Carbs Are Not A Food Group
Merriam-Webster recently updated their dictionary to include "they" as a gender neutral pronoun, and about time, too. Also they officially sanctioned the word "rhotic", which refers to a style of American speech where the "r" sound is pronounced so that you can actually hear the consonant. I was delighted to listen to a "non-rhotic" speaker inform me this week that she was having trouble with "cahbs, yaknowhatImean? I gotta stay away from cahbs". Fortunately we don't have to go to Bah Hahbah to understand what this person is talking about; read on, dear explorer, to discover what science has to say about this family of molecules.
And really, that's what a carbohydrate is…a molecule, albeit a big one, consisting of repeating chains of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. On our planet, these molecules are one of the three building blocks of life (the other macromolecules being fats and proteins). Plants utilize the energy of the sun to manufacture and assemble these structures and by eating the plants animals like ourselves can harness that energy for our own internal biological processes.
So what's the problem with "carbs"? Let me first start by telling you that the first "low-carb" diets came on the scene in the 1800s, so this is not the result of some "all-new, groundbreaking nutrition research". At the risk of repeating myself, all diets are designed to fail. If any diet actually worked, folks struggling with excess adiposity would quickly adopt that plan and the entire multi-billion dollar industry would crash and burn. We cycle through fad diets demonizing sugar (carbs) and fat just as predictably as our modern recreational pharmaceutical patterns cycle through amphetamine and opioid use.
Our bodies utilize carbohydrates to provide energy in the form of calories, nutrition in the form of vitamins, and fiber to feed our internal zoo (the "biotics" referred to in pre-biotic sales pitches are the billions of bacteria that swarm through our GI tract which make digestion possible…we are all in this together). If you eat "too many cahbs", you are eating too many calories, which your body stores in case of famine. If you eat too many calories from fat in your meals, this also happens. If you eat too many calories from protein, this also happens. If you drink your calories via soda or alcohol, this also happens. You get the idea.
Vegetables and fruits provide ample amounts of carbs with very few calories, ounce for ounce, and other types of vegetable matter are just as nutritious, readily available and cheap as…well, chips.
Potatoes are a particularly vilified form of carb, but a small potato (think the old fashioned computer mouse) is packed with nutrition and potassium. Scrub the skin and eat baked, roasted or microwaved. Avoid peeling, mashing with animal products, frying or deep frying those spuds: remember to choose "nude food", or food as close to how it comes out of the field as possible.
Rice is another staple, and brown rice has the bran or fiber still intact. Portion control here is vital; a half cup of cooked brown rice equals one serving, giving you a little more than 100 calories and about 26 grams of carbohydrates in a mound the size of half a tennis ball. Yes, you read that correctly. This serving size is the same for whole grain pasta, by the way, so be certain to measure carefully. Some brands of whole grain pasta are more "earthy" than others, but there are great variations that chew just like plain semolina. It is worth shopping around if you are a pasta fan.
Bread, of course, is the staff of life, and by choosing types which have the first ingredient as "100% whole wheat" you'll maximize the nutritional bang for your buck. Again, serving sizes matter; some of these mega-loaves have close to 200 calories in a single slice, so if you grew up believing that sandwiches have 2 pieces of bread, you'll need to adjust your cognitive spectacles. Ditto for bagels (often outrageous), read those labels, folks. A bagel should be the size of a hockey puck. Not kidding.
As a side note: today's links are designed to give you a bigger view of the industrial food system here in The States. While only 2% of us are "farmers", many many many more of us are employed in some way in the harvesting, transportation, refinement, processing, packaging and delivery of this essential resource. Happy clicking.
Finally there are plenty of old kids "ancient grains" on the block that have been revitalized by our corporate food industry; my personal fave is kasha, or buckwheat (gluten free, for those with celiac disease and diagnosed wheat sensitivity). However seeds like quinoa and amaranth as well as other wheat strains like farro and freekeh are out there, and if you're looking for cost effectiveness it is hard to beat unglamorous but oh-so-affordable oats and barley for variety and versatility.
Also of note; wheat and wheat-like products often pack a bit of a protein punch which is useful if you are looking to enjoy more of a plant based meal plan. Beans are also bi-nutritional, being both good sources of the macronutrient protein AND carbohydrates, so enjoy (and be musical, better out than in as Shrek might say).
Fear not those "cahbs", gentle readers. They have been the base of our collective eating habits for the last 14,000 years or so. Carbs are not everyone's enemy number one. That being said, I am perfectly willing to admit when I am wrong, and recent conversations with registered dieticians whom I deeply respect has convinced me that some people do much better on nutrition patterns with a lower proportion of calories from carbohydrates than others. Think of people as having different types of metabolic "engines" that run best on certain types of "fuel"…some cars just don't handle ethanol well (and neither can I, for that matter). Even if you don't have the genetically influenced metabolic engine equivalent to that of a Ferrari, if you have medical conditions such as diabetes or seizure disorder, becoming more conscious of your carbohydrate consumption is, as the RDs I know might say, a Very Good Idea.
Until next time, stick a fork in it and get stuck into it, as the Brits might say! Keep calm and carb on.
CARBS ARE NOT A FOOD GROUP
Merriam-Webster recently updated their dictionary to include "they" as a gender neutral pronoun, and about time, too. Also they officially sanctioned the word "rhotic", which refers to a style of American speech where the "r" sound is pronounced so that you can actually hear the consonant. I was delighted to listen to a "non-rhotic" speaker inform me this week that she was having trouble with "cahbs, yaknowhatImean? I gotta stay away from cahbs". Fortunately we don't have to go to Bah Hahbah to understand what this person is talking about; read on, dear explorer, to discover what science has to say about this family of molecules.
And really, that's what a carbohydrate is…a molecule, albeit a big one, consisting of repeating chains of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. On our planet, these molecules are one of the three building blocks of life (the other macromolecules being fats and proteins). Plants utilize the energy of the sun to manufacture and assemble these structures and by eating the plants animals like ourselves can harness that energy for our own internal biological processes.
So what's the problem with "carbs"? Let me first start by telling you that the first "low-carb" diets came on the scene in the 1800s, so this is not the result of some "all-new, groundbreaking nutrition research". At the risk of repeating myself, all diets are designed to fail. If any diet actually worked, folks struggling with excess adiposity would quickly adopt that plan and the entire multi-billion dollar industry would crash and burn. We cycle through fad diets demonizing sugar (carbs) and fat just as predictably as our modern recreational pharmaceutical patterns cycle through amphetamine and opioid use.
Our bodies utilize carbohydrates to provide energy in the form of calories, nutrition in the form of vitamins, and fiber to feed our internal zoo (the "biotics" referred to in pre-biotic sales pitches are the billions of bacteria that swarm through our GI tract which make digestion possible…we are all in this together). If you eat "too many cahbs", you are eating too many calories, which your body stores in case of famine. If you eat too many calories from fat in your meals, this also happens. If you eat too many calories from protein, this also happens. If you drink your calories via soda or alcohol, this also happens. You get the idea.
Vegetables and fruits provide ample amounts of carbs with very few calories, ounce for ounce, and other types of vegetable matter are just as nutritious, readily available and cheap as…well, chips.
Potatoes are a particularly vilified form of carb, but a small potato (think the old fashioned computer mouse) is packed with nutrition and potassium. Scrub the skin and eat baked, roasted or microwaved. Avoid peeling, mashing with animal products, frying or deep frying those spuds: remember to choose "nude food", or food as close to how it comes out of the field as possible.
Rice is another staple, and brown rice has the bran or fiber still intact. Portion control here is vital; a half cup of cooked brown rice equals one serving, giving you a little more than 100 calories and about 26 grams of carbohydrates in a mound the size of half a tennis ball. Yes, you read that correctly. This serving size is the same for whole grain pasta, by the way, so be certain to measure carefully. Some brands of whole grain pasta are more "earthy" than others, but there are great variations that chew just like plain semolina. It is worth shopping around if you are a pasta fan.
Bread, of course, is the staff of life, and by choosing types which have the first ingredient as "100% whole wheat" you'll maximize the nutritional bang for your buck. Again, serving sizes matter; some of these mega-loaves have close to 200 calories in a single slice, so if you grew up believing that sandwiches have 2 pieces of bread, you'll need to adjust your cognitive spectacles. Ditto for bagels (often outrageous), read those labels, folks. A bagel should be the size of a hockey puck. Not kidding.
As a side note: today's links are designed to give you a bigger view of the industrial food system here in The States. While only 2% of us are "farmers", many many many more of us are employed in some way in the harvesting, transportation, refinement, processing, packaging and delivery of this essential resource. Happy clicking.
Finally there are plenty of old kids "ancient grains" on the block that have been revitalized by our corporate food industry; my personal fave is kasha, or buckwheat (gluten free, for those with celiac disease and diagnosed wheat sensitivity). However seeds like quinoa and amaranth as well as other wheat strains like farro and freekeh are out there, and if you're looking for cost effectiveness it is hard to beat unglamorous but oh-so-affordable oats and barley for variety and versatility.
Also of note; wheat and wheat-like products often pack a bit of a protein punch which is useful if you are looking to enjoy more of a plant based meal plan. Beans are also bi-nutritional, being both good sources of the macronutrient protein AND carbohydrates, so enjoy (and be musical, better out than in as Shrek might say).
Fear not those "cahbs", gentle readers. They have been the base of our collective eating habits for the last 14,000 years or so. Carbs are not everyone's enemy number one. That being said, I am perfectly willing to admit when I am wrong, and recent conversations with registered dieticians whom I deeply respect has convinced me that some people do much better on nutrition patterns with a lower proportion of calories from carbohydrates than others. Think of people as having different types of metabolic "engines" that run best on certain types of "fuel"…some cars just don't handle ethanol well (and neither can I, for that matter). Even if you don't have the genetically influenced metabolic engine equivalent to that of a Ferrari, if you have medical conditions such as diabetes or seizure disorder, becoming more conscious of your carbohydrate consumption is, as the RDs I know might say, a Very Good Idea.
Until next time, stick a fork in it and get stuck into it, as the Brits might say! Keep calm and carb on.
Amy S. Kreger
M.S. Health, Physical Activity and Chronic Disease
NASM Certified Behavior Change Specialist
amy.s.kreger@gmail.com
