With ketogenic and low carb diets in vogue, carbohydrates have gotten the worst rap out of the three macros (proteins, fats, and carbs). It’s not uncommon for someone’s first step in weight loss is to cut their carbs. Sure enough, that person loses some weight and concludes that carbs were the problem all along. Not so fast my friend (In my best Lee Corso voice).
The weight loss is most likely due to calorie restriction (reducing carbs without adding in extra fat or protein leads to a decrease in caloric intake leading to weight loss) and dropping of water weight (decreasing carbs causes the body to lose fluids, in the short term at least, due to osmolarity). Reducing carb consumption in the short term will lead to some weight loss, but because of natural biological processes, the weight loss will not continue at the same rate, and the weight you have shed will most likely come back. Why? If we debunk some common carbohydrate myths, you’ll see.
1. Carbs make you gain weight. Weight gain is not due to carbs themselves, but from over consumption of large portions of any type of food, especially those that are high in calories. Usually, when someone overeats on carbs it’s not even the carbs alone, but the combination with carbs and FAT. I can’t tell you the last time I have seen someone sitting around eating entire white potatoes dry. But slap on some butter/sour cream or deep fry those bad boys, and you can eat them all day.
The type of carbs someone takes in is also very important. Sugar is a carb (think gummy bears) but so is a sweet potato. The difference is one is made up of starch and fiber, and the other is a refined sugar. Refined sugars are much easier to consume, which allows a person to over consume them more easily without getting full. Complex carbohydrates (like whole grains, potatoes, and some legumes) are much more dense and have fiber (which makes you feel full) along with vitamins and minerals. So no, carbs won’t make you gain weight magically.
2. Don’t Eat Fruit, It’s Got Too Much Sugar: Most of the time, I don’t have a problem eating most fruits, as long as there's some kind of portion control. That being said, most fruits are almost impossible to over consume like apples, oranges, berries, and other high fiber fruits (tropical fruits are another story). People run into trouble when they cut out the whole chewing and digesting steps and go right to juicing. Juicing strips the fruit of the fiber and condenses the sugar from multiple portions. For instance, it takes 36 oranges to make a gallon of orange juice. That’s three oranges for an 8 oz. glass. Imagine sitting down and eating three oranges, it would make you pretty full, right? Not only is an 8 oz. glass of orange juice not satiating, it spikes your insulin and causes you to crave more sugar. Portions of fruit are fine, stay away from juicing.
3. You Shouldn’t Eat Carbs At Night: All carbohydrates are processed by your body the same way, no matter what time of day it is. There is no evidence to support that eating carbohydrates at night will promote unwanted weight gain. In fact, if you have issues with sleep, consuming complex carbohydrates with dinner two hours prior to bed can improve sleep for individuals.
I hope that clearing up some of the confusion allows you to utilize carbohydrates for what they are, a nutritional tool for better health.
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