Bodycomp News & Views Issue#19 September 2011

In this issue:

  1. Eat veggies, not grains
  2. Carb grams in veggie and fruit servings:
Carbohydrate and fibre content in 100g serving of common veggies:
  • beet 10g carb and 3g fibre
  • broccoli 5g carb and 0g fibre
  • cabbage 5g carb and 2g fibre
  • cauliflower 5g carb and 3g fibre
  • cucumber 4g carb and 0g fibre
  • kale 10g carb and 2g fibre
  • onion 9g carb and 2g fibre
  • tomato 4g carb and 1g fibre
  • yam 28g carbs and 4g fibre

Lots of carbs to be had here folks! Eat your veggies - they're good for you and are very yummy when sauteed with a little garlic and olive oil.

Carbohydrate and fibre content in a serving of common fruits:
  • apple 17g carb and 4g fibre
  • blueberries (1 cup) 21g carb 4 fibre
  • grapes (1 cup) 27g carb 1g fibr
  • pear 23g carb and 1g fibre
  • strawberries (1 cup) 12g carb and 3g fibre

There is carbohydrate in vegetables and fruits! (and also a bit of protein)

A frequent topic that comes up in the nutrition discussion with clients after performing their Bodycomp scans is reducing total carbohydrate intake to enable body fat reduction. I often suggest eliminating grains and refined sugars as a great first step. The most frequent objection is the loud exclamation of "but where will I get my carbs from?"

Despite the wheat and rice boards best marketing attempts, vegetables and fruits contain more than enough carbohydrate content even for elite athletes. When we examine the mineral and vitamin content, fibre and, healthy phytonutrients, veggies almost always win calorie per calorie when compared with grains.

Let's look at brown long grained rice versus cauliflower:

Long grain brown rice vs Cauliflower
calories
111
113
serving
100g
450g
protein
3g
8g
carbs
23g
22g
fibre
2g
13g
fat
1g
0g
winner
nope
superveggie