Carbs: Good or Bad?
Imagine this…you have been working hard to make healthy food choices, especially including plenty of fruits and veggies in your meals. But then you see your doctor, and they are concerned about your weight. You mention what foods you are eating, that you are having a protein smoothie in the morning with fruit, and that one of those fruits is banana. Then your doctor replies, "Bananas aren't good and have too much sugar. I would replace it with a less sugary fruit." This makes you doubt the progress that you have made so far, and you think to yourself, "Wait…bananas are bad??!!" DOCTORS… PLEASE STOP SAYING THIS!
Did you know that 95% of people who lose weight regain it? Why? Imagine that your entire life, you hear that treats like chocolate, candy, or ice cream, are "naughty," making it impossible to eat these treats in front of others. This can lead you to binge eat those treats or to try restrictive diets that just put you on a roller coaster of weight loss and weight gain, causing your body to gain even more weight back and leaving you stressed out. Imagine this yo-yo effect going to the heartbreaking extreme. For example, a woman who is significantly overweight is taking out "all processed foods" and "all desserts" and making it a rule to not eat anything containing too much sugar (even natural sugar), cutting out most carbs, and going very low fat. She is "successful" in that she does lose some weight. In the diet culture world, we say, "Great job!" We congratulate her on her weight loss. This confirms in her mind that she is doing the right thing, and she will keep restricting and eliminating foods to the point of being unhealthily underweight. She will be hospitalized 3x in one week and diagnosed with an eating disorder. Sadly, these are actual life experiences I've heard and seen.
Many people have told me that "carbs are bad," "they are the culprit to XYZ," or "just some carbs are bad." This post will explain precisely WHAT carbs are, and we will answer the question we all want to know the answer to… ARE CARBS GOOD OR BAD?
What are carbs?
In the simplest explanation, carbs are an energy source. In scientific terms, a carbohydrate is a macronutrient consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms and comprises a food source such as sugar, starch, or fiber. Carbohydrates are food. Period. Not good or bad. Now, for some people, certain carbohydrates may be an allergen. Some people have an intolerance to certain carbs called FODMAPS. FODMAPS in food are mainly found in certain fibers and starches that can be difficult for some people to digest. They can cause headaches and digestive symptoms, like irritable bowel syndrome. Rinsing or cooking these foods can make digesting them easier for someone with IBS. Also, eliminating or limiting the FODMAPS that cause unwanted symptoms can provide relief. However, it isn't the food itself that is bad. It is just that some people may be sensitive to them or have conditions that make some FODMAPS difficult for them to tolerate. I liken it to a gun; it just sits there, not doing anything, and is not good or bad. But when that same gun is picked up by a person who is not capable of handling it, it can lead to a bad situation. Trust me, IBS can be a bad situation.
What do carbs do?
Hydrate So, when someone tells me that they are "doing a Keto diet or a low-carb diet" and they "lost all this weight at the beginning," I feel the need to gently burst their bubble because, in reality, all they did was lose water weight. They aren't going to stay hydrated very easily while eating a low-carb or Keto diet. The truth is, our cells need glucose to hydrate correctly thanks to a process called, the sodium-glucose transport. I know…I think it is a cool phrase, too. Basically, this is our body's ability to reabsorb water into the gut, which is very important for hydration.
Provide Energy "Don't give them too much sugar, or they will bounce off the walls!" I'm sure we've all heard this phrase or even used it once or twice. This phrase has a small amount of truth to it, because foods rich in carbs, give us energy. Carbs fuel every cell in our body. Our brains use over 400 calories daily from glucose (sugar) alone—our muscles and, of course, our hearts like it, too. If you are familiar with construction, carbs are like the workers (energy source) putting bricks (proteins/structures) together. My husband is a construction contractor, so my brain goes there sometimes-- lol.
Lower Stress Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone,” as your cortisol levels increase in response to stress. Cortisol also helps regulate blood sugar levels and your body’s sleep-wake cycle. When your blood sugar level drops, your body will make cortisol to raise it back up. High levels of cortisol can lead to abdominal weight gain, poor quality sleep, and make us feel irritated and anxious. Simple carbs, like desserts and candy upsets the carb-cortisol balance and makes for unstable blood sugar levels. Balancing your blood sugar levels by eating “good” carbs will help your body combat the stresses of life by keeping your cortisol levels in check. Good carbs are carbs that take a while to digest, like legumes, beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and whole-grain pastas and breads.
Strive for nutrient density
The most important takeaway from this blog, is that carbs are neither “good” or “bad.” We want to do what is healthy for our bodies and that means keeping refined carbs, like sweet treats, as just that—treats. Moderation and attention to nutrient density remain the key piece of advice for all of us when it comes to eating carbs.
The great news is that carbs are not the enemy! Shortsighted fad diets have left many of us feeling sluggish, stressed and with an unhealthy relationship with food. The truth is that healthy bodies REQUIRE healthy carbs. An “ideal” body weight does not equal ideal health. If you are interested in learning how to accomplish your health goals without restricting, I would love to help.
