Carbs: The good, the bad and the ugly

I've been meaning to write this post for like the last three weeks, and I finally think I have my thoughts together to do it. Carbohydrates are the one of the most misunderstood food groups (actually called a macronutrient) and because of that, people end up doing crazy things like eating a giant block of cheese in hopes of losing weight. Carbs are one of three macronutrients that the body needs to function, and the main purpose of the carb is energy. The other two macronutrients (fat and protein), can eventually be converted to energy, but carbs are the immediate source. If you think about your RMR (the amount of calories your body burns just keeping itself alive), you can see that you need well over 1,000 calories just to keep your heart beating and brain working, and a significant amount of that energy need should be met by carbs. If it's not, things just wont run as smoothly.

So why on earth are there low/no carb diets? Because truthfully, cutting all carbs will cause a drop in weight--in the short term. The reason for this is that it carb storage requires water. Therefore cutting carbs will let you drop the "water weight" which can be a significant amount. However, as soon as you start eating them again, that same water weight will come right back on.

So we know we need to eat carbs, but that doesn't mean any and all. This is where we get into good carbs/bad carbs. Overweight people who go on Atkins do lose real weight--but this is at least partially attributed to the fact that they are cutting out bad carbs-- doughnuts, white pasta, white bread, etc. These are carbs that are stripped of their nutrients in order to "enrich" them. Basically, taking a whole grain and getting rid of the good stuff (fiber for example) in order to make it white. You'll notice that all the white stuff has a whole grain or brown counterpart, whether it's rice, flour, etc. That is what the product was meant to be---what is was before it got processed. There's a lot of talk out there about processed foods, and I am definitely in favor eliminating as many as possible. When you take away the nutrients, the body digests food more quickly, which then affects blood sugar and hunger levels. I don't know about you, but eating one Kripsy Kreme doesn't even put a dent in my hunger.

So that's a rundown on carbs. I always feel like if I know how things work, it will help me make better decisions. If I have to choose between white bread and whole wheat, the fact that I'll be fuller for longer always sways me to the whole wheat. In some cases, the whole grain versions may be more calories, but overall it's worth it. More later on how many carbs you should be eating...