salad dilemma...help please

[pudge]

hey guys, i've been dieting now for a while for this show coming up soon...my protein intake rite now is at 400g and my carb intake daily is at 250g....but lately i've been eating salad with lemon juice and vinegar...does eating salad like that count in my carb intake? does eating that salad mean im eating more than my usual 250g?...

any help would be appreciated, thanks

pudge

 

[BiggerthanLavar]

hmmm I've been wondering this as well. According to the sticky at the top of this forum, a carb is a carb no matter if it's high glycemic, or low glycemic. A bowl of salad does have some carbs in it. What I do know is that when I eat a bowl of salad with a little oil and some vinegar I feel full for a while. If I eat some french bread or a hoagie I feel hungry again soon afterwards. I guess that's just me but I think the carbs in salad don't affet insulin like other "simple" carbs do. I would however suggest you count it as part of your daily carb intake. I'd rather count it than not count it and be frustrated wondering why I'm not losing weight. just my .02. hope that helps!

 

[Fyre]

I'd count it in my daily intake too but there are not a lot of calories in greens. For example, an entire head of iceburg lettuce is only 70cal and contains about 11.3 grams of carbs. 2 cups of fresh chopped spinach is about 24 calories. So, you'd have to eat a hell of a lot of greens to make up a large amount of carbs.
I do agree though that a carb is a carb, especially when dieting.

 

[Technobarbie]

A carb is a carb but as Fyre said it's hard to get in those calories when eating salads. I don't usually eat salad pre-contest as there is just not much nutrient wise in them.

 

[pudge]

i understand, but it wouldnt be detrimental to my diet now will it?...i know that i wont eat greens the last wk before the show because im scared to hold water...but im 16 wks out rite now and im leaning out pretty quickly...I just throw in some salad with lemon and vinegar to keep things flowing thru the system if u know what i mean...so what d'ya think?

 

[Cymric_Knight]

You have three basic things - protien, carbs and fat. Salad has carbs - but what it takes the body to break down those carbs become a negitive factor. In other words the energy the body expends to get those carbs excedes the calories extracted. Besides you need the fiber.

 

[pudge]

so i guess its ok then....im gonna go have some salad rite now, damn im so hungry..

 

[kube]

A carb is a carb but as Fyre said it's hard to get in those calories when eating salads. I don't usually eat salad pre-contest as there is just not much nutrient wise in them.

you could not be more wrong. raw veggies are packed with nutrients and if you are going to compare raw and cooked foods, i will take raw any day of the week. by cooking you are basically oxidizing any nutrients in the food, thus eliminating the nutrients. greens in particular are very rich in nutrients, containing chlorophyl as well as all the minerals that the body needs. not to mention they are rich in fiber. salads may not have much calorie wise, but that does not reflect on the nutrient content. if anyone is worried about getting in too many carbs then just reduce the amount of other carbs eaten and eat more salads. healthwise it is a very bad idea to eliminate fresh fruits and veggies from the diet. as far as retaining water, i cant opine on that one as i am not qualified to do so in regards to contest preparation.