Are carbohydrates bad for us?
This tale begins in Ye Olden Times, around 15 years ago, cast your mind back 10 years for me ...any youngsters out there, deploy your fingers to google. Who was the pseudo villain of the macronutrient tale then? Yep, you got it, fats. Bad, bad, naughty fat, that obviously made you fat too. The supermarket shelves were awash with low-fat products hailed as the saviour to your waistline and health. Well, fast forward several years and an abundance of well-executed studies later, plus a bit of intelligent research and we now all know that fats are not the enemy at the gate. But, there is now a new and controversial macro gangster on the block. Carbohydrates. Lovingly known as ‘carbs’, mostly known as the devil incarnate. Admit it, we all love and fear them in equal amounts, let’s find out why carbs really aren’t the villain of your fitness story. Then, let’s all go eat some.
What is a carb?
One of the three macronutrients (Carbs, Fats and Protein)
They are molecules that have carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
They fall within one of three categories
i) Sugar - for example, glucose
ii) Fibre - in foods such as fruit and veg
iii) Starch - found in potatoes, as an example
Their main purpose is to fuel the body, by providing energy, with the exception of fibre, which feeds friendly digestive system bacteria
The Fall of the Carbohydrate
This is where our tale takes a turn for the worst and fear sets in. It’s important to understand where this fear originates from. Simple vs complex carbohydrates is the catalyst for this.
What is a complex carbohydrate, is this the bad guy?
Contains fibre, so is unprocessed
Found in whole foods such as vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, fruit, legumes and potato
What is a Simple Carbohydrate, is this actually the bad guy?
Processed, whereby the Fibre has been stripped out
Found in white foods, such as bread, pasta and rice, as well as in juices, sugary foods and sugar-sweetened drinks, cakes and ice cream (mmmm cake)
And this, my friends, is where the downfall of the carb really becomes clear and the antagonist of the carb world rears its ugly head. It’s these foods containing simple carbohydrates that have dragged down their angelic, unblemished counterpart, the good-natured complex carb.
There have been many studies conducted which scrutinize the short and long term effects of consuming each of these carb types. A meta-analysis released by Diabetes Care in 2013 found that consumption of simple carbohydrates can cause health issues such as Type 2 Diabetes.
This has, of course, cast a large and persistent cloud over the hero of our story, complex carbohydrates; hiding from us their ability to provide us with essential nutrients, in some cases lowering the risk of disease as observed by Andrew Mente’s systematic review published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The manifestation of fear aka CARBS MAKE YOU FAT
Arise the ‘low carb diet’. Humans all over the world removing an entire food group from their diet, foods they enjoy, packed with nutrients all because of the evil (but unbelievably tasty) simple carbohydrate. Cue a simple carbohydrate rubbing its fictitious hands together, coupled with a Dr Evil laugh and you’re in about the right place. It’s a travesty. Many of us have tried it, and executed well, low carb diets can give great results. However, these results are due to a reduction in calories as a direct impact of removing foods from your diet you’d overwise overindulge - cake, pasta, chocolate, chips, crisps, cake again. Ergo, it puts you into a caloric deficit (there is some very informative stuff about a caloric deficit here, go check it out). They are also great for weight loss goals, but not for those that want to build muscle, as sufficient carbs are crucial in the muscle-building process and to really fuel our workouts allowing us to push out that extra rep or set. Muscles need carbs. I am by no means anti low carb, it works well for many people and gives them a diet healthier than they would have ordinarily, but I do not think it is the optimal diet to give you an incredible physique alongside the health benefits, which is what I desire for all of my clients. Hot A.F. inside and out.
The rise of the Complex Carbohydrate
It’s time we stopped making complex carbs pay for the sins of the simple. Simple carbohydrates have been demonised for good reason (in part) and, eaten in excess, can have health consequences, so they should absolutely be eaten in moderation. Yes, I really did just say that. Moderation. I don’t believe you need to cut these from your diet completely. If you can, great, you admittedly have more willpower than I, but a bit of cake or a chocolate bar as a treat is absolutely fine and part of a healthy diet and healthy relationship with food. I urge you to eat complex carbs, again, as part of a healthy diet, understanding that these foods are nutrient-dense and do plenty of good, but keeping in mind that they also have a calorie content so should be eaten in the correct volumes (no, you do not have the green light to eat two kilos of roast potatoes a day...how amazing would that be?).
The overall message here from me is that there are no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. No foods should be on the naughty list, this to me does not cultivate a healthy relationship with food which is key to a long term healthy diet. But we do need to make sensible choices and not fall into excess.
You’ll find some great, balanced recipes on my site, there are a good mix of carb levels, for those of you who do find a low carb diet effective and for those of you who are friends with carbs. They are all centred around whole foods and taste pretty darn good. Check them out!