“Carbs just turn into sugar!”
“Carbs cause diabetes!”
You’ve most likely heard – and maybe even have thought of – these carb accusations. These are just a few of the most common misconceptions about our beloved carbs.
Let’s face it, carbs are awesome. So I wanted to help clear some of the carb confusion that still plagues a lot of society. Are they healthy? Do they make us fat? Do they cause diabetes, or insulin resistance? Let’s unpack it!
First off, carbs are one of the three main macronutrients – fats, carbs, protein. They’re broken down by the body into what’s called glucose. Glucose is then used as an energy source.
In fact, it’s the body’s preferred energy source, and is stored in important areas of the body such as the liver, muscles, and the brain.
So where does all the health confusion come into play? This mainly has to do with what this article is all about… healthy vs. unhealthy. It’s important to be able to differentiate between the two in regards to carbs. We hear one negative thing relating to carbs and suddenly all carbs are thrown under the bus.
Time and time again I always hear, or see people online, talking about how they’re “cutting carbs”. Like whoa, slow down.. Maybe you mean you need to cut back on things like sugary foods, and sweets – aka processed foods. Let’s not throw all the carbs out with the bathwater… or whatever that expression is…
One important point, regardless of carbs being healthy or unhealthy, they DO NOT make people fat. There is nothing about carbs that inherently will cause fat gain. The only way you will gain excess body fat is by consuming too many calories (caloric surplus) – regardless of what you’re eating. Even if you’re eating unhealthy carbs, fat gain will not magically happen unless you start to surpass your caloric needs. It’s just easier to surpass your caloric needs while eating unhealthy/processed foods without realizing it. THAT is what leads to the weight gain, not the food inherently.
Figured I would stress the importance of that one. But no, carbs do not magically make you fat. Also, eating multiple times per day and spiking insulin does not magically make you fat.. another fitness, fear-mongering, bullshit myth I’ve seen hanging around social media. A caloric surplus causes weight gain.
Some quick examples.. Anecdotally for myself, the first time I got the most “shredded” I’ve ever been, I had been eating a lot of carbs. But primarily the healthy ones – more on those in a bit. And I was losing body fat at a rate I never had before, even during times of eating “low carbs”. Here is a transformation pic of me.. the left is when I was at my biggest, the right is after I had gone full vegan/plant-based… I had gotten lean before, but not THAT lean, and not as effortless as that was!
Another example could be to look at Asian populations throughout history. Before fast-food moved in, the diets of many Asian cultures was typically a higher carbohydrate diet – consisting of things like sweet potatoes, white rice, etc – and yet, they were some of the thinnest, and longest living people on the planet, with very low rates of diabetes. This, as well as several other areas around the world, are highlighted in The Blue Zones – a book, and now Netflix documentary, about the longest living people on the planet. Also, another staple of the diets of these Blue Zones are beans! (healthy carb AND protein source). But anyway..
When it comes to carbs and health, there is definitely a difference between healthy and unhealthy carbs. It essentially comes down to a simple concept: processed vs. whole. I know, crazy..
REFINED (PROCESSED) CARBS
Refined carbs are the types of carbohydrates that essentially have been processed, and stripped away from any other nutrients they may have naturally been with, so that the sugars can be isolated.
The reason this then can be perceived as unhealthy is because:
- Whatever food is being consumed has healthy nutrients stripped away, making it an “empty calorie” food – potentially causing overeating on calories, weight gain, appetite for more junk food, etc
- The sugars don’t have other nutrients, such as fiber, to help slowly break down in the bloodstream, leading to faster and higher blood sugar spikes.
- Refined carbs and “added sugars” have been shown to increase triglycerides (fat in the blood).
Now the reality is, refined carbs can absolutely be enjoyed. I, myself, get down on some vegan Ben & Jerry’s, Oreos, and other sweets. I just also make sure to keep my overall diet in a given week around 70% – 80% whole food.
However, if you’re someone who is looking to optimize your health, or you already have blood sugar problems, here are examples of refined, or processed, carbs to limit or avoid..
UNHEALTHY CARBS:
- Pop/soda
- Candy
- Desserts
- White bread
- White pasta
- “Enriched wheat flour”
- *Added* Sugars on nutrition label
WHOLE, HEALTHY CARBS
Whole carbs are carbs that are in, or closest to, their most whole form, with nutrients still intact. Whole carbs, or complex carbs, are healthy because, well, here are just some of the benefits:
- Helps manage and control blood sugar
- Helps manage hunger and appetite
- Helps lower cholesterol
- Better, more steady energy levels
- Brain energy – the brain prefers to run on glucose
- Muscle energy – our muscles LOVE glucose, and also prefer to run on it (ie, better workouts!)
- WBC – our white blood cells, which help with our immunity, also love to run on glucose
Now again, these benefits come from healthy carbs, not from some of the things mentioned above. Here are examples of healthy carbs:
HEALTHY CARBS:
- Whole grains – Quinoa, Rice, Oats
- Fruit – Berries, Bananas
- Legumes – Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas
- Potatoes – Sweet potatoes, Purple potatoes
- Whole wheat bread/ Whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat pasta
- Legume-based pasta
Pro tip: if you’re afraid of carbs and are thinking about cutting them out of your life, STOP! You don’t have to torture yourself! Simply try opting for some of those healthy options mentioned above!
Swap your white pasta for some whole wheat pasta, try some whole wheat bread instead of white bread, snack on some berries and a banana instead of candy, or some processed snack, etc, etc, and enjoy your carbs!
Thanks for reading!