Over the last few weeks we have talked about the three macro-nutrients we need to survive: carbs, fat and protein. There is SO MUCH misinformation out there and living in today’s fad diet culture, it’s hard to separate the facts from the fiction. So first of all, let’s get one thing straight – food is food. It’s neither good nor bad and cookies aren’t evil. You are what you eat but you are NOT good or bad for eating a certain way. You are not a better person if you drink bone broth and kombucha every day and you are not a bad person if you like your daily dose of chocolate. You do you and don’t let anyone (not even us) tell you otherwise.

What works for you doesn’t work for your sister or your neighbor or your favorite Instagrammer. We can’t say this enough – on the main reasons there is so much conflicting evidence out there (besides the fact that this industry is a huge money-maker) is because it’s biased. Every diet, every way of eating, every macro nutrient breakdown will work for some people and not others and so you will hear success stories and failures about every way of eating out there. The hard part, and thus the most important part is figuring out what works for YOU. Your life, your body, your health, your genetics, your happiness.

All that said, you are probably here to learn about nutrition so you can be informed and make the best decisions for you so bear with us as we try to sort through all the mumbo jumbo and give you some objective facts. We are going to get #RealNerdy if you’re into that or you can just skip to #TheRealDeal if you’re not as we go deeper into the first macro-nutrient that is in everyone’s brain right now – carbs!

The Real Nerdy Stuff

Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers in your food. Carbs provide your body with glucose, which is converted to energy that your body can easily to use to support bodily functions and activity. If you see anything ending in –ose (i.e. glucose, frutctose, lactose), that’s a sugar and thus a carbohydrate.

NOTE: not all sugar is terrible, when people say to stop eating sugar, it’s mostly about added sugar or simple sugar. Fructose, for example is the natural sugar of fruits as lactose is the one found in dairy.

There are two types of carbs and the difference is in their number of molecules. Simple carbs have one or two; complex carbs have three or more. Simple carbs include table sugar, honey, white flour and juice. Complex carbs include legumes, oats, sweet potatoes and whole wheat flour. Simple sugars pass through your body quickly – or simply- thus providing you with quick energy and causing your blood sugar to rise quickly. Complex carbs, on the other hand, take longer to digest and provide a steadier stream of energy. They are also naturally higher in fiber which is a great nutrient we could spend a whole other blog post writing about. Carbs are metabolized into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles for your body to use for energy. Your body will use the glycogen stores as your primary source of energy.

Carbs also play a huge role with your hormones. Complex carbs help regulate your hormone levels and help you a) build a human baby and b) support it with your milk – pregnant and lactating women need a higher level of complex carbs. Carbs also help regulate your GABA hormone – which is your calming hormone, which is why carbs have such a close relationship to your stress levels and you crave carbs when you are feeling sad or high-strung and why you need carbs after high-intensity exercise to bring your cortisol levels back down.

The Real Deal

Carbs are not inherently evil. As we said in our instragram post, there is a whole movement against carbs right now (very similar to the movement against fat in the 80’s). The fact is, you can eat carbs AND be healthy, they are not mutually exclusive. Sure, you may not NEED sugar to live and yes, you can become more fat adaptive so you can use fat as energy and hey, if you are someone who can live without cake for the rest of your life then all the power to you but over here, we like to keep it real and know that is an unrealistic expectation for most people.

Some people do just fine with eating a lot of carbs and others gain weight and suffer sugar crashes after consuming one cookie. You have to try out how your body responds to each type of carb until you find a balance. Generally speaking, eating more complex carbs and less simple carbs will have good results as complex carbs are naturally more nutrient dense and have a lot more to offer your body than a quick sugar fix.

Also, newsflash – fruit and vegetables fall squarely within the carb category and you really don’t hear anyone telling you that you should eat less broccoli. Do not be afraid of fruit – yes it contains sugar but it also has fiber and so many vitamins and minerals! And you know, fruit delicious and truly nature’s candy.

Honestly, carbs are great and you need them in some form or fashion as you move your body, go for that run or chase your toddler. Carbs can have a place in your life, it’s just about finding how many YOU need and yes, you probably need less white sugar (as in candy and baked goodness) than you think. Finiding the proper balance between what your body wants and needs to be healthy and what you want to be happy and sustain it is a big undertaking and a process but you can do it – and if you need help, that’s what we’re here for!

We’d love to hear from you – comment below with your thoughts or questions about carbs!