Do carbs make you fat? I can’t believe how many misconceptions still exist around weight gain. It honestly makes me want to scream when I hear people tell me they are avoiding carbs. First of all, I don’t even know what that means since carbs are pretty much everywhere, second, unless you have an allergy or intolerance, it’s actually a bad idea to eliminate an entire food group. If you aren’t eating a balanced diet then you are missing out on vital nutrients that your body needs to function optimally.
First, what are carbohydrates? They are one of the three macro-nutrients, along with fat and protein that are found in our food. Most of the foods we eat are made up of two or all three of these macro-nutrients.
Additionally, there are three different carbohydrates which are found in our food: fiber, starch and sugar.
I think that the reason for all of these statements is that, in general, the fitness industry tries to funnel everybody into one mold. The truth is that an athlete has a very different set of food requirements than someone leading a sedentary lifestyle. For someone who doesn’t exercise, eating as little as 100-125 grams of carbohydrates a day might be enough and while that’s very little it certainly isn’t nothing. When I was dancing full time, I was eating somewhere around three times that amount and it was easy to keep the weight off.
DO CARBS MAKE YOU FAT
They are everywhere. Like I said before carbs are in many unexpected foods. Fruits and vegetables make up a large part of a healthy, well balanced diet and they contain carbohydrates. I don’t think there is a single dietitian, doctor or health professional who would tell you not to eat them.
They curb your hunger & fill you up. Now I’m not talking about cupcakes and highly processed muffins which just leave you feeling hungry and jittery after a couple of hours, I’m referring to carbs that are whole grains and rich with fiber. Since they absorb slowly into your bloodstream they help regulate your insulin levels (this means that your energy levels aren’t spiking and crashing) thus keeping you fuller for longer. In addition, they release your satiety hormones which curb those I-have-to-eat-now, cravings.
They make our bodies function. It’s all about balance and restricting carbs is not a long term solution. Our bodies crave and need carbs to function, limiting or even eliminating them will slow down your metabolism. They fuel anaerobic activity, which is anything from lifting weights to simply doing regular chores around the house.
They speed up your metabolism. Yes that’s right, resistant starches will help speed up your metabolism. What is a resistant starch? It’s a type of starch (most carbs are starches) that doesn’t get fully digested as it passes through your system and acts like a soluble fiber. As it passes through it releases fatty acids which in turn encourage fat burning. There’s a whole post worth of information about the benefits of fatty acids, but basically they help to preserve your muscle mass which in turn keeps your metabolism in gear.
They help fight illness. Keeping your system functioning optimally and eating healthy will help keep your weight in check and your blood sugar level. This in turn is your fighting chance against developing illnesses such as, Type 2 Diabetes.
I believe that when people say “carbs are bad” what they are really referring to is consuming copious amounts of sugar, which is very common in North American society. So before you jump on that bandwagon, take some time to really assess what you are eating and how much. If you find you are gaining weight, it’s probably because you are eating too much.
READ: HOW TO ACTUALLY LOSE WEIGHT
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