Are Carbs Really Bad for You?

Carb-loathing is everywhere—from interviews with celebs and models to advice from your personal trainer and well-meaning friends. People have all sorts of reasons to shame foods rich in carbs. “They make you fat.” “They trigger cravings.” They are inflammatory.” The list goes on. A lot of people lump all carbs—white bread, sweets, whole grains, potatoes, and bananas—together into one group of foods to avoid. However, all carbs are not created equal. That’s why I’m setting the record straight on carbs, with my 10 Tips for Making Friends with Carbs.

10 Tips for Making Friends with Carbs

1. Not All Carbs are Alike. Although you probably think of carbs in foods like pasta, potatoes, bread, cereal, desserts, and soda, you may not realize that carbs are in other foods widely considered “healthy,” such as beans, oats, berries, and peas. So don’t dismiss this group altogether!

2. You Need Carbs. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of fuel—just like your car needs gasoline (or electricity!) to run. Carbohydrates in foods are broken down into glucose as a source of energy for your body cells.

3. Healthy People Eat Carbs. Traditional, indigenous diets from around the world—diets in which people have been eating the same way for centuries—are typically high in carbohydrates. From Africa to the Mediterranean to South America to Asia—the “poor man’s diet” is high in unprocessed carbohydrates like grains, vegetables, fruits, and pulses, and lower in protein. These diets are linked with lower obesity and disease risks.

4. Quality Counts. Increasingly, research supports eating most of your carbohydrate choices in their whole form. That means a baked potato instead of potato chips, an apple instead of apple juice, and wheat berries instead of white bread. These forms of carbohydrate are slower to digest and provide a gentler rise in blood glucose levels.

5. Skip the Sweets. The types of carbs you should keep to a minimum are those added sugars, such as sweetened beverages, cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, and candy. Try to keep intake of these foods below 10% of your total calories.

6. Go Whole. Power up with more whole carbs, such as unsweetened fruits, vegetables, whole, intact grains (quinoa, oats, farro, brown rice, sorghum), and pulses (beans, lentils, peas).

7. Get Your Nutrients. Skimping on carbs could mean you might be missing out on vitamins, minerals, fiber (found ONLY in carbohydrate sources), and phytochemicals that have been linked with lower risks of chronic diseases.

8. Fill Up. Fiber is one of the most powerful nutrients for satiety—meaning that it provides bulk in the diet and promotes a sense of fullness. Skipping out on fiber-rich carbs reduces that sense of fullness, not to mention the other benefits of fiber in the diet, like reduced risk of colon cancer and heart disease.

9. Perform with Carbs. Glucose fuels your body during and after athletic performance. You just can’t hike up that hill or play that game of tennis without fueling up.

10. Fitting in Carbs. Plan your diet well with this meal planning tip:

• Include about 3 servings a day of whole fruits, such as berries, citrus, peaches, and grapes.
• Include at least 6 servings per day of whole non-starchy vegetables a day, such as greens, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, and celery. Choose starchy vegetables, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, and winter squash less frequently if you are watching your weight.
• Include up to 6 one-half cup servings per day of whole grains (more or less depending on your energy needs) such as quinoa, wheat berries, oats, sorghum, brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, sorghum, millet, corn, and amaranth.
• Include at least 1 serving per day of pulses or soy foods, such as beans, lentils, dried peas, and tofu.

Main image: Pasta with Marinara and Roasted Vegetables, Sharon Palmer, RDN