So many people in our society believe carbs are the single reason behind being obese or overweight. I don’t blame them for thinking that way because there is so much misinformation on the internet blaming weight gain on carbs that it’s hard to see how anyone would think any different.
Some of this erroneous information is a result of so many so called Doctors and experts publishing books saying that carbs are the root of all evil in terms of weight gain. Removing carbs from a diet is like removing gasoline from a car. Without gas the car won’t move anywhere and it’s the same thing with carbs. Without carbs in your daily diet you won’t have the energy to function properly throughout the day.
Carbs are not the problem to weight gain, it’s the over-consumption of calories and eating too much bad junk food. The brain and central nervous system require a good, continuous of supply of glucose and limiting your carbs to 0 to 50 grams of carbs per day will limit and minimize the glucose to your brain.
The American Dietetic Association recommends a minimum of 130 grams of carbs per day just for basic minimal energy needs and to supply the brain with enough glucose to function optimally. Alan Aragon says it best and I agree with him on this, “Your carbs intake should be individualized according to your personal preference, tolerance, and athletic and aesthetic goals.”
Play with your daily carb intake and see what works well for your body as some people are more insulin sensitive than others. To simply just to eliminate carbs completely from your diet would be a dangerous thing and not advisable from a health and wellness perspective.
Most people don’t realize that vegetables and fruits have carbs and those are foods you should have in at least half of your meals throughout the day. Some other good carbs which are referred as complex carbs are sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, whole grains such as whole wheat pasta, wheat bread, etc.
What has worked with most of the clients I’ve worked is having an even balance diet of every single macro-nutrient ratio. I typically have started off with a standard template with most clients of 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats and manipulated up and down from there nutrients wise. If you are a highly active athlete you actually need more carbs than the average person to give you the energy and appropriate nutrients support the high level physical activity.
If any Doctor tells you that carbs are your enemy or to be afraid of carbs you tell them they need to go back to school and take a couple of nutrition classes because all the scientific research indicates that your body needs daily carbs from a health perspective. Carbs are your friend and definitely not your enemy. You just have to make sure you are taking in good carbs and you are consuming enough of them daily to allow you function properly throughout the day.
