Low-carb? High-carb? No-carb? We’ll forgive you if you’re a little confused about the status of carbohydrates in your diet.
For years, governments around the world have advocated carbohydrate-heavy nutritional guidelines. However, more recently studies have been criticising this approach. A study released this month of more than 80,000 type 2 diabetics found that participants improved blood sugar, lost weight and even reduced medication after just 10 weeks on a low-carb diet.
So, is it time to cut out carbs completely? Not so fast! Before you say goodbye to avocado toast, let’s review both sides of the carb-fuelled fence.
Everything seems to be a carbohydrate! I’m confused…
Let’s clear something up: when we say carbohydrate we’re not just talking bread! “Carbohydrate” is an umbrella term that covers everything from simple carbs (processed grains and sugars) to complex carbs (unprocessed grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses). And we don’t want to cut out the latter!
Simple carbs are often higher in, well, carbs, and rapidly impact your blood sugar levels. Some low-carb diets simply cut these out. Others choose to reduce all carbs, usually to less than 20 per cent of calorie intake.
So why do people follow a low-carb diet?
Whether you’re cutting out the processed stuff or following the 20 per cent rule, studies have shown serious health benefits to reducing carbs, including healthy weight management and lower cardiovascular risk. Plus, filling up on fats and proteins instead keeps you far more satisfied.
And some of us – especially in Western society – will benefit even more than others.
From 25 to 35 per cent of the population has insulin resistance, a condition which inhibits normal carb metabolism.
“People with insulin resistance can’t process carbs well, and need a lot more insulin to process it,” says Dr Caryn Zinn, dietitian and co-author of low-carb guide What The Fat. “High levels of insulin not only prevents body fat from being used as a fuel source, but also contributes to the development of chronic disease.”
If you are susceptible to insulin resistance (overweight, type 2 diabetic, postmenopausal or have polycystic ovarian syndrome) it might be worth chatting to a doctor about reducing your carbs.
As always, it’s important to gently experiment with your body and find the right balance for yourself.
Wait, don’t you eat carbs on the I Quit Sugar: 8-Week Program?
By now you’re probably thinking, “So why do you eat bread?”. It’s no secret that we like good quality sourdough… or potatoes… or the odd cake. Have we gone back on our healthy ways? … Not at all.
“Glucose is the preferred fuel source for almost all the cells in our body,” says Emily Seddon, nutritionist and 8-Week Program expert. “But the fibre contained in some carbs does help keep your blood sugar more stable than others, which is why we love vegetables, whole fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Yep, those are all carbs!”
Yep, we do eat carbs – we just make sure to choose the right ones!
The bottom (bread) line.
What we can all agree on is that highly refined carbohydrates and sugar don’t have much of a place in a healthy diet.
“Sugar in its refined form is unhealthy, plain and simple,” says Caryn. “That doesn’t only mean the white stuff, but also includes all other forms, like honey, maple syrup and agave nectar. In the end it’s all just sugar, and it creates damage at the cellular level in the body.”
The key is not to take an extreme approach and simply cut all carbs out. Just swap packaged junk and sugars for whole foods and veggies, and you’ll automatically get rid of the crappy carbs in your life.
Funny that!
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