How much does cooking affect the carbs in veggies?

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(Nay) #1

I don’t want to have to look it up each time :persevere:


(Full Metal KETO AF) #2

Weigh your vegetables before washing and cooking. The carb content stays the same and it doesn’t increase the sugar count by cooking it. It only removes water making the serving more dense. In the case of onions there might be caramelization but the increased sweetness was already there, it just had 90% of the onion water removed by cooking. If you want to reduce carbs fermentation is the way. :man_cook:t3:


(Ian) #3

The carb content cannot be reduced unless the cooking somehow destroys the carbohydrate molecule, which is unlikely under normal temperatures and pressures.

However, I have wondered if the availability of carbs can be increased by the cooking process, much like food processing may increase bio-availability? For example; can extended heating break down a greater portion of complex carbohydrates, such as fiber and make more carbs available for adsorption through the gut lining. From a chemical perspective can different marinades or preservatives (such as acetic acid i.e. vinegar), particularly with elevated temperatures or over long periods of time increase soluble and available carbohydrates by breaking down the complex carbs? I wonder raw gherkins have the same available carbs as the pickled variety?


(Nay) #4

Well yes, I’ve read that the fibre becomes more digestible when cooked so if your working with net carbs like me and subtracting the fibre from the total carbs it affects this.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

If you count total carbohydrate, all this becomes a non-issue. This is why Dr. Westman, for example, gives his obese patients a strict instruction to eat no more than 30 g (I believe) a day of total carbohydrate. It’s simpler and clearer than calculating net carbohydrate.

A complicating factor in all this is that they are now, apparently, discovering that fibre is not nearly so indigestible as was formerly believed. So Dr. Westman is probably on the right track with his instructions.


(Nay) #6

Hhmm. I’m convinced… total cars it is. Would you say it’s easier to do meat based keto than veggie keto? I mean I’m veggie anyway but just interested. Thank you very much for the help!