Why Do People Fear Carbs?
Carbohydrates. Are they a friend or foe? For a long time carbs have gotten a bad rep and people have avoided them out of fear that carbs will make them fat. Simply put, this is not really the truth. You can accept that and stop reading or you can continue reading below for more great info!
Recently diets such as the Atkins diet, ketogenic diet…etc. have popularized a low carb way of life. People do lose weight relatively quickly when limiting carbs – this is generally due to a loss of water-weight as water is needed to absorb carbs in a 3:1 ratio (3 g water: 1 g carbs). However carbs are not to be feared!
Carbs are a preferred source of energy for the body and generally make up the majority of the macronutrients your body requires. Excess carbs initially get stored as glycogen, NOT FAT, which is then used for energy when your blood sugar levels are low, particularly when you havenÕt eaten in a while or during exercise.Ê
So why do people fear them? Simply put, people think eating carbs makes them fat. This is not the truth. The truth sounds more like: people eating whatever they want (usually not the healthiest of options) and gaining weight but not realizing why. How many times have you been in the lunch room at work and Karen from HR complains time and time again that she canÕt lose weight, all the while sheÕs eating her snickers bar and washing it down with a pepsi.
If any food/nutrient/macro is in excess, the body will store it and sometimes it is stored as fat. ThatÕs right! Too much protein intake can be stored as fat too!
In our North American diet we do not have a hard time eating in excess particularly foods that arenÕt healthy or excessive simple carbs. Simple carbs are commonly ingested when people should strive to eat more complex carbs. These complex carbs are bigger carbs and take longer to break down. They help keep you full longer than simple carbs.Ê
So maybe you shouldnÕt avoid carbs out of irrational fear. Perhaps you should eat better sources of carbs that provide nutritional value and satiety!
Coach SteveÊ
