The truth about carbs
Déjà vu anyone? A glance on TikTok will have you wondering if the noughties called and asked for their diet fad back. Once it was Atkins and now we have variations on the Paleo and carnivore diet shunning fruit, veg, grains and pretty much anything that isn’t meat and offal. If this is all sending you into a keto sweat then read on to find out if you really do have to stop eating carbs again.
Why do we lose weight when we cut out carbs?
Imagine eating all the butter you want without bread or as much mayo as you like without fries? There’s only so much fat you can squeeze onto a steak. So low carb diets are often a way to reduce your calorie intake, whereby you can lose weight. Low carb diets are often high in protein which can also be more filling so you might feel less hungry on a low carb, high protein diet, which might help you stick to it longer term.
There has been heated debate about whether reducing or removing carbs from the diet helps to lower insulin release and thereby help manage weight (and indeed conditions like type 2 diabetes) independent of reducing calorie intake. This is because insulin is a hormone released when you eat carbohydrate (and to some extent protein) which brings about the storage of carbs and fat within the body. The theory goes that by minimising insulin release, you minimise fat storage. However, the reality is much more complicated than simply reducing insulin levels to magically induce weight loss. While a low carb diet CAN help with weight loss and type 2 diabetes management, whether it does so simply because it helps you to eat fewer calories or because of more complex metabolic reasons, we simply don’t know1.
Should we be scared of carbs?
Look in some parts of the internet and you’d be forgiven for thinking that carbs are poisonous. In truth, eating carbs, even sugars (in moderation), such that your blood sugar rises, is completely normal and your body is well equipped to deal with it. So rich, insta-famous celebs with TV programs and supplements to sell might tell you that any glucose spike must be avoided at all costs but the truth is, we’ve been eating carbs for millennia now and are well equipped to deal with them.2
Nutrition can be a very emotional subject with even very experienced academics disagreeing with one another and no more so than on the subject of carbs!
That said, reducing sugar and refined carbohydrates in our diets, whether it’s sweets, cakes, biscuits and soft drinks or white bread and potatoes and swapping them out for wholegrains like oats and wholegrain / brown pasta, rice and bread is never a bad thing. But life isn’t all about being perfectly healthy all the time, and we always suggest everything in balance and moderation.
Why do we need carbs?
The truth is, carbs can be incredibly nutritious if you choose them wisely.
Wholegrains, pulses and starchy vegetables provide complex carbohydrate, fibre and B-vitamins, for example. We need fibre to keep our digestion moving and avoid constipation. B-vitamins can help us to release energy from the food we eat and support our skin, heart and psychological function. Without healthy carbohydrate foods, we would be missing out on many important nutrients.
The downside of carb cutting
Not only do you miss out on essential nutrients if you’re on a very low carb diet but you will also struggle to concentrate and your sports performance will suffer if you’re active. The brain and muscles both rely on carbohydrates as a ready source of fuel so forcing the body to go through more complex digestion of fat and protein for fuel can leave us feeling sluggish, tired and irritable.3
It might be even more important for women, especially active women, to eat sufficient carbs for overall health and to fuel activity so take care with low carb diets.4
So, no carbs before Marbs?
In conclusion, carbs form a pretty important part of your diet, providing energy, fibre and lots of key nutrients to help support our brain and body. While we should aim to eat more wholegrains and less sugar or refined carbs, there’s no need to fear rice, pasta, bread and oats. While a low carb diet might help you to lose weight, there are many other ways to do so and these can end up easier to sustain in the long run.
References
1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537084/
2 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-blood-sugar-monitoring-without-diabetes-worthwhile-202106112473
3 https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet
