Carbohydrates as an addiction

Walking Girl

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I would be interested to know what high carb BUT low fat foods people think are addictive. The carbohydrates are getting demonize, but the fat that travels along with in highly processed foods seems to be totally ignored.

Potato chips, French fries, ice cream, all high fat as well. And as to the cheese addiction, I could polish off a wheel of Brie baked in lots of butter, spread on bread. High carbs? yup. High fat? you bet.
 

Guzzler

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I would be interested to know what high carb BUT low fat foods people think are addictive. The carbohydrates are getting demonize, but the fat that travels along with in highly processed foods seems to be totally ignored.

Potato chips, French fries, ice cream, all high fat as well. And as to the cheese addiction, I could polish off a wheel of Brie baked in lots of butter, spread on bread. High carbs? yup. High fat? you bet.
I think most of us are discerning enough by now to know that it is 'high-er healthy fats' in the LCHF way of eating rather than high carb high unhealthy fats (those man made fats - seed oils). See my comment on the Bliss Point.
Ultra Processed Foods (UPF) are rightly demonised. The exceptionally (in evolutionary terms) high levels of carbohydrates in the modern western diet is imo rightly demonised.
 

MeiChanski

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Love cheese but is it an addiction or just the fact that it is a very versatile food? Let’s be honest you can eat it as it is, cook it, include it in any number of recipes and makes a lovely cheese and onion or pickle sandwich. Before I get ‘flamed’ for the last statement I use Tesco high protein bread at 10g carbs per slice and, after testing, my BS is 5.0 after two hours.

There was a video of a young girl (I can’t remember her name) on Facebook, where she wouldn’t give her mum the block of cheese she was munching on. According to her mum, she loves cheese. It is indeed a versatile food item, I mean there are some people drinking liquid cheese. Unfortunately I don’t think cheese goes well in Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. It does go well on most dishes, :)
However I think there was an article stating cheese is more addictive than hard drugs, so I don’t know if that’s true.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....s/news-story/30a1406d68534d93d69b5bb0e3c585c8

I’d happily have cheese with my wine though.
 

jpscloud

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I just have to object to your viewpoint here. While the technical, medical, physical and psychological interactions involved with carb use and what we might call addiction are endlessly debatable, the symptoms and mechanics of my relationship with carbs (and I know I am not alone) are firmly in the category of addiction.

I am an otherwise sensible, reasonably intelligent person who can do what she sets out to do, and I've gone to great lengths to educate myself about my condition and nutrition, but I'm helpless in the grip of a relapse at the moment, unable to effectively control my appetite and food choices.

Please do not dismiss my suffering as an excuse to be greedy!
 

lovinglife

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I disagree, I'm confident that they binged on the highest GI carbs for the simple reason that they are the ones delivering the 'instant fix'.

Do you dispute that the normal satiation mechanism works for Protein and for Fats, but fails for Carbs?
Unless you do (against the scientific evidence) then how can you say that bingeing on Protein or Fats is as likely as bingeing on Carbs!
I can very easily binge on protein and fat - I have in last few months learned about myself that it's certain fats and to a certain extent salt that trigger my binges not carbs - which is a bit of a bummer because I eat a keto diet lol. I'm not really bothered and have never been about carbs, can take or leave them but with certain fats such as butter, cheese and some animal fats I can well past satisfied and begin a destructive binge. I now try get get most of my fat from nuts, avocado and oils such as coconut oil and EVOO. I do have a hormone imbalance that's connected to my PCOS that gives me a massive appetite and no switch off for food.
 

Daphne917

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There was a video of a young girl (I can’t remember her name) on Facebook, where she wouldn’t give her mum the block of cheese she was munching on. According to her mum, she loves cheese. It is indeed a versatile food item, I mean there are some people drinking liquid cheese. Unfortunately I don’t think cheese goes well in Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. It does go well on most dishes, :)
However I think there was an article stating cheese is more addictive than hard drugs, so I don’t know if that’s true.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....s/news-story/30a1406d68534d93d69b5bb0e3c585c8

I’d happily have cheese with my wine though.
Put it this way I eat more cheese than I use hard drugs - which isn’t difficult I suppose as I’ve never tried drugs.
 

ianf0ster

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A surprisingly old view of Dr David Diamond on the demonization of Fat and Cholesterol and the deception used in all of the studies which support Stations or a Low Fat diet:
 

ianf0ster

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Bit rude - @zand is in fact a lady (a very nice one at that) not a gent, who is very knowledgeable and experienced in LCHF, in fact she was one of the very first low carbers on this forum who shouted loud and proud against the tide about the LCHF way of life.

what she is also very good at is looking at things from others perspective and those that struggle with LCHF regime for whatever reason. Her recent threads I felt served to remind us that for some LCHF is not always appropriate/easy or the best way for someone who may have many more problems to deal with along with diabetes, I include myself in that as sometimes my sticking to my LCHF way of life is managed on a minute to minute basis whilst I fight my other demons.

If you think I am a bit rude, I apologise for any hurt feelings. However I suggest you ignore my posts in fuiture, because I was trying hard to be polite!
When I mean to be rude there will be nobody left in any doubt about it.
 

Walking Girl

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I think most of us are discerning enough by now to know that it is 'high-er healthy fats' in the LCHF way of eating rather than high carb high unhealthy fats (those man made fats - seed oils). See my comment on the Bliss Point.
Ultra Processed Foods (UPF) are rightly demonised. The exceptionally (in evolutionary terms) high levels of carbohydrates in the modern western diet is imo rightly demonised.

Ok. I don’t disagree about the scourge of ultra processed foods. But you are moving the goal post. The subject was carbohydrate addiction.

So you now agree the problem is high carb-high fat processed foods? How does that prove “carbs” are addictive?
 

ianf0ster

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I can very easily binge on protein and fat - I have in last few months learned about myself that it's certain fats and to a certain extent salt that trigger my binges not carbs - which is a bit of a bummer because I eat a keto diet lol. I'm not really bothered and have never been about carbs, can take or leave them but with certain fats such as butter, cheese and some animal fats I can well past satisfied and begin a destructive binge. I now try get get most of my fat from nuts, avocado and oils such as coconut oil and EVOO. I do have a hormone imbalance that's connected to my PCOS that gives me a massive appetite and no switch off for food.

OK, so you have no 'off switch for any food', - so potentially all foods are addictive for you!
This does not mean that Carbs aren't addictive!

I am not and have never been addicted to carbs, having been on a high Carb Low Fat diet for over 15yrs before my Type 2 diagnosis. I was only 2lbs into the overweight category BMI when diagnosed, having gained around 20lbs over the 15+yrs of High Carb Low Fat.
Despite that I had no problem switching 180 degrees and going LCHF when I was promted to actually examine the evidence on diet and realised that the Government, Dieticians, GPs, Pharma Companies and Food Companies have been (either knowingly or unknowingly) encouraging Obesity. Diabetes and CVD for the last 40 or 50 yrs!
So obviously I was not addicted to Carbs - but again, that doesn't mean that they are not addictive. I drink Alcohol, but I am not an Alcoholic - that does not mean that there are no Alcoholics!
An addict to a substance is somebody for whom there is no such thing as a moderate quantity of it.
How can you deny that such people exist in regard to Carbs?
 

ianf0ster

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I may not be perfect but at least I can listen and respect the views of others. I also realise I do not know everything about T2 despite having had mine under control by following a low carb diet for 8 years. The analogy with a drug addict not being able to have the drug they were addicted to ever again doesn't quite fit with carbs. I have carbs every day and so do most of us here.. When I have my 30g or 50g a day I don't feel the need to eat more. I am not sure a drug addict would be able to have 'just one'

I know I am wasting my time answering your post. You clearly don't have the ability to listen or understand what I am saying. You think you know everything and that's a shame. Me, I am in ketosis right now as I need to lose more weight and that's the only way I can lose weight now. Calories are irrelevant but carbs are very relevant. I won't be watching the video thank you. I dont need to do so.

Whilst I myself am an ardent LCHFer I have taken tips from those who use other diets too. That's the difference between you and I. I am willing to learn new things every day.

You know nothing about me and my life and what brought me here, yet you still lecture me on what is right for me and others. I hinted at things in my final post on my now closed thread. Trust me, carb addiction is the least of my worries. If only life were that simple.

Hi Zand,
I apologise for assuming that since you use a male name that you are actually male.
I seem to have offended you, that was not my intention.
Why is it not valid to point out that I have actually experienced something pretty close to the diet you are propsing? That I followed that diet strictly for 15+yrs and that it gave me 3 results:
1. 20lbs weight gain.
2. Coronary Bypass x 3
3. Type 2 Diabetes.
Note that I didn't suffer the problems with it that you described since I had the foresight to take supplements.

Given my experience, I consider it reckless at best for anybody to suggest or promote a High Carb Low Fat diet.
The obvious exception to that being GPs, Dieticians. and employees of Big Food and Big Pharma - who's jobs appear to depend upon peddling convincing lies which match the current orthodoxy.
 
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lucylocket61

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Many people can drink alcohol and not become addicted. Many people can eat carbs and not become addicted.

Some can become addicted.
 

zand

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Hi Zand,
I apologise for assuming that since you use a male name that you are actually male.
I seem to have offended you, that was not my intention.
Why is it not valid to point out that I have actually experienced something pretty close to the diet you are propsing? That I followed that diet strictly for 15+yrs and that it gave me 3 results:
1. 20lbs weight gain.
2. Coronary Bypass x 3
3. Type 2 Diabetes.
Note that I didn't suffer the problems with it that you described since I had the foresight to take supplements.

Given my experience, I consider it rekless at best for anybody to suggest or promote a High Carb Low Fat diet.
The obvious exception to that being GPs, Dieticians. and employees of Big Food and Big Pharma - who's jobs appear to depend upon peddling convincing lies which match the current orthodoxy.
I wasn't suggesting or promoting it. I was asking the question. We have had a few threads promoting a high carb plant based diet. When asked if the OPs are diabetic there is usually no reply. So these were obviously from someone peddling something. I thought I would ask any genuine T2 diabetics who follow a high carb plant based diet to post on the thread. None replied which leads me to conclude that either a) there aren't any or b) if there are any they wouldn't join this site as it is so biased towards low carb. I still have an open mind.

As for taking supplements with the low GI diet...I didn't think I would need any and wouldn't have known what to take back then. I didn't expect any diet to make me gain 8 pounds in 2 weeks! -Especially as my GP had assured me I woukd lose weight on it.

I'll post further about carbs later but for now my battery is running low.
 
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Guzzler

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Ok. I don’t disagree about the scourge of ultra processed foods. But you are moving the goal post. The subject was carbohydrate addiction.

So you now agree the problem is high carb-high fat processed foods? How does that prove “carbs” are addictive?
Because our evolution tells us so. We are hard wired to fatten up for winter. Watch other primates gorging on fruit in the wild.
As has been said there are no natural high fat high carb foods, generally speaking it is man that puts those together. I am not moving the goal posts at all, I am speaking to basic physiology coupled with a sometimes emotional response.
If all carbs were benign at all levels then why is there ever mounting evidence to suggest otherwise? Carbohydrates are not vital to humans (with a nod to the caveats of dyslipidaemia and Hypo treatments).

So, where is the evidence that lowering carbs improves metabolic syndrome? It is all around you.
I see no evidence for the removal of healthy fats or protein.
 

lovinglife

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OK, so you have no 'off switch for any food', - so potentially all foods are addictive for you!
NO!

This does not mean that Carbs aren't addictive!

I never said that carbs aren't addictive - my reply was to your point that protein and fat have a natural satiety level and carbs don't - for me that isn't true

I am not and have never been addicted to carbs,
Nor have I - never ate much cake, chocolate or any sweet stuff , potatoes, chips, rice, bread - my one thing was fresh pasta occasionally and the odd bag of crisps but ALWAYS over ate fatty stuff

Despite that I had no problem switching 180 degrees and going LCHF when I was promted to actually examine the evidence on diet and realised that the Government, Dieticians, GPs, Pharma Companies and Food Companies have been (either knowingly or unknowingly) encouraging Obesity. Diabetes and CVD for the last 40 or 50 yrs!
Neither did I - I also did it quite easily 10 years ago gradually going from moderate 80g low carb to keto and removing all medications apart from metformin

So obviously I was not addicted to Carbs - but again, that doesn't mean that they are not addictive. I drink Alcohol, but I am not an Alcoholic - that does not mean that there are no Alcoholics!
Agree
An addict to a substance is somebody for whom there is no such thing as a moderate quantity of it.
Agree
How can you deny that such people exist in regard to Carbs?
I have NEVER said that you put words in my mouth what I said was I found I AM addicted to fat and salt more than carbs LIKE YOU I am not addicted carbs

 

lovinglife

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If you think I am a bit rude, I apologise for any hurt feelings. However I suggest you ignore my posts in fuiture, because I was trying hard to be polite!
When I mean to be rude there will be nobody left in any doubt about it.

My feeling weren't hurt I was merely pointing out some facts - I don't take instruction on who to respond to or ignore - that's a decision I can make all by myself thank you :)

I don't understand your point about trying hard to be polite - from what I can see in this thread no one has been impolite to you.
The last line of your post sounds suspiciously like a threat which isn't allowed on this forum

Enjoy the rest of your day :)
 
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bulkbiker

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I would be interested to know what high carb BUT low fat foods people think are addictive. The carbohydrates are getting demonize, but the fat that travels along with in highly processed foods seems to be totally ignored.

Potato chips, French fries, ice cream, all high fat as well. And as to the cheese addiction, I could polish off a wheel of Brie baked in lots of butter, spread on bread. High carbs? yup. High fat? you bet.

Bread was my trigger. A very low fat high carb food.
 

zand

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I can very easily binge on protein and fat - I have in last few months learned about myself that it's certain fats and to a certain extent salt that trigger my binges not carbs - which is a bit of a bummer because I eat a keto diet lol. I'm not really bothered and have never been about carbs, can take or leave them but with certain fats such as butter, cheese and some animal fats I can well past satisfied and begin a destructive binge. I now try get get most of my fat from nuts, avocado and oils such as coconut oil and EVOO. I do have a hormone imbalance that's connected to my PCOS that gives me a massive appetite and no switch off for food.
Yes I can binge on protein and fats too, especially if salt is involved in the mix.
 
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Goonergal

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I think that food addiction is definitely real. For me it’s about trigger foods, which lead me to over consume not just those foods, but all foods. They create cravings which become harder and harder to ignore. Those foods are very dark chocolate (yes, even 90% +), nut butters, nuts and low carb cakes/treats, even if not particularly sweet.
 

ianf0ster

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The last line of your post sounds suspiciously like a threat which isn't allowed on this forum

Enjoy the rest of your day :)
Hi,
Obviously we are on completely different wavelengths. I don't threaten people, just either debate with them or if that is not possible I ignore them.
Yorkshiremen are famed for their lack of diplomacy and I am typical in that respect.
I didn't mean to imply that anybody in this thread was impolite to me. Merely that since I was tagging Zand, I didn't want to be impolite to her (or him as I thought then), just present some evidence against her apparently cherished idea of finding High Carb Low Fat success stories.

I have since read her recent post in here and it seems she was just trying to be extra-open-minded, not that she wanted to push a High Carb agenda. Not that it needs any pushing in the wider world - LOL!
 
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