Carbohydrates have been vilified by the low-carb movement. When it comes to nutrition and health there is never a one-size-fits-all. A low-carb diet, keto in my case worked for me, and many other people on the #90DaysWithoutSugar Program. When I started researching diets that did contain processed sugar low-carb diets come up a couple of times. I ended up choosing to go with the keto diet which helped me lose 13 kilograms in three months. In this post, I want to examine what are carbohydrates and how they can play a role in your health and weight loss journey.
What are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates (Carbs) are molecules that have carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Carbs make up the three macronutrients that humans consume. The other two macronutrients are fats and protein. Dietary carbohydrates are made up of sugars, starches, and fiber. The main purpose of carbohydrates in the diet is to provide energy. Carbs break down into glucose which is used for energy. They also can be turned into fat for later use.
Different Types Of Carbohydrates.
The real culprit behind lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes is the excessive intake of polyunsaturated fats and sugar. Excessive carbohydrates and starches are converted into sugar by the body.
Sugar is a carbohydrate that is soluble in water. The two main categories of sugar are monosaccharides and disaccharides. Monosaccharides (simple sugars) contain one sugar such as glucose, fructose, or galactose. Disaccharides contain two sugars, these may include lactose (milk sugar) and sucrose (the normal sugar we use).
Starches are complex because they are made of long glucose chains (polysaccharides). After you digest starches they are broken down into glucose. Common starches are cereals, bread, rice, pasta, corn, wheat, corn, wheat, and potatoes.
The main reason why carbs have a bad reputation with low-carb diets is that carbs are eventually converted into sugar. Foods that are starches are also converted to sugar by the body. Whether it is sugar, carb, or starch it will all register as sugar in the end.
Not All Carbs Are Created Equal.
The good news is that not all sugars, carbs, and starches are created equal. All the foods you eat have a number associated with it. As an example, 340 grams of vegetables have a lower carb value (glycaemic index) than 340 grams of potatoes. Net carbs are the number you get when you subtract fiber carbs from total carbs. Nuts may have 10 carbs but with 5 fiber carbs, the net carb value is 5. Knowing the net carbs of foods will help you choose the best carbs for losing weight.
The main point I want to drive is if you are eating a lot of carbs and starches your body consuming a lot more sugar than you think. The modern diet is filled with the sugar-carb-starch combo. This is one of the reasons obesity is prevalent in the Western world. Many people consider orange juice, muesli with raisins, muffins, and cereal as healthy. But these foods fall under the sugar-carb-starch categories which raise our blood sugar levels.
Healthy Carbs For Weight Loss.
There are essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need for good health and peak performance. The essentials nutrients are fats and proteins. Our bodies need two fatty acids. These cannot be made by the body. They need to come from the food we eat. The two essential fatty acids are linoleic (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). Our bodies also require nine amino acids which cannot be produced by our bodies. These nine amino acids come from protein.
The human body is able to function without a single gram of carbs in the diet. For health and life, our bodies need proteins and fats. It is a myth that the brain needs 130 grams of carbs a day. When we don’t eat carbs, our brains will use ketones for energy. Ketones are made of fats. Our bodies don’t technically need carbs. We may need carbs for enjoyment, but they are not essential for living. The average person consumes an excess of 200 to 300 grams of carbs a day, this is made mostly of processed carbs.
Are Carbohydrates Essential?
Carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient. However, avoiding all carbs may not be a good idea. Carbs that are in their natural state are healthy. While those who go through the manufacturing process are stripped off their fiber which makes them unhealthy.
Healthy and good carbs are vegetables (all of them), whole fruits (strawberries and berries have low net carbs), legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and tubers. If you are on a weight loss journey restrict whole grains, legumes, tubers, and high-sugar fruit.
Unhealthy and bad carbs are sugary drinks, fruit juices, white bread, pastries, cookies, cakes, ice cream, French fries, and potato chips. Mainly all processed foods fall under unhealthy carbs. These unhealthy carbs are okay in moderation for some people. But many people will do just fine without them in their diets. We have thousands of people going 90 days without processed carbs.
Many people on a weight loss journey would do themselves a great favor if they could keep their carb levels between 30 to 50 grams a day. Most of that carb intake needs to come from the healthy carbs’ category. My biggest fear about cutting processed sugar from my life was that I would not have enough energy during the day. However, since learning that we can get the necessary energy from proteins and fats going 90 Days plus Without Sugar became easier and possible for me. You can also do it!