Dietary Fat and Carbohydrate simultanious intake.

[Callum Muntz]

G'day all,

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts on simultanious intake of carbohydrate (higher GI type basic glucoses, such as sports drinks; potatoes; sweet potatoes; etc) with normal dietary fat (animal and plant fats, such as avocados; pork crackling; fattier cuts of animals; etc).?

I am not talking about vegetable carbohydrates, but rather the higher GI insulin spiking types. As an example, eating rolled pork should (crackling and fatty bits included) alongside a large serving of sweet potatoes / potatoes. I would ordinarily save these types of carbohydrates for after exercise (as this will obviously have a different metabolic effect).

I was just wondering if anyone could provide some thoughts on any negatives and/or benefits of consuming these macrocutrients alongside each other - OR if there are any negatives/benefits of consuming them seperately by a sufficient time frame.

Searching the forums shows a lot of discussion about Carbohydrates (which I am not against - bought Dr Bernardots book the other day and it sold me), however coming from a Paleo / high fat diet background I am aware of a lot of stuff that claims higher fat diet is also good for your health.

So ultimately - should you do both together?

Thanks in advance.

Callum

[Frankincensed]

There isn't a rule that says you can't mix fatty foods and carbs. Meat and potatoes are probably the traditional number 1 hearty meal, right? At least in the US, though personally turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce is my favourite.  It doesn't mean that either should be eaten every single day though!

 

Keep in mind anyone can make anything look good for you with science. We are told that saturated fats are bad for you. But then other groups say it's the polyunsaturated fats that are. And they both make a case that has merit. By the way, monosaturated are really the best lol, But the one thing that we do know for sure is that eating too much (above your caloric requirements) for a long time is ill advised, in that it promotes fat gain. And there are health and performance consequences to that. But one huge meal, or a week of vacation, isn't going to ruin anything for you - if you are eating right, meaning a highly varied diet within your requirements overall. Varied is important because it insures you get enough of the vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, phytonutrients, etc that are spread across the food groups.

 

Also the dietary regimes typically recoomend something like 10% calories from saturated fats max, and 20-25% from fats in general. Personally I think that's a fair guideline and I don't have a problem working with that, most of the time.  Carbs are generally around 50-60% and protein 20% of calories.  I'm not saying this is ideal but it's pretty typical and workable for strength oriented athletes. 

 

The timing thing has been covered elsewhere. It makes a difference once your basics are in order. Get those down first.

[Callum Muntz]

There isn't a rule that says you can't mix fatty foods and carbs. Meat and potatoes are probably the traditional number 1 hearty meal, right? At least in the US, though personally turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce is my favourite.  It doesn't mean that either should be eaten every single day though!

 

Keep in mind anyone can make anything look good for you with science. We are told that saturated fats are bad for you. But then other groups say it's the polyunsaturated fats that are. And they both make a case that has merit. By the way, monosaturated are really the best lol, But the one thing that we do know for sure is that eating too much (above your caloric requirements) for a long time is ill advised, in that it promotes fat gain. And there are health and performance consequences to that. But one huge meal, or a week of vacation, isn't going to ruin anything for you - if you are eating right, meaning a highly varied diet within your requirements overall. Varied is important because it insures you get enough of the vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, phytonutrients, etc that are spread across the food groups.

 

Also the dietary regimes typically recoomend something like 10% calories from saturated fats max, and 20-25% from fats in general. Personally I think that's a fair guideline and I don't have a problem working with that, most of the time.  Carbs are generally around 50-60% and protein 20% of calories.  I'm not saying this is ideal but it's pretty typical and workable for strength oriented athletes. 

 

The timing thing has been covered elsewhere. It makes a difference once your basics are in order. Get those down first.

Thanks for the response mate. I guess I was more wondering if eatin them alongside each other, particularly post workout, would generate unessecary fat storage and/or blunt the effects of the carbohydrate due to the fat slowing down the digestion. Its probably a minor point and not worth worrying about (which I am not )

[Rebecca Altman]

Yeah fat slows down the digestion of the carbs after workouts. Ideal is easily absorbed low fructose carb+protein immediately post workout for glycogen store replenishing, or something else (I've no idea what because I'm not interested in it) for fat loss. Adding fat means your sugar levels won't spike as much, insulin won't be released as much, and so glucose won't be transported to your cells as fast. I think that's how the scientific explanation goes; forgive me if I'm wrong. 

[Joshua Naterman]

They type of fat consumed, along with the type of carbs ( GI as well as liquid vs solid) will change the insulogenic effect of the meal. Solid proteins also slow down gastric emptying. Fats lower insulin release by slowing down gastric emptying. Long chain fatty acids take longer to empty, but will not really affect a mostly liquid meal because the liquid portion gets emptied first and the fatty acids do not mix with it very well.

 

As for the OP question, fat + sugar = hard to control portions. It seems to turn off, or somehow avoid detection by, our control systems that let us know when we've had enough. This is a very, very useful effect for people who have trouble getting enough food for whatever reason (usually a professional athlete of some sort). For most of us, though, it just makes it easier to get fat on accident