All About Carbs

Carbohydrates are essential for health, but not all carbs are equal. Quoting from the Harvard T.H. Chang School of Public Health.

Foods high in carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support bodily functions and physical activity. But carbohydrate quality is important (read that again! its quality!); some types of carbohydrate-rich foods are better than others:

A Simple Way to Think About Carbs

· The healthiest sources of carbohydrates—unprocessed whole grains (anything in flour form is much higher in carbs and will hike your blood sugar), vegetables, fruits and beans—promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients.

· Unhealthier sources of carbohydrates include white bread, pastries, sodas, and other highly processed or refined foods. These items contain easily digested carbohydrates that may contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss, and promote diabetes and heart disease.

Carbs are a source of sugar, as mentioned above. They are fast energy, and by themselves, they can cause your blood sugar to rise. Each meal or snack should be paired with good fats, fiber, and protein to level out blood sugar. The challenge for most of us is that carbs are easy to access and so easy to overeat. They’re everywhere in the store (think convenience foods). Plus, some of our favorite foods are carbohydrates (hello French fries!).

What makes carbs extra enticing is that we’re wired to like the sugar high. For example, did you know that once you start eating simple, high-sugar low-fiber carbs your body just wants to eat more and more?!

“‘When we eat too many of those refined carbs, it increases our cravings for those foods,’ explains [registered dietitian Anna Taylor, RD.] ‘It’s a process known as insulin response. When we consume a lot of these refined carbs, those foods are more quickly digested and absorbed into the body, causing a spike in blood sugar. That spike, in turn, triggers hunger that causes us to, yep, reach for those refined carbs again and keep the cycle going.’”

This article also highlights how we sometimes eat “bad” carbs when we’re looking for a dopamine rush or we’ve not been consuming the right balance of protein, fats, and high-fiber carbohydrates.

Three principles for eating carbohydrates

To condense these ideas, here are three takeaways to help you pick quality carbs.

1. Eat carbs high in fiber and low in sugar or just lower in overall carbs, like veggies such as cabbage and broccoli, greens, olives, and blueberries. Fiber will fill you up longer, help with digestion, and even out sugar spikes in your diet.

2. Eat carbs along with a good fat and protein at each meal or snack. I always keep nuts in my pantry. There are times when you need something salty and crunchy. I grab a handful, and eat them along with a veggie and fat, like carrots and hummus, for a snack.

3. Eat the right amount of carbs by increasing your fiber (think veggies), healthy fats, and protein. You can never go wrong with more vegetables, and I’ve found that most people far underestimate how many vegetables they are eating. With that in mind: to increase your fiber and lower your carb intake, make substitutions, like using cauliflower in place of rice. You can even try riced cabbage, rutabagas, riced mushroom, parsnips … pick a veggie and learn how to cook it. Veggies are also a good option because they help reduce what I call those sneaky carbs that can create imbalances (“healthy” crackers are a perfect example of those carbs that are often marketed as healthy but can actually have low fiber and added sugar). Healthy crackers spike my blood sugar every time!

If you’re looking for more personalized insight on your carb levels, you can consider your activity level. “The ideal amount of carbs may also vary by person because everyone has a unique response to carbs, and carb needs are determined by age, weight, height, sex, and activity level. … there’s no one-size-fits-all diet that works for everyone with diabetes. Personalized meal plans, which consider your dietary preferences and metabolic goals, are best,” quoting from this Healthline article on diabetes and carbs.

In general, the more you move the more carbs you can consume and will burn. The less you move, like if you work at a desk job, the less carbs you need.

You can also talk with your health care professional or naturopath about your personal carb needs. If you’re into gathering information, you can work with your health care professional to try a blood glucose monitor, which can give you real-time information about what your blood sugar is doing after each meal. I personally use a CGM and it has given me much insight to how my body reacts to foods and what foods spike my blood sugar! I also use an app called Levels where I get my CGM though and it has been an eye opener.