When the Atkins craze finally bit the dust, you couldn’t have found a happier girl than me. However, all too often I still hear my friends, family members, and fellow bloggers voice a fear of:
The Big, Bad Carbohydrates
Dun dun dun.
(Click for more on the Alfredo Pasta meal above)
Pick up any health magazine, and you have a good chance of seeing a celebrity interview where said celebrity credits her slim physique to:
1. An absolutely-no-bread diet
2. Eschewing all carbs after 7pm
3. Steering clear of pasta at any cost… after all, pasta is Satan in noodle form, right??
This is ridiculous! I would argue that these celebrities are thin thanks to regimented workout routines (hello, personal trainers!), low-calorie diets that do not include very many Mexican-restaurant gorges or Dunkin Doughnut runs (meal delivery service, anyone?), hectic, on-the-go schedules, and industry pressures that motivate and remind them to keep up these practices. It’s not the carbs! I feel sad every time one of my friends admits to a fear of carbs—pasta in particular.
You deserve to eat pasta! Real pasta. There’s a reason carbohydrates exist: protein repairs and rebuilds cells, fats provide hormonal functions for cells, and it’s the job of the carbohydrates to energize cells. Cut out carbs, and you cut out energy. You’re doing your body a major disservice, especially if you’re highly active. We live in a society that deems any weight loss a good thing. But on low-carb diets, the major source of weight loss is muscle loss (which, in term, slows one’s metabolism) and water loss/dehydration (which presents a problem for one’s kidneys and can cause one’s body to go into a very dangerous state called “ketosis”). So yes, one may initially lose water weight and muscle weight on a low-carb diet; but in the long run, it means a sacrifice of one’s metabolism and muscles.
And a lack of carbs in one’s diet has also been associated with inferior athletic performance and brain function. Glucose (from carbohydrates) is the favored fuel for one’s muscles, brain, and central nervous system, so a breakdown of glycogen (the storage form of glucose) causes fatigue and confusion, thus inhibiting the desire and ability to exercise. Part of the reason carbs get a bad rap is that people fill up on highly-refined grains—cookies, white flour, etc. But restrict whole-grain carbohydrates and you’ll be missing out on fiber, B vitamins, thiamin, niacin, and even protein (surprisingly enough, grains offer quite a bit of protein).
Most of you are probably rolling your eyes at me right now, because how can one little blog post successfully counter a message that’s been drummed into Americans’ minds for years and years and years? But consider the source. While I’m not going to get into specific numbers (the subject of this post is not my weight; if you’re interested in that, please see my FAQ page), I’m nowhere near overweight. I adore carbs. You know this. Carbs fuel my super-active runner lifestyle, fill my body with essential nutrients, and—most importantly—taste delicious.
And yes, pasta too.
CCK Pasta Love:
Pasta Substitutions
One of my friends told me the reason she stays away from pasta is that it’s such a small serving and, for the same amount of calories, she can eat a much bigger serving of say, spaghetti squash.
True, a big bowl of something like my favorite voluminous oatmeal recipe can be much more filling than a small bowl of pasta. But sometimes you don’t want to feel bloated after eating (such as if you have a date that night!). Also, I’d argue that if one tries to fake oneself out with a pasta substitute, he or she subconsciously won’t feel as satisfied after eating because his or her brain knows it’s a substitute and therefore doesn’t register that the food craving was met. This can thus lead to bingeing as the brain attempts to satisfy the craving for the desired food, so, in the long run, a person can end up taking in way more calories than if he or she had simply indulged in a small amount of the real stuff to begin with. It’s like those studies that have shown people who use artificial sweeteners actually end up consuming more calories than those who don’t.
This isn’t to say spaghetti squash is not satisfying in its own right; it’s only when such foods become replacements for others that a problem can arise. Although spaghetti squash, zucchini spirals, mushroom pasta, and those Asian shirataki noodles can be super-fun to eat it’s sad when they completely replace pasta in one’s diet.
This doesn’t mean one should quaff down a quadruple serving of Fettuccine Alfredo every day because “CCK said it’s ok” (especially since the sauce, not the pasta, is filled with unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol). Everything in moderation. But it’s recommended that the average person take in 6-11 servings of whole grains per day (depending on activity level; athletes obviously need more carbohydrates than sedentary people).
So go ahead and eat those carbs (especially if they’re served to you by a cute boy)! 😉
what a great post! I love carbs-but still avoid simple carbs, i.e. non wholegrain/whole meal.. but if its in front of me, and i like it, i’ll eat it!
There’s good carbs and bad carbs, it’s just all about making HEALTHY choices as with anything else. Obv if you eat pasta smothered in fat-laden Alfredo sauce or something it’ll be worse than pasta in homemade tomato sauce, ya know? And of course everyone’s bodies respond differently, so some may have carbs “stick” to em more, but man–I love me some carbs!!
wow i can’t believe how many comments are here already! i am a registered dietitian and hardcore vegan, and i am here to tell you that you’re absolutely right….carbs ARE good for you! they are the ONLY ONLY ONLY form of energy your brain can use. ONLY. and YES ketoacidosis is dangerous for your body when deprived of carbs. it causes a lot of inflammation, not to mention decreased immune function, delayed wound healing, lack of concentration, poor memory, and general irritability. all from no carbohydrates. i work in an eating disorder inpatient treatment facility and it looks like a lot of people commenting on here could be patients of mine. i think everyone needs to take a look at their own intakes instead of criticizing katie, or other commenters. myself included. 50% of your intake is the MINIMUM amount of carbohydrates you should have each day…and what kind counts, too. whole grains are obviously more nutritious than processed, “white” grains. i think people who aren’t educated in nutrition or dietetics should really go see a dietitian if they have questions about food and diet, so they don’t do anything dangerous or harmful with their diets and lifestyles…and there are vegan dietitians out there! check us out!! 🙂
While I don’t have an issue at all with other people’s decision to remove or limit carbs per se, I certainly do object to the holier-than-thou reasoning behind it and the tendency to impose such rigid dietary restrictions on others via the media’s favourite medium: guilt. I dislike the virtuous attitude attached to low-carb regimes and (for the most part) the people who follow them. Obviously I don’t support diets where animal protein is consumed in the sickeningly vast quantities that they generally are with low-carb regimes, but I suppose it boils down to how you define ‘carbs’ ~ for example a raw diet wouldn’t include them aside from the naturally occurring variety in fruits and some veggies and I wouldn’t say that that’s necessarily unhealthy.
I practically live on carbs so I’m in total agreement with you about them from the pleasure perspective. I’d find it extremely miserable to be deprived of my lovely sweet potatoes and gluten-free bread.
Fantastic post as always 🙂
<3
I really have to disagree with you. I lost 150 lbs by cutting out grains and sugar. My brother recently lost 50 by cutting bread from his diet completely and limiting his grain to only brown rice.
I don’t workout heavily anymore, I haven’t for months and the weight still is kept off of me.
I don’t limit my carbs, but the definitely don’t come from grains. Grains are a very poor choice when it comes to nutrient density per calorie. When I eat grains it makes me want MORE grains, and they never satisfy me.
For years I argued that I could eat my grains (pasts, bread, cereals…and all whole grain I might add) and be healthy, and that i was just meant to be fat. Not so. As soon as I cut the grains down to 1 serving of whole grains a day (1 slice of ezekiel bread is 1 serving) the weight melted off me. I lost 30 lbs in the first 3 months, and I was only walking, no other exercise at all.
Grains are drugs. I highly recommend the book “Eat to Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman as he spells out why you shouldn’t have a lot of grains in your diet.
also I suggest looking into the SCD diet, as it improved the lives of many people (especially those with autism).
I don’t get kickbacks by any of these people or diets, but I know it worked for me.
150 lbs weight loss…you cannot really argue with that.
You might have lost a lot of muscle too. If you eat too few calories, (a low carb diet is usually low-cal) your body may break down muscle for energy. Muscle burns calories, even if you’re at rest. So by not eating enough calories, you may be lowering your metabolic rate.
That being said, what works for you works for you. I don’t agree that 45-60% of calories must come from carbs or that 10-35% of calories must come from protein and same with 20-35% from fat.
If a food is healthy and nutrient packed, I say you may eat it in a suitable quantity that works for you, I probably get 45% of my calories from fat, but I eat mostly nuts and oils. Just don’t go above you’re calorie limit. And eat a varied diet
carbs are the best!!! 🙂 I would never cut carbs and think the idea is also crazy. We need to stop looking for one evil food/ingredient!! There is no magic secret!
How crazy is this…someone I know does the South Beach Diet pretty religiously for like many years (at least 6..maybe 10..you get the idea). So she started running. Still restricts carbs. Verrry little pasta when she does allow it, no potatoes, and nothing white obviously. Breakfast from what I have seen is like 1/2 cup of egg beaters or cottage cheese, lunch-salad w/cheese, and dinner chicken/some other protein and vegetables. Maybe like 3 spoonfuls of rice. I don’t know how this person survives. Maybe they eat more when I’m not around. So she tells me she just ran 13.1 miles for the first time and we were discussing race aid stations. I said they have water and sports drink at least every 2 miles, and she said she doesn’t drink the sports drink, just water. So I asked about energy gels or some other ENERGY source during these long runs, and she said no just water. Meanwhile she was running for over 2.5 hours on NOTHING BUT WATER! Then she told me she didn’t even eat anything before, but had a banana after!! This is sad….and she’s an adult. like 50’s
I have to add that it bugs me when people say “OMG bananas are the worst fruit for you”!
What?!!
They say bananas are high in calories (hi -cal doesn’t even mean bad, not every being on the earth wants/needs to lose weight for his life to be fulfilled) but I just don’t understand how 120 cals for an 8 in banana is so fattening.
Apparently bananas are known to raise and lower your blood sugar sharply which can cause hunger. But I think the fiber, potassium, and other nutrients, and especially the taste outweigh this.
If you were really scared of it being hi-GI, then you might eat it with a low GI food, such as any type of fat or protein (peanut butter is delicious on bananas) or oatmeal.
oh yes, whenever you see that side advertisement that says “5 foods that you must never eat for weight loss” you will 80% of the time see a banana. So sad to see an innocent fruit fall victim to so much hatred.
Sorry Marissa, but I have to disagree with you. Maybe you’re the exception to the rule, but whole grain carbs, which are high in fiber, have been proven to keep peoples’ weights in check. Why do you think the Atkins Diet went bankrupt? I’d say it’s the types of carbs you choose to eat. The slimmest and most energetic people I know, such as Katie, eat lots of carbs, while many many many of the people I know who are overweight are carb counters. Carb counting just doesn’t work!
Mmm…I love carbs. Carbs baby all the way – whole grain that is, w/ a healthy dose of veggie and all else that makes a whole, balanced diet. It so bugs me when girls won’t dare have “bread w/ pasta” or pasta alone when at a restaurant or w/e. You gotta have some bread w/ the pasta ladies! too delish. Great post CCV 🙂 makin’ me hungry for tm. nt’s meal already! 😉
seriously, please continue with more posts like this one! 😀
thank you thank you Katie <3
THANK YOU for this post! I have tried the substitutes for pasta, but when I want pasta, I want the REAL thing! And bread? If there is fresh bread in front of me, I’m attacking it every.single.time, and LOVING it!
I agree with Katie, but I can also see others’ points about carbs. Just because Katie is thin and eats carbs doesn’t mean that ANYONE can eat lots of carbs and be skinny. Katie is thin because she has a fast metabolism, runs 8 miles five days a week, and eats an extremely healthy vegan diet. She is not gorging herself on white bread, white flour, crackers, pretzels, and french fries. She is right when she says that all carbs are not the enemy. However, carbs in the form of white sugar and white, refined flour are just not healthy. (Katie does not eat these though; she eats whole grains to get her carbs.)
Personally, I am also naturally thin and very athletic, and I eat plenty of carbs. I try not to eat too many sugary or refined foods, though – I try to eat whole grains for carbs instead of white bread and sugary cereals. I think it’s easy for thin people to say “carbs aren’t bad!!!” because we can eat them and still be skinny. But, if you’re overweight and struggling, I can understand wanting to cut out some carbs in order to jump start weight loss. Carbs can be addictive and unsatisfying. It’s better to eat mostly lean protein and veggies with some whole grains as well. Moderation, moderation, moderation. Katie’s meals are mostly vegetables with small servings of carbs. So yes, carbs are OK — whole grain carbs. And if you’re skinny and burn 800 calories a day, eat them up because you’ll need them. For most of the rest of civilization, I can understand limiting refined carbs.
fabulous post and great discussion!
love me some carbohydrates!!
I think it is a case of different approaches to whatever works best for an individual – Marissa gets her carbs from fruits and veggies but not from grains.
I eat about one serving of whole grains a day and wouldn’t be able to lose weight on much more. I don’t have Katie’s metabolism and am not a runner.
I eat my zucchini noodles and am 100% satisfied. I’ll eat an occasional piece of bread paired with protein or white rice if I’m in a situation (like a conference yesterday) when that was my only choice, but I don’t choose to eat that regularly. I also feel like I’m “losing control” if I eat corn items so I avoid them.
I’m certainly not afraid of carbs, but I’ve experimented enough to know what works better for my body.
Remember that Susan Powter chick – she said you should eat like 6 bagels a day! Now, that was nuts! But I know that’s NOT what Katie was saying. Carbs have their place. I hear ya!
So I know I’m late to chime in, cutie, but I really enjoyed this post! Bravo. Obviously, the quality and quantity of grains eaten matters (quality for all of us, quantity depending on the person), but the tendency to villify carbs is absolutely wrongheaded and so frequently misunderstood. Way to call attention to this!
Hey Katie, or anyone else,
I have a dilema. I want to like carbs and want them to be my friends, but I’ve been scared of them for so long that I don’t know how to start adding them back in. I’m worried that I’ll eat a normal sized bowl of pasta and not feel satisfied afterwards and then it will trigger a binge. Or my body will think that I’m going to restrict them again, so it will want to get as many carbs in as fast as possible. I know a lot of you have struggled with a fear of carbs in the past, and I was wondering if you had any advice or personal stories to share with me about how you got over this fear. I’d really like some reassurance that if I start eating grains like bread and pasta and even starchy veggies and fruits again, I won’t gain tons of weight. I want to have a good relationship with carbs again!
Thanks!
-Liz
Hello Liz,
As a Kinesiologist and soon to be Naturopathic medicine student, the main thing is portion control and choosing the right carbs. For example, if you just eat a giant bowl of plain white pasta, you will have a huge spike in your sugar because of its high GI (glycemic index) and rapid absorption. Instead of eating carbs on their own try, pairing them with protein to help keep you full and eat fibre filled carbs to slow the digestion process. here are some examples
1. bowl of steel cut oats with nuts and soy or almond milk
2. quinoa stew with chickpeas beans and lots of veggies
3. if you aren’t vegan, try a stirfry with chicken/shrimp lots of veggies and 1/2 cup cooked whole grain brown rice, or sub tofu
4. for breakfast, make sure you keep your portions in moderation (no more than 1 cup of fibre rich, low sugar cereal) and always add a protein source. Since I’m gluten and lactose intolerance, I swear by Holy Crap cereal with almond or soy milk
fruit is VERY healthy, however just watch your portion sizes (i.e. don’t have a huge banana and two apples for breakfast) its better to spread your fructose throughout the day. ALWAYS chose whole unpeeled fruit over juice or canned fruit, and frozen berries are also a delicious addition to many breakfast items
5. the WORST thing you can do if you are also avoiding gluten, it load up on gluten free snacks and breads that are full of refined white rice flour and potato starch. Instead, I make homemade larabars for snacks, and muffins/breads using almond flour, quinoa flour and GF certified oats.
6. if you love pasta, try making a soup with it (i.e. minestrone) because the added stock (choose low sodium) and veggies will help keep you feeling full and make the portion size feel bigger
I, like Katie, am blessed with a fast metabolism, BMI has always been low even though I consume over 2,000 calories a day (I also strength train and run and bike every other day). I am not afraid of carbs, I just always try to chose the right ones and this helps me keep my energy up, without them my workouts suffer so you definitely need carbs to fuel your activity! let me know if you have any other questions 🙂