The Truth about Carbs!

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Let’s discuss one of the hot topics out there in the nutrition world – the dreaded carbohydrate! When it comes to people looking for something to blame their weight gain on, often it is the poor old carb that gets the blame.

But are carbs as bad as people make out? Certainly not, and in our opinion the poor carb is getting a bit of a rough ride.

You’ve heard it time and time again, when a friend or family member embarks on a weight loss programme or diet, that they are cutting out carbs, like it’s a disease to the body or something.

Of course, if genuinely someone has a condition such as celiac disease, then yes they have to, and should make all the efforts to eliminate gluten products such as wheat, barley and rye from their diet in order to maintain good health.

But otherwise, carbohydrates really aren’t the devil, and we will look to dispel the notion that you need to cut any food group from your diet.

Let’s look at the facts. If you’re overweight, it is pretty likely that you have found yourself in this position because you have consistently been taking in more energy in the form of calories, than you have been expending.

Let’s not underestimate the role that carbohydrates tend to play in this over consumption, there is no doubt that in modern day diets the prevalent macro nutrient does tend to be carbohydrates.

There are many reasons for this:

Convenience – Most people have become inherently lazy, and therefore the easiest thing to grab, cook or eat on the go, are things like sandwiches, pasta, potatoes, crisps, cakes, sweets etc.

Cost – Carbs tend to be pretty darn cheap, and because of this, families far and wide are tucking into plentiful platefuls in each meal.

Taste – We like to taste nice things! And unfortunately highly refined, sugary carbs are hyper palatable, meaning they taste so good we want to just keep on eating them!

And that is without doubt the main problem when it comes to these carbs.

WE OVER-EAT THEM!

As a macro nutrient, carbs have as many calories per gram as protein does, but rarely do you see people overeating protein do we?

Carbs are awesome and should play an essential part in any well balanced diet. They are our primary energy source for both body and brain, so they are especially key if you are exercising regularly or need continual cognitive ability.

They should be opted for in as wholefood form as possible, such as whole wheat options and limiting anything to heavily processed or refined.

The main thing you need to consider is that in order to maintain a healthy weight, you can’t be completely cutting out food groups as this is an unrealistic strategy which you are unlikely to be able to adhere to, as deprivation is unnecessary.

Carbs are not the enemy, and they alone are not what is making you fat or preventing you from losing weight. IT IS THE AMOUNT OF CALORIES OVERALL THAT YOU ARE CONSUMING. If this calorie amount is consistently over what you burn each day you will gain fat, it’s that simple!

Yes you are probably overeating on carbs, but they themselves are not solely to blame.

Eat Carbs, Protein and Fat in a balanced manner, but in a manner that suits your energy requirements. Nourish your body with essential nutrients and minerals from wholefoods, fruit and vegetables, and you my friend, will be winning!

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