Carbohydrates get such a bad wrap and it really does infuriate me!
I personally love carbohydrates and cannot deny the incredibly important role they play in our health (and for our soul.. potatoes #amIright?!).
With carbohydrates, just like with any other food group, it is just about quality and quantity.
In opposition to popular and misguided beliefs, carbohydrates are not evil. Carbohydrates will not make you fat. Carbohydrates do not cause disease.
So… why are so many people scared of them then?
Well, this is because many calorie-dense and low-nutrient foods such as chips, cakes, pastries etc have been labelled 'carbs’.
This has led to many people demonising an entire food group, that actually offers many health benefits!
So while yes, pizza/pastries/chips do contain carbohydrates. They are not JUST carbohydrates. They are carbohydrates that have been highly altered from their natural whole food beginnings AND have been mixed with fats. Oh and usually a shit tonne of salt, sugar, vegetable oil, preservatives and additives.
Which a health and palatability perspective is VERY different from carbohydrates in their naturally occurring form such as wholegrain, sweet potato, pumpkin, oats, legumes and brown rice.
This distinction is REALLY important.
Mixing fat and sugar makes food very, very delicious and therefore, extremely palatable! This is why these types of food are very easy to over-consume.
Overconsumption of these foods leads to health problems such as obesity and metabolic diseases as a result of 1) the nutrient composition of the food (high fat, high salt, high sugar, low fibre etc) and 2) overconsumption of food in general.
So what I am trying to stress is that it is NOT carbohydrates alone or as a general food group/class that causes these problems.
There is a HUGE difference between whole food, high-fibre carbohydrates such as sweet potato, brown rice, oats and legumes and pizza, pastry or chips.
So instead of fearing carbohydrates as a whole and missing out on lots of wonderful nutrition (and enjoyment!) from including sensible, whole food and non-refined sources of this wonderful macronutrient, why don’t you instead focus on avoiding your intake of highly processed and refined foods?
