As many of you might have realised I'm struggling with the low carb high carb thing. Juliarh posted days somewhere, I've been watching them (there are 10" lectures), a good understanding of how carbohydrates (especially refined sugars) make us fat. Worth checking it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEH0OZVHmvQ&feature=related

they are awesome, aren't they? they really made me understand why refined/processed carbs and potatoes and rice are not good for us (especially those of us who are already obese). I can't recommend these videos more!

I dunno, man, most Asian people I know happen to load up on tons of white rice AND somehow remain super-thin. You go to Japan or China and they eat 2-3 bowls of rice a day, but less than 5% of the population is obese. But you won't go to a restaurant there and get a serving of pasta the size of a soccer ball the way you will in North America. I really think it has more to do with QUANTITY of carbs than carbs alone - except for things like high-fructose corn syrup, but that's another story.

I dunno, man, most Asian people I know happen to load up on tons of white rice AND somehow remain super-thin. You go to Japan or China and they eat 2-3 bowls of rice a day, but less than 5% of the population is obese. But you won't go to a restaurant there and get a serving of Pasta the size of a soccer ball the way you will in North America. I really think it has more to do with QUANTITY of carbs than carbs alone - except for things like high-fructose corn syrup, but that's another story.

Exactly, thats why it's the "refinesd" sugars and as you say the corn syrup or foods that contain these syrups. If you watch number 10 he talks about the japanese and asians, who eat rice but more than 1/2 less "refined sugars" than americans (and I suppose english peolpe eat as much as americans) Even though obesity rates are raising in India now too.

Wow, I spent an hour watching that. Good stuff.

Exactly, thats why it's the "refinesd" sugars and as you say the corn syrup or foods that contain these syrups. If you watch number 10 he talks about the japanese and asians, who eat rice but more than 1/2 less "refined sugars" than americans (and I suppose english peolpe eat as much as americans) Even though obesity rates are raising in India now too.

Haha, now you know I didn't watch all of them (final exam tomorrow).

On a related note, I lived in Asia for a while and I noticed that their sweets are nowhere near as sugar-laden as the ones here. If you are used to the super-sweet stuff here, their Desserts seem very bland. But post-sleeve, I'd much rather go for the mild sweetness of green tea ice cream than for Haagen Dazs loaded with sugar, caramel, and chocolate.

Also, I heard somewhere that there are different amounts of sugar in Coke in different countries - and the US tops the list for the amount. I only drink Zero or Diet, so I don't have any personal experience from my travels, but I wonder if it's true.

Actually, in Latin America, I think that the sodas are sweeter than the US. But the thing about living in this area of the country is that more of the food that people eat is prepared at home -- it's not pre-made and then just heated up like we do in the States. They incorporate more fresh fruit and veggies too -- the processed food (other than McDonalds, Burger King and Pizza Hut) just isn't as big a deal here -- and the portion sizes are normal, not the gigantic ones in the States. . . .