Carbs Are Not Bad
Pretty controversial subject nowadays huh? Allow me to explain…
The Keto craze of recent years has virtually taken over our feeds on social media, giving carbs a very bad rap. The diet consists of exclusively eating foods with low, or no, carbohydrates. The premise behind this diet is to trick your body into burning fat for energy by eliminating your bodies primary (and natural) source of energy, carbs, ultimately achieving weight loss by ridding oneself of unwanted fat.
I’ll admit that I tried it for a while and did have success losing weight. (Who doesn’t like the idea of eating as much cheese as you want?!) The diet does work. But it’s not a way of life. It’s short term and the effects it may have on your body are less than ideal (internally speaking). Not to mention that stopping the diet and reintroducing carbs will undoubtedly result in piling back on the pounds once lost.
What you’ll be missing on Keto
Eating primarily meats, cheeses, nuts and berries does not make our insides happy long term. If you stick to this sort of restrictive diet for an extended period, you’ll miss out on all sorts of nutrients essential for optimum health and vitality. Some of the most nutritionally rich foods are carbs. Take bananas for example; A banana is made up of roughly 23% carbohydrates in the form of starch and sugars. Very much a no no in the keto world… However, a banana is high in potassium therefor promoting lower blood pressure and a healthy heart. Indulging on bacon and processed meats has been proven to elevate “bad” cholesterol levels and promote heart disease. Another example: sweet potatoes. A sweet potato is roughly 20% carbohydrates BUT it is rich with antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from developing in our bodies. Free radicals are unstable atoms that promote aging and illness, even cancer. How’s that for a pitch to get your daily antioxidants?!
The key is Unrefined Carbs
By unrefined, I’m referring to whole grains (grains that have not been stripped of their natural nutrition), as well as fresh fruits and veggies that haven’t been juiced or processed with additional sugars. Unrefined carbs (in addition to the previously aforementioned nutrients) contain fiber, which keeps us full longer and does wonders for our digestive health. In all reality, eating unrefined carbs could assist in losing weight by reducing snacking. The real problem child here is refined carbs and processed foods. White bread, white rice… all those boxed snacks with added sugars and all those chips with added salt. These are the carbs to avoid. They offer little to no nutritional value and therefor are a waste of caloric intake.
The Bottom Line
Carbohydrates in their unaltered, natural form are in fact healthy for our bodies and provide energy and nutrients that cannot be found in meat and cheese. Of course, I’m not advocating for a massive increase in your daily carb intake. I’m simply advising that eliminating natural foods because they fall into a “carb category”, is leaving your body lacking nutrients and preventing you from having the well-rounded diet you deserve. Now go eat some whole grain toast and feel good about it.
Notable Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-healthy-high-carb-foods#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318652