You may have heard about diet trends like "cutting carbs," "low carb," or "avoiding carbs." As a graduate student studying nutrition, I get asked: “What’s up with carbs, anyway?” and “Are carbs really that bad for you?” I thought I would address these questions with what I have learned and some scientific information.
Let's start with the basics. Carbs, or carbohydrates, are considered a macronutrient, which means we need them in large quantities compared to micronutrients like minerals and vitamins, which we need in smaller amounts. You can read more about macronutrients and micronutrients in this blog post. Carbohydrates act as the main energy source for our bodies. They also help with cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism, assist in controlling blood glucose levels, and aid digestion. Carbs are a broad term that include fiber, fruit, legumes, sugar, and vegetables.
One of my pet peeves is when we demonize food and that often happens with carbs. It's recommended that about 50% of our total calories should come from carbohydrates. We need carbs because they are an important energy source and provide many essential minerals, vitamins, and even fiber. Fruit, vegetables, and whole grains are our main sources of these important nutrients. Fiber helps fill us up and promotes digestive health, with a recommended intake of 25–38 grams per day - most of which come from carbohydrates!
If you don’t have any other health conditions or concerns to take into account, it's all about balancing your diet. On a deeper level, it's about understanding the types of carbs you are consuming and how much of them. I don’t like the term “unhealthy” or “bad” foods. Instead, it's about what should be eaten less or occasionally versus what can be eaten daily to weekly.
In terms of carbohydrates, those that fall into the "should be eaten daily to weekly" category include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. Meanwhile, "occasional" carbohydrates include highly processed or refined foods like soda and pastries.
It's understandable that we all try to look for simple answers, especially when nutrition is such a complicated and evolving science. If you want to look for something to limit in your diet, I suggest specifically looking at "added sugars." I emphasize “limit” as it is always about trying to achieve a balanced diet. This information is mandatory on all nutrition fact labels and is important to pay attention to. Added sugars are usually included during the processing of foods and can be found as syrups, honey, and sweeteners in food packages. Added sugars also include what is added during home cooking, but the leading sources are considered sugar -sweetened beverages, sweet snacks, and desserts.
Sugar, honey, and syrups are all considered added sugars
Candy and chocolate are considered high in added sugars and are generally extremely processed food products.
These do not include naturally occurring sugars, like those in vitamin-rich strawberries. Added sugars have been linked to many health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, and obesity. Generally, you should look out for less than 5% of daily value to be considered low in added sugar and less then 20% overall to not be considered high in added sugar.
Whole Wheat Bread Nutrition Fact Label: Highlighted here is the dietary fiber included and amount of added sugar. This food item would be considered low in added sugar, with some dietary fiber.
I do want to address that carbohydrates may look different to you if you have another health condition affecting your food intake. It also matters how many carbohydrates you eat versus protein and healthy fats, as these are all part of a balanced diet. Hopefully this information about what carbohydrates are and what they mean to our bodies will help you when you are planning your next meal.
If you want to learn about incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet, don't miss hands-on Vegetarian Boot Camp on Saturday, February 22 at 10am. That's tomorrow! If you can't make that one, you must join us for hands-on Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Middle Eastern on Monday, March 24 at 6pm.
