Carbohydrates: More Friend Than Foe

Have you heard these ridiculous claims? Carbs make you fat, the devil’s flour, insulin makes you fat, potatoes are unhealthy.

In my younger days, I had been caught up in the low-carb craze, obsessed with keeping insulin low and “eating fat to burn fat”. The above claim about white flour being the devil’s flour was on the cover of a prominent magazine. It begins with an O and ends with a Prah.

Sigh.

At dinner with my late grandparents one night, I told my grandfather how bread isn’t healthy and the look he gave me was the same as if I told him grass wasn’t green. I confused his look as one of lack of knowledge on his part, while he contentedly ate his post-dinner roll and coffee (yes he did this and it’s great). 

In fact, he always referred to bread as the staff of life; like most individuals from his generation, carbohydrates made up a large part of most people’s daily calories, at a time when people were more active, food was less processed and calorie dense, and obesity rates were much lower.

As I got older and just a bit wiser, I realized the look he gave me was one of me telling him something he knew wasn’t true. Can you tell an individual who has eaten carbohydrates their whole life, maintained a lean 185lbs 6’2” frame, who lived into his late 80s while being active every single day that their diet doesn’t work? 

Meanwhile, I’ve yet to find an 85-year-old chugging along on decades of keto dieting.

There is a LOT of conjecture regarding carbohydrate intake, and while you’ll see below that needs vary between individuals, carbohydrates are here to stay.

Carbohydrate Stats:

4 calories per gram

Ideal for fueling intense exercise and recovery

Primary energy source for the brain and nervous system (you need your wits!)

Provide fiber and nutrients

Role of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates serve as the body's preferred source of energy. They are crucial for fueling various activities, helping to spare proteins for muscle building and enhancing recovery. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, the preferred energy source for the brain and nervous system. This explains why low-carb diets can sometimes make you feel less energetic or moody.

Benefits of Whole Carbohydrates

Whole food sources of carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains, are rich in fiber. This fiber is linked to successful diet outcomes and plays a role in regulating hunger and fullness cues through its interaction with insulin. Insulin not only helps regulate blood sugar levels but also signals to the brain that we are full, promoting a healthy appetite.

Individual Needs for Carbohydrates

The required amount of carbohydrates can vary significantly from person to person, making it one of the most personalized aspects of nutrition. Determining the right amount for your body is crucial for optimizing health and performance. This is something you will learn and personalize as you progress.

Sources of Healthy Carbohydrates

A carbohydrate source is defined as any food where most calories come from the carbohydrates it contains. Here are some healthy sources to consider:

• Grains: Rice (wild, black, red, brown, white), quinoa, couscous, bulgur

• Tubers: Sweet potatoes, white potatoes

• Breads: Ezekiel bread, high-fiber breads

• Wraps: Low-carb, high-fiber wraps (e.g., Joseph’s Lavash)

• Fruits: All varieties

• Cereals: Oats, hot cereals like porridge
  

Carbohydrates to Limit

While many foods contain carbohydrates, not all are beneficial in the context of a healthy diet. Foods high in refined sugars and low in nutritional value should be consumed sparingly, if at all. Examples include:

• Refined Grains: Pancakes, muffins, excess refined bread products

• Desserts: Ice cream, candy

• Snacks: Sugary Granola bars, sweetened yogurts, cereals with added sugars
  

BONUS – Carbs and Exercise

Carbohydrates play a crucial role in fueling exercise, primarily because they provide the body with glucose, which is the most efficient form of energy for most types of physical activities. Here's how carbohydrates fuel exercise, broken down into key points:

1. Energy Storage and Release:

• Glycogen Storage: Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Before exercise, consuming carbohydrates increases glycogen stores, preparing the body with a readily available energy source.
  

• Glycogen Utilization: During exercise, the body converts glycogen back into glucose, which is then used to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule that powers muscle contractions and other cellular activities.

2. Intensity and Duration:

• High-Intensity Exercise: For short, intense exercise bursts, such as sprinting or weightlifting, the body primarily uses glycogen as the fuel source because it can be quickly converted into energy.

• Endurance Exercise: During longer, moderate-intensity activities like running or cycling, the body continues to use glycogen, but the rate of depletion depends on the exercise intensity and duration. Maintaining carbohydrate intake during longer activities can help sustain performance.

3. Efficiency of Carbohydrate Utilization:

• Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Metabolism: During aerobic exercise (with oxygen), carbohydrates are metabolized more efficiently, producing more energy per unit of oxygen consumed compared to fats. In anaerobic conditions (without oxygen), like during intense physical exertion, glucose is the only source of energy for ATP production.

• Preventing Fatigue: By maintaining glucose levels through carbohydrate intake, we can prevent or delay the onset of fatigue, particularly during prolonged or high-intensity exercise.

4. Brain Function and Coordination:

• Glucose for the Brain: The brain requires glucose to function optimally. During exercise, maintaining blood glucose levels is crucial for concentration, coordination, and overall performance, especially in sports that require quick decision-making and precise movements.

5. Recovery and Adaptation:

• Post-Exercise Recovery: After exercise, consuming carbohydrates helps replenish depleted glycogen stores, which is vital for recovery and preparation for subsequent workouts.

• Muscle Repair and Growth: While protein is essential for muscle repair, carbohydrates also play a role by providing the energy needed for the repair processes and for facilitating the entry of amino acids into muscle cells through insulin secretion.

Understanding how to manage carbohydrate intake for your goals and needs can significantly enhance performance, recovery, and overall energy levels.

How many Carbohydrates to Eat

While recommendations for protein can be used with some simple calculations, dietary carbohydrate needs can vary quite a bit.

Can you have none?

Carbohydrates are not essential, meaning that if you don’t eat them, your body can make glucose anyway such as when following a Keto diet. While this does run the risk of being deficient in water soluble vitamins, fiber and minerals, you can technically eat no carbohydrates and survive – not so for protein and fat.

Most nutritionists would not recommend “no” or “very low” carbohydrate diets to their clients. Without a metabolic disease, they are the body’s preferred fuel source and are not efficiently stored as fat, making them a cheap, convenient, filling, nutritious and healthy part of most diets. 

Active Individuals

Active lifestyles including sports, weight training and running can all benefit from a large part of daily calories coming from carbohydrates, even when in a fat loss phase. This number is best figured out when you know your daily calorie needs and have already calculated your protein requirements. Some individuals might need 150g per day while others can easily consume in excess of 400g daily.

Example:

For most people consuming 3-5 meals per day, a regular per meal total of 30-50g will easily get you in the ballpark without overdoing it.

Even at 40g carbs per meal, 5 meals per day is a daily total of 200g carbs. This amounts to only 800 calories daily coming from carbohydrates. If these sources are potatoes, fruit, rice, oatmeal and other fibrous sources it can be quite filling. 

40g of carbs can be represented as about a cup of rice or beans, ¾ cup dry oatmeal, 6-7 ounces potato, 2 slices of wheat bread or 2 cups of berries.

A nutrition coach would be your best bet for determining daily totals and needs, but the above general recommendation shows how even a moderate amount of carbohydrates per meal fits easily into even the most modest calorie needs while being quite filling and offering plenty of wiggle room for variety. 

If you don’t weigh and measure your food, that’s fine! Be sure to include fibrous carbohydrates at most meals and aim for about a cup sized portion of ¼ to 1/3 of your plate coming from carbohydrates. Aim to be satisfied, not stuffed. Opting for nutrient dense and fibrous sources will naturally keep calories in check.