One of the most frequent weight loss questions I get is – “how many carbs should I eat?”. This question is followed by a close second – “aren’t carbs bad?”. My answers are always the same – “it depends” and “NO!”.
Carbohydrates are among the most confusing topics in the world of nutrition for good reason. The popularity of ‘low carb’ craze a few decades ago has given way to trendy low-carb diets, such as Atkins, Keto and Whole30. Since carbs are blamed for weight gain, causing intense cravings and digestive distress, then we should avoid all grains, right?
Well, sometimes. But that does not mean you need to avoid them entirely. In this article I want to clear up the confusion around carbohydrates – what carbs are good, when carbs are not great for you, and why we [sometimes] gain weight from them.
Carbs
First, what are carbohydrates? They are the primary source of energy for the body – your brain and red blood cells need carbs to function properly.
Every time you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into a single sugar molecule called glucose. All carbs go through this process. It doesn’t matter if it’s oatmeal, a sweet potato, a Snicker’s bar, or highly processed white bread…they all break down to glucose. The difference is the speed at which they break down (I’ll talk more about that in a moment).
When glucose is being digested, it signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is released into your bloodstream to help the glucose enter into fat tissue, muscle tissue, and the liver by attaching to these cells and ‘opening the gate’ to allow glucose to enter. The glucose is then used to make energy for the cell.
If you don’t need energy at that moment, that glucose is sent to the liver to be stored for future use, such as fating overnight or exercising.
If your energy stores are full, the liver then sends this glucose back into the bloodstream in the form of triglycerides. Triglycerides are stored in fat tissue usually around the midsection. This is why high triglycerides are actually caused by eating too many carbs, not fat. The extra fat is also stored around the liver, causing Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
The goal is to change the types of carbs you tend to eat. Because insulin resistance can cause weight gain.More on this later.
When carbs cause weight gain
At this point, you might be thinking, “carbs can cause fat gain, fatty liver, high triglycerides, so why not cut them out?” Well, when you cut out carbs entirely you might lose weight at first because your body will use up the excess fat as fuel. This is why many people love Keto – it causes quick weight loss. However, Keto has issues:
- there are no long term studies showing healthy safety of avoiding all carbs
- it’s a high fat diet which can have other implications
- it makes many people very tired, brain fogged, and irritable
- who wants to actually give up all carbs forever?
The solution is not about cutting carbs. The solution is figuring out why your body is not processing carbs well, and one of the main reasons is insulin resistance.
What is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance is when there has been too much insulin pumped into the bloodstream, causing the cells to stop responding to it. This leads to a build up of glucose. Too many carbs at once causes the pancreas to keep releasing insulin, and after a while this high insulin is continually released and not used by the cells. High insulin causes inflammation and the high glucose causes fat gain.
HOWEVER, even though all carbs are broken down into glucose, there is a big difference in the speed they are broken down. Sugar, white bread, white potatoes are digested fast, causing a quick spike in blood glucose and insulin. On the other hand, whole wheat bread, brown rice, and steal cut oats are complex carbs, so they are digested much slower. The rise of glucose and insulin is not as fast and more spread out. This allows time for the glucose to enter cells without a major pileup.
If you feel like carbs care causing you weight gain, it could be because of insulin resistance.
What to do if you have insulin resistance
Insulin resistance can be reversed by fueling your body with the right types of carbs and helping your cells use the excess glucose.
Focus on low glycemic foods. Low glycemic foods are ‘complex carbs’ that will take longer to digest and will not cause an extreme blood sugar spike. The glycemic index ranks foods from 0-100: 100 is pure glucose. Foods under 55 are considered low glycemic. Here are common foods (scroll near the bottom). Lower glycemic carbs are: whole wheat bread, rolled oats, all-bran, beans, barley.
Eat carbs with protein or fat. This is especially important for when you are enjoying simple carbs (white bread, cakes, sweets). Combining the simple carb with a slow-digesting protein or fat will lessen the high glucose and insulin spike substantially. While the sweets can still cause excess glucose and fat gain, the initial spike in glucose and insulin will not be as extreme.
Use your muscles after eating. One of the best ways to reduce glucose in your bloodstream and reduce the need for insulin is by using your muscles! When your muscles are activated, insulin is not necessary for glucose to enter the cell. If you go for a 20 minute walk, do some squats, or lunge around the kitchen while you clean up you are actively getting using the circulating glucose so less will be stored in the liver (or as fat).
If you follow these basic guidelines, your body will be able to process carbs more effectively so you can enjoy your food without feeling worried about weight gain.
