It’s Time to Think Twice About the Bad Reputation Carbs Get
Whether you watch your weight or not, you’ll most likely have heard about how bad carbohydrates are for you. It all started with the arrival of the Atkins diet in 1972. While initial studies suggested all carbohydrates are transformed into fat in the body, more recent research has revealed that if you’re eating a diet appropriate for your levels of daily activity, little to no carbohydrate is converted to fat.
For most people, when you eat carbs they are broken down to glucose and transported to the body’s cells. If you’re active and eating appropriately for your activity level. Most of the carbs you consume are more or less burned immediately. If, however, this glucose isn’t burned through activity, the pancreas responds by releasing insulin into the bloodstream to bring the levels down again, storing the excess sugar as fat.
People who do cut out carbs may lose weight but it’s actually nothing to do with the carbs.
Firstly, a carb-free diet is likely to be very much lower in calories, explaining why you may lose weight, and secondly, weight loss on a low-carb diet is likely because of water retention. Because for each gram of carbohydrate consumed, the body needs to hold onto 3g of water.
We’re all different and some of us process certain foods better than others, and at certain times. Having a balanced diet and staying in tune with your body and how it responds to certain ingredients is the key to a healthy weight. Studies seem to suggest you may be better off enjoying some carbs in the evening. So perhaps it’s time to think twice about the bad reputation carbs get. And remember, carbs aren’t just breads and pasta. Why not try adding brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, pulses and legumes into your evening meals. As a bonus side effect you may also find you’ll sleep better. Carbohydrates make the amino acid tryptophan more available to the brain. And it’s tryptophan which is converted into our sleeping hormone, melatonin.
