Is feeding my carb eating family high fat foods bad for them?

#1

Just wondering if my carb eating family would be getting any ill affects from me preparing keto style high fat foods since they are in no way in ketosis. We always eat healthy foods but they eat lots of carbs. They have hardly noticed except when I tell them that they are eating keto style main meals. Would I be doing them any harm by feeding them meals I feel are safe for me to eat on my woe?

#2

I have the same dilemma. Itā€™s preferable not to eat the carbs and fats at the same meal and to eliminate as many high glycemic carbs as possible. So toast with butter is a bad idea, but a keto meal for dinner (with no sugary dessert!) is less bad. Lots of people do well just by reducing carbs but not going full keto.

Also, one sign that it is not hurting them, is if they are losing (fat) weight. That would be an indication of reduced insulin.

(Sarah Hung) #3

Are you sure that eating fat with carbs is bad? Somewhere on one of the videos Iā€™ve watched but I canā€™t remember where I heard that eating the fat with with carbs protects you from the bad effects of the carbs.
Iā€™ve just finished reading (actually listening to) The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz.
And my conclusion was that it is too many carbs that is the problem. None of my family have any health issues so Iā€™ve trying to make them lower carb while upping their fat.

#4

Iā€™m going by something @erdoke discussed before. I think he may have a helpful insight to this point.

My understanding is that the carbs in the meal will stimulate insulin, which causes the fat to be stored away rather than burned as fuel. This is why snacks with both fat and sugar (or starch), like potato chips and their ilk, are so bad for us.

(Siobhan) #5

Same problem. My issue is my dad will eat a low carb dinner made by me or mom and then binge on candy (a box of whatever). Iā€™ve tried to warn him against this but he doesnā€™t want to listen.
Or heā€™ll add a carb to the high fat meal which I also worry about.

I canā€™t make his decisions for him though, only give him the information and hope for the best.

In your case if its a low carb high fat MEAL with no added carbs on their part its fine IMO. The only thing youā€™re doing then is lowering their carb intake for the day and giving them a source of fat which is important for some vitamin absorption.
The problem with carbs is that it is inflammatory and promotes insulin production. As far as I know - and someone correct me if Iā€™m wrong here - fat will not protect against that.

#6

I think fat may blunt the glycemic spike by slowing digestion, but the insulin AUC (area under curve) will be the same. Just takes a longer, slower approach, which is also counter to limiting insulin to short periods in the day.

(Siobhan) #7

I believe thatā€™s true, yes. So as long as no carbs (or very low amount of carb) is added to dinner and no (sugary) dessert it should be ok

#8

I take away hubbyā€™s bacon if he makes toast. :wink:

(Sarah Hung) #9

Iā€™ve tried to find the video I watched on YouTube which mentioned about having fat with the carbs. I didnā€™t find it but found Prof. Tim Noakes - ā€˜Medical aspects of the low carbohydrate lifestyleā€™ at


I think this main question is how insulin resistant/sensitive the person is. I believe my husband to be insulin sensitive and so donā€™t worry about his carbs too much.
Prof. Noakes has an interesting graph at 15:51 in the video showing what different carbohydrate intake in insulin resistance.

#10

Maybe @richard has some science handyā€¦?

(Nathan Hall) #11

Just by way of anecdotal observation, I have found that when I feed my daughters higher fat meals that they are simply satisfied longer and less prone to snack. Also, I make it a point to offer fattier snacks like cheese sticks and pepperoni when they do snack. In doing this, the amount of carbohydrate they ingest is getting lower even if theyā€™re not consciously reducing it. They may not be at what I feel is a truly safe level of carb restriction, but I think changing the ratio of fat:carbohydrate in each day and making sure they are not ā€œfat phobicā€ is a step toward a healthier future for them.
You might also check out http:eatthebutter.org

(Larry Lustig) #12

My understanding only:

Fat and carbs together promotes storage of body fat, so it will exacerbate any problem with weight that any of your family members has.

Fat with carbs dulls the glycemic effects of the carbohydrates (by slowing and extending their absorption) so it may somewhat improve blood sugar and insulin response by not causing it to spike and crash to the same extent.

(Guardian of the bacon) #13

I grew up eating home made toast slathered in butter and baked potatoes loaded with cheese, butter and sour creamā€¦Ended up weighing 400 lbs. N=1 says carbs and fats = bad. :scream:

(AnnaLeeThal) #14

I would say yes, in general high carb plus high fat will equal badness. But I also agree with pp that offering higher fat meals and snacks tends to lower the carb intake by way of satiety for people who are not metabolically deranged. I know when I feed my daughter (age 10, gymnast, very thin) eggs and bacon she will be full for quite some time and not graze on sugary things like she is prone to do.

#15

I feed my family a moderate fat/low carb diet. We all eat the same food, example: chicken, broccoli/butter, and a salad. I add my extra fat separately, after dinner decaf coffee with HWC and/or coconut oil. Not sure if thatā€™s a good idea but it works for me. My kids and husband have lower carb bread/wraps and fruit. I also have no chips, crackers, candy, cookies or any sugary/carby snacks around. But at other peopleā€™s houses, I do let them indulge a bit. My son isnā€™t really a carb eater-weird to me Iā€™ll take it. My daughter would sneak anything she could all day long. She is also the one with an A1C of 5.7, even on a lower carb lifestyle. My kids are 8 and 10.

(Jake P) #16

Last year when I did Keto for a few months, my wife tried to do it with me. Would eat the keto goodness but also give into cravings and eat carb/sugars. She gained weight rapidly. Her metabolism is jacked up. Her A1C is always between 11-13 for the seven years sheā€™s been diabetic.

#17

Thank you everybody for your well thought out replies. I can avoid giving them rice or potatoes. But yes my boys love their after dinner yoghurt or cookies. Hubby would be the hardest convert. He ā€œneedsā€ to have some sort of cracker for his work time snack. Hubby and 2 boys have no weight issues but youngest (10 yrs old) is a bit thick in the middle like me. He is the hardest to get to comply. But they all can fast.

(Kathy Meyer) #18

This is a good question. I was trying to show my sister some Keto recipes like cheesy biscuits and fat bombs because she was interested in my WOE. And she and her husband loved both of these, but I didnā€™t get the impression they had any intention of giving up their carbs. Now Iā€™m afraid Iā€™ve made things worse by introducing high fat foods ā€“ they both could really, really, use to be ketogenic (heā€™s T2D and she has MS).

(Gabor Erdosi) #19

Adding carbs at the end of a protein + fat meal improves glucose spikes by increasing insulin load. While he improvement in glycemia is usually what medical doctors are after, this is exactly what we smart ketoers would like to avoid.

#20

I honestly started slowly making the changes. We ALWAYS had a huge carb presence on our dinner plate- rice or potatoes or noodles. I slowly reduced the amount while increasing the veggies and salads. Cold turkey didnā€™t work for me or my family. Itā€™s probably not the best way but I honestly had no complaints. Once my husband saw the weight just falling off him and his blood work drastically improving, he wanted to cut out the extra carbs. At lunch he used to have 2 sandwiches on thick multi grain bread- each slice of bread was 15 carbs! Plus chips and 3 cookies. Over 100 carbs at lunch! Now he has lower carb bread, a lot of meat and cheese on 1 sandwich, no chips, no cookies. Now 16 carbs per lunch.