Stop the War on Carbs
It is time to stop the war on carbs – carbohydrates are important in every diet, if your goal is to lose weight, gain weight or even just maintain, then you need to be using carbohydrates correctly to reap the rewards.
What are Carbs?
Carbohydrates are just one of the three macronutrients found in food, the others being proteins and fats. It is very rare to see a product with just one macronutrient – most contain a combination of all three.
Carbs can be broken down into three parts
– Sugar can be found naturally in foods such as fruit, fruit juices, milk and vegetables. Other forms of sugar will be found in food and drink such as chocolate, sweets and soft drinks.
– Starch is made up of sugar units which have been bonded together and is found in foods that come from plants such as; bread, rice, potatoes and pasta.
– Fibre is a compound found in the cell walls of foods that come from plants, such as; vegetables, wholegrain bread, whole wheat pasta etc.
Now you know a bit more about carbs let me tell you why we need them and why they are NOT making you fat.
Why we Need Carbs
Carbs are important for energy, without energy your body is not going anywhere!
Carbohydrates should be the main source of energy in a healthy and balanced diet. Carbs provide around 4kcal (17kJ) per gram and are broken down into glucose (sugar) before being absorbed into the blood stream (NHS, 2018). As mentioned above, energy is the main reason why we need carbs, the glucose in carbs is used by your body to fuel your day to day activities. This includes everything from picking the kids up from school, going for a run or simply just walking to the shops.
If you have not done much with your day and your overall energy output is a lot lower than usual, this is when the unused glucose you have consumed that day could be converted into glycogen (found in the liver and muscles). If this is the case, then the excess of glucose that has been stored as glycogen may be converted to fat for long term storage of energy. Try focusing on high fibre/starchy carbohydrates as these release sugar into the blood a lot slower than sugary products such as soft drinks and chocolate and keep you fuller for longer.
Why Carbs are NOT Making you Fat
Carbs have been recently linked to weight gain, it is common to hear people say, “I’m lowering my carbs this week” or “I’m not eating carbs anymore I’m getting fat”. This is a common misconception that has been misconstrued in the media and has led to thousands of people thinking that the reason they are not happy with their body image or plain simple fat, is because of carbs.
This could not be further from the truth!
If your diet consists of high fat foods or high carb foods it will have the same effect dependent upon your energy output appose to how much energy (calories) you are consuming. This is also simply put by the NHS ‘if you frequently consume more energy than your body uses you are likely to put on weight’.
A Little ‘Carby’ Advice
Aim to limit the volume of sugary foods you consume day to day, instead include healthier sources of carbs such as whole grains, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. You can also do this by increasing your protein intake using protein bars/snacks. These products usually have a lower carb profile than most household snacks which means you can enjoy the things you love without feeling guilty! Protein bars fill you up and allow you to enjoy some chocolate but with less than usual carbs.
So, let’s stop neglecting carbs and give them the loving they deserve, it is winter after all!
*This article has been constructed using the information gathered from the NHS article ‘Why we need to eat carbs’ *
