Are Carbohydrates Bad for you?

If you've scrolled through social media at any point in the last couple years you've seen plenty of influencers from the Carnivore MD Paul Saladino (who has since rebranded) to Joe Rogan preach the importance of animal based proteins, and minimization of carbohydrates.

But is there really any truth to the demonization of carbohydrates or is it just all talk?

First, we have to recognize the carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients and do provide a vital purpose in life - energy. The carbohydrates we eat are broken down into simple sugars like glucose, which are readily available for our body to consume for energy. And certain body systems exclusively use glucose for energy, like our brain. The amount of carbohydrates required do vary person to person, an endurance athlete with high energy demands has high carbohydrate needs, whereas a sedentary person at a desk job would comparatively have much lower carbohydrate demands.

Carbohydrates are also a primary source of fiber, which is important for our digestive tract. Fiber can support healthy bowel movements and it also is a pre-biotic, which means it is a 'food' that supports the health of our living gut microbiota. While you can get some carbohydrates from dairy animal based products like milk, and carbohydrates from honey, there is no fiber in any animal based product.

We often see on social media claims about carbohydrates contributing to weight gain, but as with any food, not just carbohydrates, excess consumption compared to energy expenditure can lead to weight gain.

This often means when people go on a 'low carb' diet they're simply reducing their calories and therefore in a caloric deficit that results in weight loss.

However, I do recognize the individuality that exists, and some people feel that low carbohydrate serves them best. I do also believe though, that science supports that for most of the general population, and especially for any active person carbohydrates are an important macronutrient.

For endurance athletes like long distance runners, carbohydrate demands can be significant, up to 8-12 g/kg/day. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 48(3):p 543-568, March 2016. | DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852

The degree of your activity, daily energy expenditure, preferences, and food availability among other factors may influence the amount of carbohydrates you intake, but those factors, not influencers, should be the reason you alter your carbohydrate intakes.

So at the heart of it all, carbohydrates aren't bad for you. Next time you bite into an apple, crunch a cracker, mash a potato, or sip a fresh orange juice - let that influencer's voice fade out of your head, and just fuel your body the way you need.