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)! 😉
So very well said!!! Bravo and thank you!
I was at the gym today and I heard a heavyset diabetic lady talking about how she eschews CARROTS because of carbs! It completely made me think of this entry. Yes there are carbs in carrots, it is a vegetable high in sugar relative to other veggies, but diabetic or not, the benefits of the micronutrients – potassium and vitamin “A,” plus the blood-glucose-balancing macronutrient, fiber – totally outweigh the potential negatives.
And really, when you think carbs, do you think *carrots*? I’m still amazed. THEN she and the other lady in the conversation went on to praise sugar-free chocolates…! Good lord, the sugar alcohols and crazy artificial substitutions….I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences with sugar alcohols, and I’m glad I realized what was causing my problems before I developed some real nutrient deficiencies. I just hope people like that can educate themselves as well – it’s not worth the ignorance or the health detriment!
The “forbidden foods” discourse in general is, I think, a bad way to look at things because it’s definitionally negative. Learning to listen to your body is a slow process, yes, but it creates the framework *within* you for a successful daily diet, instead of putting the blame outside of you and displacing responsibility.
Anyway, I’m rambling because I’m avoiding work on my thesis, but that’s my two cents. I’m a veggie queen! Had to defend my carrots =)
Once again, we are SO on the same page. My view is, as long as they’re whole grain, healthful carbs, and I get enough of the other macronutrients, why hold back?? I have a post from a while back entitled “True Life: I’m a Carb Queen.” I think that pretty much sums up my feelings on the issue:)
FABULOUS post Katie, thank you so much for addressing this topic!
This is one of my pet peeves, actually. When people here that I’m vegan they sometimes say ‘oh, i could never be vegan, all the carbs would make me fat.’ First of all, it isn’t just carbs I eat, a vegan diet has plenty of protein, fat, etc, too! And second of all, look at ME! 3 years veganism and I’m slender and fit!
HEALTHY carbs, like whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc, are HEALTHY. Unhealthy carbs, like fried chips, white flour, white sugar, in overabundance are unhealthy.
Simple!
Well written, Katie, I enjoyed reading this.
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