“I Love Bread!” _ Oprah Winfrey
In the age of Gluten free and low carb diets one would start to believe that consumption of carbohydrates be deemed a sin. Burned at the stake for a sandwich? or more horrific, crucifixion for a slice of toast. Dark thoughts aside today I’m reliving my 2016 and just like Oprah I’m screaming I LOVE BREAD!
Honestly, I don’t even get what's so bad about carbs…..BUT let’s put our nerdy glasses on and do some research shall we?
First of all what are carbohydrates ?Or carbs as we’ve lovingly nicknamed them throughout the past 1000 years. A carbohydrate is a naturally occurring compound, or a derivative of such a compound, with the general chemical formula Cx(H2O)y, made up of molecules of carbon ( C ), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O).[1]Too smarty pants for you? In simple terms Carbohydrates, or carbs, are sugar molecules.[2] Carbohydrates are found in a wide array of both healthy and unhealthy foods — bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, soft drinks, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant forms are sugars, fibres, and starches.
Foods high in carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support bodily functions and physical activity.[3]
If this I truly the case then why in recent years has there been an uproar in drastically reducing or cutting out the food group completely from one’s diet? It’s not as recent as you might think.
What about a quick history lesson? (Yes, the answer is always yes.)
It’s been suggested that in 776BC, Greek Olympic athletes were consuming a protein heavy, low carb diet to maintain their strength, muscle mass and sports performance. However, it was only in the second half of the 19th century that these dietary patterns became more mainstream. In 1863, William Banting published his Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public, in which he promoted the benefits of a low carb diet for weight loss and optimal health. Banting is now considered to be ‘the father of the low carb diet’. Ketogenic diets gained traction in the early part of the 20th century, when physicians discovered the beneficial effects of carb restriction on the symptoms of epilepsy.
Fast forward a few decades and we are here, good o’l post COVID 2023 where everything is either Gluten free or Keto friendly. I mean when you have celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian sharing in her app that going keto was a “really positive experience.” Moreover, how she eats cauliflower rice or broccoli rice in place of carbs and Gwyneth Paltrow the founder of wellness lifestyle brand Goop(She's also Actress but I'm not opening that can of worms ), stating in a 2021 issue on Insider story that she followed a vegan keto diet to detox and ease lingering COVID-19 symptoms like fatigue and brain fog[4], How could we not fall into “carbs are bad” rabbit hole.
So with all these reasons to start eating lettuce wrapped everything instead of devouring a loaf freshly baked sourdough or enjoying a fresh croissant with coffee while reading the next story on Scribbles and Nibbles, it begs the question…
“Why should you still eat carbs?”
Well honestly they taste Fu**ing amazing! Is there any feeling quite as orgasmic as digging into a bowl full of tortellini carbonara, or eating a slice of pizza? No??Well, thank carbohydrates for that. Carbs make us happier — and not just because they’re delicious(and I do me mean delicious God’s greatest gift was the potato), but they actually have a chemical reaction because they boost your brain’s release of serotonin — chemical in the brain that helps you feel calm and satisfied.
Unlike protein and healthy fats that are stored in the body, carbohydrates are more readily available — aka they digest faster and work their way into the blood stream quicker for an immediate surge of energy.
However, to truly appreciate them you should know that, not all carbs are created equal.
Simple carbs like white bread, processed foods, and pastries are absorbed quickly in the body — leading to blood sugar spikes and subsequent crashes — and are often found in not-so-great-for-you foods and drinks like cake and soda.
Complex carbs, meanwhile, are found in foods like whole grains, sweet potatoes, beans, and fruits and veggies. They’re absorbed by the body more slowly and thus have less of a hit on your blood sugar, all while providing those above-mentioned nutrients your body needs.[5]
So, as we come to a close of this episode of me coming up with reasons why I should have my second helping of pasta…I would just like to say;
Carbs are not the enemy.
Carbs are not evil.
Carbs will not kill you.
[1] https://www.britannica.com/science/carbohydrate
[2] https://medlineplus.gov/carbohydrates.html
[3] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates
[4] https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/diet/celebrities-cant-get-enough-ketogenic-diet/
[5] https://bluescityathletics.com/the-nerdy-stuff-part-two-carbohydrates
