The Truth About Eating Carbs
The Carb Phobia: Trickery!
Carbs are the enemy!
Carbs make you fat!
Carbs = weight gain!
Carbs are the reason why you aren't seeing results!
When did this phobia of eating carbs even begin? Why are we terrified to eat carbs? When did eating fruit become OFF LIMITS because….SUGAR!
Remember the good ‘ol days when eating carbs came without guilt?
When it comes to food phobias, carbs are number one and the first food to be eliminated when dieting / trying to lose weight.
Thinking of carbs as the sworn enemy perpetuates an unhealthy relationship with food while absolutely derailing you from goals / results.
As a certified nutrition coach who has successfully helped hundreds of people transform their bodies and achieve life-changing results while still eating carbs, today's blog is all about defending beloved carbs!
If you enjoy carbs and want to make them part of your regular diet without feeling guilty or, how you can eat carbs all day at every meal and still get the very best results - KEEP READING!
Today's blog is dedicated to teaching you:
#1. Why Your Body NEEDS carbs
#2. The carbs you NEED to be eating
#3. Why eating carbs = getting the BEST RESLTS!
All Carbs Are NOT Created Equal
Your body needs QUALITY carbohydrates to perform efficiently and leave you feeling your best. And, let’s be clear about this because not all carbs are created equal. The quality of the carbs you consume is going to be just as important as the quantity. When choosing sources of carbohydrates, look for SMART carbs.
What are SMART carbs?
SMART carbs are complex carbohydrates high in fiber and digested more slowly. Examples of complex carbs include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and starchy tubers: sweet potato and regular.
Eating smart carbs can absolutely support any weight / fat loss goal. Smart carbs can absolutely help you become leaner and more “toned”. Infact, eating carbs is part of that process. Here’s where things go south and partially why “carbs” get a bad rap:
What trips us up aren’t SMART carbs but the SIMPLE carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates are refined sugars most often found in soda, candy, baked goods, and processed snacks - you know all the stuff we are likely to overconsume. These carbohydrates are the kind you should consume in moderation to achieve optimal health. These are the carbs that eaten in excess will derail any weight/fat loss goal and skew health markers in ways you don’t want.
Why Your Body Needs Carbs
Smart carbohydrates are important for 4 very important reasons:
#1. ENERGY: First and foremost, they are our body’s preferred source of energy. Carbohydrates are sugars and starches the body breaks down into glucose. Once broken down into glucose, they are used to feed the body’s cells and provide energy.
Want to get through your day feeling energized instead of tired and sluggish? Then you better have some carbs in the tank to provide the energy needed.
Question: When exercising or doing any sort of physical activity, name the first place your body hit ups for energy?
Ding, ding, ding - you guessed it! Your body is using all those glorious carbohydrates you are consuming so fuel up buttercup!
#2. DIGESTION: Carbohydrates provide dietary fiber and bulk in order to keep our digestive systems flowing properly as well as keeping your appetite satisfied. Do you enjoy feeling “backed up”? Probably not- that ruins everyone’s day!
#3. BRAIN FUEL: Carbohydrates help fuel your brain and central nervous system. if you’ve tried low-carb eating you probably experienced brain fog and lack of concentration. That is a direct consequence of not eating enough smart carbs.
#4. HEART HEALTH: By increasing your soluble fiber intake (the type of fiber found in smart carbs like beans and brown rice) you can potentially lower your bad cholesterol. Mind blown! Carbs can lower our cholesterol so we become healthier? Get out of town!
So, what happens IF your body needs that energy, goes to find it but can’t? ‘cause you eliminated all the (smart) carbs you need?
If you are NOT consuming the proper amounts of carbs your body needs, expect to soon feel the negative side effects. Common side effects of low-carb diets include fatigue (especially when working out), bloating due to lack of dietary fiber, poor concentration, and hunger. Without proper energy, you won’t have fuel for your workouts and getting results will become real hard. Other effects of notable mention: constipation and bad breath. Ew.
Low Carb Diets Are 100% RUINING Your Results
Low-carb diets have been ALL the rage for quite a few years. In fact, most of you reading this have likely tried some variation of these diets at some point - am I right?
No judgement here - been there, tried that and quickly moved on!
Now, let me ask you this: out of those you know who have done low-carb (yourself included), how many lost the weight AND successfully kept it off?
Chances are, all the lost weight was gained back and in some cases, even more.
This is one of the biggest reasons why fad diets such as low-carb and keto are NOT sustainable. It’s a “quick fix” leaving your worse off then when you first started.
Think about it: what’s the point of spending all that time and energy feeling hangry and miserable just to see the scale temporarily go down a few pounds and then, once you start eating those foods again, that number jumps back up?! This isn’t helping you achieve any long-term results. You end up exactly where you started.
Sounds pretty counterintuitive if you ask me!
Above anything else, the negative effects of these super appealing yet highly over rated FAD diets quickly take their toll on your physical and mental health.
Not only does eliminating or cutting carbs fester an unhealthy relationship with food, it will leave you reaching and binging on those carbs in no time. When you restrict yourself for extended periods of time, it is very difficult to maintain weight loss. This is why eating a balanced diet is of such great importance.
Otherwise, you are on a rollercoaster of gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight, losing weight and you just become more frustrated, moody and pissed off!
In our minds, we justify cutting out carbs because we think they make us gain weight. We associate eating carbs as the number one reason the scale isn’t moving or why we aren’t seeing results.
If you are trying to lose weight but find you are gaining or nothing is changing, you are eating MORE calories than burning. Weight loss is a science of calories in, versus calories out.
In fact, most of us underestimate how much we eat by upwards of 40%! Tack on weekend “cheat days” plus alcohol consumption and despite how “healthy” you eat Monday-Friday, you could easily be undoing all your hard work.
Here’s the truth: As I shared in my BLOG about the difference between weight loss and fat loss, losing weight and body fat is a science. You do not gain weight or add body fat from eating carbs. You gain weight and body fat when you eat more calories than you burn, regardless of where those calories are coming from.
What no one tells you because they’re too busy pushing the no-carb/low-carb mindset is you can absolutely 100% be burning more calories than you are eating while still consuming and enjoying carbs.
WHOA! ……. WHAT?! …THAT’S WILD!
As long as you can eat smart carbs, you SHOULD because your body relies on these important sources of energy to literally function. This is why eating a balanced diet and not a restrictive diet is super important!
Eat Smart Carbs, Love Life, Get Results!
So, lets all say it together now: CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY!
Eating smart carbs, enjoying the process and experiencing the most AMAZING results when it comes to looking and feeling your best all boils down to eating the right kind of carbs in the recommended portions.
SMART CARBS: Choose smart carbs over simple carbs to fuel your body! Remember, these are your whole grains, fruits, starchy tubers (potatoes and sweet potatoes), beans, and vegetables.
PORTIONS: How much of this stuff do you want/ need to be eating? Here are some general guidelines:
Females- It is recommended females eat 1 cupped handful-sized portion of SMART carbs at most meals (cupped handful = approximately 1/2 cup).
Males-It is recommended males eat 2 cupped handful-sized portions of SMART carbs at most meals (cupped handful = approximately 1/2 cup).
Remember, smart carbs are GOOD FOR YOU! Your body needs them and by consuming these in the recommended portions, you will get the very best results that last!
Stay Fueled