Carbohydrates often get a bad rap. Just scroll through social media or do a quick search on the internet, and you will easily find plenty of discussion topics on carbohydrates, both good and bad- but mostly bad. You’ll mostly find topics on low carb, keto, and Atkins. There was a time when fat was the most hated macronutrient. Now, carbohydrates seem to be the number one enemy. Did you know that carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy? They help fuel your brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system.1
There are many benefits to carbohydrates other than providing energy, such as keeping blood cholesterol in check, aiding digestion, and helping keep you full. People trying to lose weight often say they stay away from carbs because they know they convert into sugar. However, if you explore various complex carbohydrate examples, you’ll quickly see that not all carbs are bad. This blog post aims to explain the different types of carbs and the pros and cons of a low-carbohydrate diet.
What are carbs? How do they play a role in our health?
So why do we often hear about “good” and “bad” carbs” or complex and simple carbohydrates? What does that mean? Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients our bodies need daily in large amounts. carbohydrates are most commonly referred to as “carbs.” There are three main types of carbohydrates: starches, fiber, and sugars. Carbohydrates provide four calories per gram and are divided into two main types- simple and complex. Simple carbs have a basic chemical structure that can be digested more quickly and cause a faster spike in blood sugar levels. These spikes in blood sugar levels provide you with short bursts of energy, making you feel hungrier sooner than complex carbs. You can find simple carbs in table sugar, highly processed foods, sweetened beverages, dairy products, fruits, and some vegetables. The small intestine breaks down these simple sugars before entering the bloodstream, and the remaining sugars that aren’t used right away get stored as fat. That is why eating foods with lots of added sugars can lead to weight gain.
Online, fruit can often get a bad rap. And, yes, it contains simple sugars like fructose, but it is also a great source of fiber, which slows down digestion and spikes blood sugar levels from the sugar/fructose. Meaning fruit can have less impact on blood glucose levels than other sugar sources, especially if paired with other foods that contain protein and fat. So no, just because fruits have natural sugars doesn’t mean they are bad for you!
Complex carbs are made up of sugar molecules with a longer molecule chain. Complex carbs can either be starch or fiber and are found in foods such as potatoes, beans, whole grains, and many vegetables. Complex carbs also take longer for your body to break down, so they are a longer-lasting energy source. Complex carbohydrate foods provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are important for our overall health. Most of the carbohydrates you choose should come from complex carbohydrates and naturally occurring sugars rather than processed or refined sugars, which do not have the vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in complex carbohydrates. These refined sugars are often called “empty calories” because they have little to no nutritional value for our bodies.
Although both carbs give your body energy, complex carbohydrates provide the body with what it needs to operate at peak performance for longer, rather than simple carbs. Carbs are essential food nutrients that your body turns into glucose to give you the energy for your daily functioning. Carbs naturally occur in grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Food manufacturers can also add carbs to processed foods in the form of starches and added sugars. It is also important to know that nutrition labels most likely won’t always tell you if the carb content is simple or complex, so understanding how these foods are classified and how they work in your body can help you choose the best carbs.
Are all carbs bad?
They’re neither good nor bad. It’s more about understanding carbs’ role in the body and how it uses them. Not all carbs are created equal. Some carbs are healthier than others, but does that mean we need to cut out all carbs? Heck no! A low-carbohydrate diet has been a controversial topic for decades. As stated previously, carbs are the body’s preferred energy source and help fuel your brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system. When it comes to choosing carbohydrates in your diet, nutrient-dense sources are the best way to go. For example, eating too many refined or simple carbs found in foods such as bread, cakes, pasta, and sugar-riched foods raises the amount of insulin your body releases. High insulin levels increase inflammation and can further develop into other chronic diseases.
Why would someone eat a low-carb or Keto diet?
There is no standard definition for a low-carb diet. The low-carb diet is a way of eating foods high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates. It is a diet lower in carbohydrates than the recommended dietary guidelines of 45-65% of calories or about 130 grams per day for our bodies to function. So, anyone’s diet with an intake of carbohydrates lower than 45% of their total calories is considered “low carb.” Reducing carbohydrate intake is likely beneficial for medical conditions such as Hashimoto’s, hypothyroidism, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes, where you are more carbohydrate sensitive. However, it’s still important to eat whole, single-ingredient foods as much as possible, even with these medical conditions.
A low-carb diet is often prescribed to patients to treat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system creates antibodies that attacks the thyroid cells which eventually causes inadequate hormone production. Esposito et al. found a positive correlation between reducing carbohydrates and eliminating goitrogenic foods after 21 days for decreasing fat mass and significant drops of sentinel autoantibodies in individuals with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.2 It’s important to remember that carbs are needed for proper hormone function and metabolism, especially for converting T4 to T3. Without consuming an adequate amount of healthy carbs, the body will struggle to do this conversion or not do it at all. This only throws off thyroid function even more. Working with a knowledgeable health provider to find the right carbohydrate level for you if you suffer from a thyroid condition is essential.
Hypothyroidism is another disorder that causes your thyroid not to make enough thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are essential for growth, cellular repair, and metabolism. Approximately 90% of individuals who have hypothyroidism are caused by Hashimoto’s. Other causes of hypothyroidism are iodine deficiency, genetic disorders, medications, and surgeries that have removed part of the thyroid. A person with hypothyroidism may experience tiredness, hair loss, weight gain, cold extremities, lower mood, and many other symptoms. Studies have shown that limiting carbs can reduce the severity of the hypothyroid condition.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder linked to insulin resistance and inflammation. Since insulin resistance drives PCOS exacerbation, low-carb diets are often a popular answer. Given that low-carbohydrate diets have been proven very effective for treating insulin resistance, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, it makes sense that a low-carb diet would also be helpful for PCOS treatment. According to a study by Paoli et al., 14 women diagnosed with PCOS followed a keto Mediterranean diet for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, they found that the women achieved lower blood glucose and insulin levels, improved reproductive hormone levels and function, reduced heart disease risk factors, and had an average weight loss of 20 pounds.” 5
A metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that raise a person’s risk for coronary heart disease, diabetes, and stroke and is known for insulin resistance. Individuals with metabolic syndrome struggle with excess abdominal fat, low HDL levels, and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance. One study concluded that “both low carbohydrate and low-fat diet have significant effects on reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in obese adults when followed up for six months.” 3 Another study concluded that “despite maintaining body mass, low-carbohydrate intake enhanced fat oxidation and was more effective in reversing metabolic syndrome.” 4 So, even a slight carb restriction is enough to reverse metabolic syndrome in some individuals, while others may need to restrict their carb intake more.
Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in how the body regulates and uses glucose as fuel and can be affected by carbohydrate diet intake. The long-term inflammation and damage diabetes causes to the body often lead to other chronic diseases like kidney disease. Several research studies support a lower-carb diet in treating and regulating diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), no one-size-fits-all diet works for everyone with diabetes.7 As with most nutrition therapy for chronic medical conditions, the treatment must be tailored to the individual. The nutrition therapy needs to fit with their needs, physically and emotionally, from food. It needs to consider how everyone has different macro (i.e., carbs, protein, and fat) and micro (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) needs.
The bottom line – Should you go low-carb or Keto?
Many people have indeed had success with low-carb diets, and it’s important to remember there is no one size fits in nutrition. Just know that despite what you have seen on social media, carbs can be a part of a healthful diet, and you need to explore different carbohydrate levels in your diet and see what works best for you. Carbs are an essential macronutrient that provides the body with vital nutrients like folate, magnesium, and fiber. So, super strict low-carb diets are not sustainable for most people for long periods. But becoming more mindful of what and why you eat and getting the RIGHT testing for your health needs can lead to the SUSTAINABLE health changes you need.
Favorite Low-Carb Snacks
When you’re living a fast-paced lifestyle, finding satisfying snacks that fit your daily routine and health needs is a must. In our mindful eating groups and Restore Program, we work with clients to find out what meals and snacks they need to fit their health, lifestyle, and family needs throughout the day. And if you can find a premade snack with high-quality ingredients, like the kinds Munk Pack makes, it can make your day much easier. There are SO many different granola and protein bars on the market these days, and for a good reason. Granola and protein bars are easy snacks you can throw into a bag and contain nutrient-dense ingredients like nuts, fruits, seeds, and chocolate.
One of my favorite brands of keto-friendly granola bars and snacks is Munk Pack. Munk Pack just introduced two new flavors that are only available on their website!
The first new flavors are dark chocolate pretzel keto nut and seed bar. It is the perfect blend of salty and sweet, with a crunch in every bite.
The other new holiday flavor they launched is a peanut butter pretzel keto nut and seed bar. It is an irresistible sweet and salty treat that can satisfy any crunchy snack-time cravings with high-quality, nutrient-dense, and great-tasting ingredients.
Munk Pack granola bars only have 140 calories, 1g of sugar, and 4g of net carbs. Along with being keto-friendly, these bars are plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and have no sugar added, making them a convenient on-the-go snack that fits into any dietary lifestyle!
Munk Pack snacks don’t use traditional artificial sweeteners like sucralose or aspartame (which have been shown to have negative health impacts in individuals) to make their snacks low-carb. Instead, they use ingredients like monk fruit and allulose. Allulose is a sugar naturally found in some fruits, and monk fruit is a small round fruit/gourd found in China. Both monk fruit and allulose have little impact on blood sugar and insulin levels and cause fewer digestive issues in individuals than traditional sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners.
These tasty, chewy granola bars are the perfect snack to eat anywhere and satisfy your sweet tooth without all the added sugars many granola bars have. Use code FREESHIPPZL to receive free shipping on your first purchase!
#NourishWithIntent #KetoFriendly #MunkPackMoment #MunkPack #SnackSmarter
References:
- Can a low-carb diet help you lose weight? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/low-carb-diet/art-20045831. Published November 18, 2020.
- Messina G, Esposito T, Lobaccaro J-M, et al. Effects of low-carbohydrate diet therapy in an overweight subject with autoimmune thyroiditis: Possible synergism with chrebp. Drug Design, Development, and Therapy. 2016;Volume 10:2939-2946. doi:10.2147/dddt.s106440
- Ismael SA. Effects of low carbohydrate diet compared to low-fat diet on reversing the metabolic syndrome, using NCEP ATP III criteria: A randomized clinical trial. BMC Nutrition. 2021;7(1). doi:10.1186/s40795-021-00466-8
- Hyde PN, Sapper TN, Crabtree CD, et al. Dietary carbohydrate restriction improves metabolic syndrome independent of weight loss. JCI Insight. 2019;4(12). doi:10.1172/jci.insight.128308
- Paoli A, Mancin L, Giacona MC, Bianco A, Caprio M. Effects of a ketogenic diet in overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2020;18(1). doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02277-0
- Tenth edition. IDF Diabetes Atlas. https://diabetesatlas.org/. Accessed September 16, 2022.
- Carb Counting and Diabetes | ADA. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition/understanding-carbs/carb-counting-and-diabetes. Accessed September 16, 2022.
