“I know Carbohydrates are the devil!” she said as we were scheduling our meeting for medical nutrition therapy. It made me smile. That’s a great way to say what so many people believe.
I understand why it is so confusing to know what to believe. After all, people are avoiding carbohydrates and losing weight. People with diabetes and pre-diabetes hear that “carb” turns to glucose so they think it should be avoided.
The truth is that carbohydrates are not the devil, but actually an essential nutrient that should be part of every meal.
Let’s start with the basics. Carbohydrate is one of three primary types of nutrients converted by the body to be used as energy. (The other two are protein and fat). This energy is measured as calories. Carbohydrates which consist of mostly of starches and sugar are broken down by the body to form glucose, the sugar that fuels our cells.
People are so focused on carbohydrate these days, they often call food by the name “carb”. “I love carb,” or “I ate carb for breakfast”. They are usually referring to a potato or grain.
The simple fact is that most foods have a combination of protein, carbohydrate and fat.
These are the food groups that contain Carbohydrate:
- grains, and anything made from grains (bread, cereal, pasta, rice, oats, quinoa, barley, etc)
- fruit and fruit juice
- starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn, peas, and beans)
- dairy
Carbohydrate is found in other vegetables but in smaller amounts. It is recommended to eat a wide variety of all vegetables, dairy milk and yogurt.
All of these foods are part of a healthy diet. Here’s how they help:
- Grains–contain fiber, B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate) and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium). Eating grains fortified with folate before and during pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects during fetal development.
- Fruits and Vegetables — are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. They are the source of many important nutrients often lacking in Americans’ diet, to include: fiber, potassium, vitamin C and folate.
- Fiber, found in grains, fruits and vegetables, may help reduce blood cholesterol levels, as well as lower the risk of heart disease, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes. It is also important for bowel health.
- Dairy — is the primary source of calcium in the American diet, and, along with vitamin D, is especially important for building strong bones and teeth, as well as maintaining bone mass. Dairy products provide potassium which helps lower blood pressure. Dairy products help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
A healthy intake of carbohydrates are critical for your body to function properly and can actually be key to obtaining a healthy weight.
As you can see, carbohydrate is definitively not the devil! In fact, most Americans are not consuming enough of these fiber-rich carbohydrates.
Frankly, trying to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet may lead to significant health risks.
Of course, there are carbohydrates that are not nearly as beneficial as those we just mentioned. I’m speaking about sweets, desserts, and chips.
As a nation, we consume too much sugar sweetened tea, soft drinks, sports drinks, cakes, cookies, candy, pie and chips. We get calories from added sugar and fat, but very little of the nourishing good stuff. I call these “empty calories.” Still, these foods are not the devil. They taste good and are fun to eat! You don’t need to eliminate them from your diet, but you should limit their intake and not use them as a substitute for more nutritious alternatives.
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