(For Vegans) I keep hearing from people that some have gained weight going vegan because of the carbs? I dont?!
Answers:
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The reason why some vegans and vegetarians gain weight from their diet is because they cannot find the proper balance between carbohydrates and proteins. In order for the carbs to be digested and not turn into fat, an equal amount of protein source must be consumed so that the carb can be absorbed, particularly at the same time, in the same meal.
Vegan
It's scientifically well established that vegetarians and especially vegans are statistically leaner than meat eaters. Vegetarians and vegans are statistically leaner even in studies that control for lifestyle habits, such as exercise.
The origin of the "bad carb" notion is Atkins and similar diets. These diets use a very low carbohydrate intake to induce ketosis, and cheating even just a little bit will break the effect.
In diets, such as a well balanced vegan diet, with a normal distribution of energy intake--carbohydrates, proteins, and fats--the 4 calories from a carbohydrate gram are no more energy-dense than the 4 calories from a protein gram, and less energy-dense than the 9 calories from a fat gram.
There are also indigestible carbohydrates, known as fiber, that have 0 calories. Vegetarian and especially vegan diets tend to be high in fiber and low in fat, therefore less energy-dense overall, and less likely to create the caloric surplus needed for weight gain.
Weight Watchers - "Vegetarian Diets and Weight"
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/i…
Anytime you reduce your diet to less foods, you need to make sure you eat a balanced diet. A lot of inexperienced people will just eat more bread and pasta to make up for the lack of animal products, which isn't healthy. I am a fan of vegan diets if they are done well, but you have to take caution and make sure you're eating a varied, healthy diet.
One thing that people often aren't aware of is that gluten intolerance is a very common health problem and if you switch to a diet where gluten is a higher proportion of your diet, it will cause your symptoms to get worse. It's entirely possible that some of the people you know had a budding case of gluten intolerance that they didn't know about beforehand and now that they are eating more, their symptoms became noticeable (and weight gain is one). Be aware of this link.
But just be sure not to eat all bread and pasta and eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and you should see many health benefits.
RN
As one answerer suggests, a lot of the bad rap carbs get comes from Atkins-type diets, where all carbs need to be eliminated in order to push the body's metabolism into a certain phase. But as he said they are not more calorie dense than fat.
What I want to add is that another source of "carbs are bad" confusion comes from mixing up simple carbohydrates like sugar, white flour, white rice, and white potatoes, with complex whole-grain carbs, such as 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, beans, vegetables, and so forth. I could never figure out why people thought whole grain bread was bad for you until this confusion was explained to me.
A borderline diabetic relative one time told me he couldn't eat the brown rice and beans I served because it had too many carbs. So he got a ham sandwich on white bread.
I eat lots of whole grains and I easily maintain a very healthy weight. But lots of vegans avoid carbohydrates and for instance have a smoothie for breakfast instead of the whole wheat bagel I might have. Does a smoothie have fewer calories? I don't even know, but it's an option for you if you're concerned.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/featur…
Carbohydrates are necessary nutrients for energy, they make you gain weight when you eat more than you can burn off with exercise. It doesn't make any difference if you eat meat or not. There are millions of fat meat eaters; just look anywhere in the USA.
Took nutrition class in nursing school, married to a Dietitian, vegetarian since 1984
You said it yourself...you have heard that SOME have gained weight. Some people do, some people don't. The things you eat will determine whether you do or don't. It is healthy for you, provided you eat with health in mind. I assume you know how to differ between complex carbs and simple carbs? Make sure your entire diet doesn't consist of the simple carbohydrates, and eat the proper amount of complex carbohydrates, and you should be fine. And don't worry about gaining weight. If you do, and you're not overeating, then you've given your body some nutrients that it needed. Good luck :)
Some vegans replace meat with potatoes, white rice and other simple carbs. Those tend to break down in your stomach quickly and, if you base your diet on the, can lead to weight gain. You need to eat more complex carbs, green, leafy stuff: spinach, kale, broccoli, etc., rather than potatoes and pasta. It's harder. They don't taste very good. But if you want to be a veg*n and not gain weight, you do have to torture yourself. It's the rule.
As far as I know soda and many fried snacks (potato chips and such) contain no animal products, and these are leading contributors to obesity. Just don't eat a ton of junk fried in vegetable oil. Vegetarians/Vegans who believe they can't get fat on their lifestyle are complete idiots, and these are the same people who think all meats are as fattening as processed hamburgers/hotdogs.
This is supposed to be a Question and Answer site, not Whine and Answer site. State a question and you might get some helpful answers.
Um..so..
if you don't want to gain weight from carbs, don't eat too many carbs.