Are carbs bad for you? Do they make you fat? Don’t you get diabetes from carbs?
With some people advocating for high carb diets while others swear by the Atkins, gluten-free, or Paleo diets, you may have been receiving mixed signals about carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients essential for humans along with protein and fat. The same basic chemicals – carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen – create carbohydrates. The smallest unit or building block of carbohydrates are called saccharides, also known as simple carbs (glucose, fructose, galactose).
Combinations of saccharides form larger, complex carbohydrates like starch and fibre.
Plants (grains, fruits, vegetables) and cow’s milk are the main carbohydrate sources in the human diet. Once eaten, complex carbohydrates are broken back down into their individual components– back to glucose, fructose, and galactose.
When these sugars are released into the blood stream, the body also releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin allows cells to take in sugar and use it as energy.
One reason carbs get dragged through the mud is because of the misunderstood link between Type 2 diabetes and carb intake.
Carbs do raise blood sugar and insulin, but in a healthy person, both are regulated and decrease after a short period.
Eating carbohydrates does not cause diabetes, nor obesity; sedentary lifestyles, and genetic factors play roles in the onset of these conditions.
In a person with diabetes, the body is not as sensitive to insulin, so sugar stays in the blood instead of going into cells – this is high blood sugar.
A diabetic person would then have to be careful about the amount and type of carbohydrate they eat, and when they eat it.
What about low-carb diets to lose weight? Dietitians of Canada explains that research studies comparing low- and high-carb diets with the same amount of calories actually led to the equal weight loss. However, low-carb diets are often less sustainable in the long run due to the limited choices.
Did you know that your brain relies solely on carbohydrates as its fuel? Did you know that fibre, a type of carbohydrate, can help your digestive system and cholesterol levels?
Additionally, your body uses carbs to create glycogen, a short-term energy store often used during physical activity.
Another misconception surrounding carbs is gluten. Carbs made from barley, rye, and wheat flour form proteins called gluten. Unfortunately, gluten damages the small intestine in an autoimmune condition called celiac disease, according to the Canadian Celiac Association.
While people with celiac disease must stay away from gluten, certain trends have popularized gluten-free diets by spreading unfounded fear about carbs.
Dr. Peter H.R. Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, cautions against eliminating an entire group of food, as this puts you at risk for nutritional deficiencies, such as fibre and certain vitamins or minerals. It can also be unnecessarily expensive to find gluten-free replacements.
If you think you have celiac disease, see a doctor to get tested before diving into a gluten-free diet.
Health Canada follows the Institute of Medicine’s Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range: a healthy diet should be 45-65 per cent carbs; 10-35 per cent protein; 25-30 per cent fat.
These carbs should come from fruits, vegetables, legumes, lower fat milk, as well as whole wheat and whole grains.
Many refined and processed foods are carbohydrates, but limit these as they are high in fat, sugar, salt, and calories.
Carbohydrates have a bad reputation because of widespread misinformation and their connection with gluten, diabetes, and weight.
In reality, many good foods contain carbs and hold an important place in our health.
– By Joyce Chang, a graduate of the dietetics program at McGill University and has experience in clinical and community nutrition in hospitals and schools (joyce.yile.chang@gmail.com).