctuations. Low HI carbohydrates are ideal for this.

**xenithon** · 04-15-2002, 02:31 PM

sup jbrand,

thanks for the info. i have pretty much got a good idea of which carbs are low GI, but I can never choose between lets say oatmeal, and a large bowl of vegetables with the same amount of carbs. so pretty much the qeustion is: does it make a real difference which one I choose (starch vs. veges) or does it not make a difference as long as its low GI complex carbs in the same quanity? tks!

**jbrand** · 04-15-2002, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by xenithon
sup jbrand,

thanks for the info. i have pretty much got a good idea of which carbs are low GI, but I can never choose between lets say oatmeal, and a large bowl of vegetables with the same amount of carbs. so pretty much the qeustion is: does it make a real difference which one I choose (starch vs. veges) or does it not make a difference as long as its low GI complex carbs in the same quanity? tks!

The wisest choice would be to split them up between vegetables and starches, don't worry about an exact science or a ratio.

FYI, a list of foods with their GI is available at http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm