The truth about carbs
Do carbohydrates cause weight gain? Will I get fat if I eat carbs? Will I lose weight if I just cut carbs out?
Carbs are the enemy! But are they, really?
Why is it that carbs get such a bad name all the time? Well, I am here today to be the carbs cheerleader and give you the real low down on carbohydrates.
First of all, what is a carbohydrate? A carbohydrate is a macronutrient that we have within the diet. There are 4kcals per g and is the main source of energy in all living organisms.
Carbohydrates are not essential for the body unlike other macronutrients; however, our brain and central nervous system needs a continuous supply of glucose as a primary fuel source, which carbohydrates give us!
Requirements of carbohydrates can vary between 1g – 10g per kg bodyweight depending on your output and goal ie health, performance, fat loss ect. The thing is, with carbohydrates there is no one size fits all.
Carbohydrates gives us a relatively quick energy source which is why people tend to reach for the sugar/starch carbohydrate sources when they are feeling tired or in that afternoon slump. These are extremely yummy, easy to overindulge and usually very calorie dense. This is where carbohydrates tend to get their bad rep from. Similarly, when people reduce these in their diet (creating a calorie deficit), naturally they lose weight. CRACKED IT – that must be it, carbs are bad, we should all be cutting them out of our diet.
However, focusing on one single macro nutrient to blame for weight gain, poor health and lack of progression is not scientific but actually not helpful at all.
“When I cut carbs though I lost loads of weight?” That’s because carbohydrates when broken down also come with water and so cutting these means other than a calorie reduction, water weight loss!
When we think of carbohydrates we think of cakes, biscuits, bread and pasta but that’s just a few examples. Reality is carbohydrates are in most foods including fruit and vegetables!
Granted, thinking about having less lower quality refined grains such as white rice, white bread, sweets and pastries could be beneficial. They of course have a place within our diet, it’s just being conscious of their intake. There are far more nutritious and less processed carbohydrate sources you could reach for, to benefit your health and for managing overall energy balance.
Think about prioritising the higher quality carbohydrates such as wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes.
Why wholegrain? Well because it’s the whole…grain! Processing hasn’t got involved and stolen a load of the yummy goodness for our body!
Having slow digesting, unprocessed and high fibre carbohydrate sources can have multiple health benefits. Therefore, keep including more fibrous sources of carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables, bean and pulses.
Carbohydrates don’t need to be banished into the corner “no one puts carby in the corner”. Okay terrible link but basically if you enjoy eating carbohydrates do not feel you need to cut them from your diet.
Carbohydrates help digestive health, sleep and overall optimal health – not to mention they are super yum!
You may see the word “Keto” or “Ketogenic” being flown around quite a lot too. This is a high fat, super low carb diet choice. This is having less than 50% of carbohydrates a day. The debate around Keto is a whole different blog but unless you are epileptic, I wouldn’t worry.
Whether you choose to have a higher carbohydrate diet or lower carbohydrate diet, there is no absolute, so go with which suits your lifestyle and preference. Just know that you are not “not losing weight” or for that matter gaining weight because you have or haven’t included carbohydrates in your diet.
(Always remember the PRINCIPLE of weight gain/loss and that comes down to the energy balance of in versus out).
Be cautious of those food sources, (not just carbohydrates!) that tend to carry many calories that you very easily can overindulge in. Of course, enjoy but make sure they align with your goals. Nothing needs to be restricted, just reduced.
Keep the plate loaded with wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, beans, pulses – the list goes on!
Fill your scrummy boots with nutritious, high quality carbohydrates to aid your overall journey in health.
Oh ps – you will hear a lot about the rise in insulin after consumption of carbohydrates and how this also causes you to gain weight. ‘Insulin is the devil, all the sugar AH!’
Ignore that too, in a nutshell, elaboration for another day as insulin can have its own discussion but basically this has scientifically never been proven 🙂
Speak soon babes x