Healthy sources of carbs (and my take on the keto diet)

February 5, 2020
• 3:02 pm
• Wellness

The carb conversation is getting a little old (IMO), but it seems I am still always having conversations about carbs with people. Should I be eating carbs? Aren’t carbs bad? Won’t I get fat? This is why I’m fat! This list goes on… Especially with the keto trend happening, and all the weight loss stories coming out of that. It really is hard to know what is “true” anymore. Keto, paleo, Atkins, regardless of any new “low carb” diet that comes out, the fact still remains: your body needs carbohydrates. Your brain function and energy levels are dependent on this macronutrient. And while there are plenty of less-than-healthy sources of carbs, there are still plenty of healthy sources of carbs.

Why do we need carbs?

Let’s talk about the role carbs play in your body first. First of all, there are 3 different types of carbs: fiber, starch and sugar. And while none of these are inherently “bad” in and of themselves, there are processed versions of these that are not ideal. Fiber could be the most important type of carbohydrate. This is a type of carbohydrate that our body can’t digest (found in veggies, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains), and this is what keeps us… ehemm… regular. It can also help lower cholesterol and blood sugar and prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Despite the bad press, carbs really are necessary for proper health. They are your body’s and your brain’s main source of energy, they help protect against disease (I mentioned type 2 diabetes already, but also heart disease and digestive issues), and are really crucial for proper digestion and gut health.

But… what about the keto diet?

Now for the elephant in the room… I can hear many of you right now thinking: “Yeah but how do you account for all these stories of people losing TONS of weight, or improving their numbers at the doctor after jumping into Keto, or curing some disease they had?”

Look, here are the facts. The ketogenic diet was made for patients with epilepsy, it was not created as a mainstream method of weight loss. Doctors found that when a patient was in ketosis (fueling the body primarily on compounds called ketones, which is what happens when fat is the body primary fuel source), their seizures were reduced. Needless to say, this is not a diet that was made for weight loss. Are there some populations that benefit from this diet? Yes. But I do not agree with it as a mainstream diet for weight loss.

Another fact. If anyone cuts out carbs, of course you’re going to lose weight. Mostly because you are cutting your calories overall and dropping water weight (because carbs carry more water molecules that fat). But it is not a long term solution, and it’s not sustainable. In fact, there are multiple instances where eating super low carb and high fat has done ire-abel damage to people’s metabolism. There are so many more concerns with the keto diet (or any low carb diet).

Main concerns…

When you cut out entire food groups, you’re cutting out entire nutrient groups, missing out on a lot of good stuff your body needs and requires.
The risk intake of cholesterol and saturated fat in enhanced on this type of diet. Excess of either of these is bad on anyone’s body.
Too much meat can leach calcium from your bones (you pee it out), which causes a decrease in bone density over time.
Carbs are just an all around better source of energy than fat. Keto-junkies talk about being in ketosis and using it as their source of energy, but the energy you get from carbohydrates is higher and more sustainable.
Your brain MUST have carbohydrates to function. Carbs are broken down as glucose in the blood stream and is the brain’s main source of energy (along with your central nervous system). Brain fog is an actual thing when you go low carb, and it is because your brain needs glucose as an energy source.
Carbs help prevent the breakdown of protein for energy. When you aren’t getting enough carbs, your body uses them up too quickly, and then your body is forced to break down protein for energy instead. This means muscle loss over time.

Let’s make note of a final fact to note about these low carb diets. Studies have shown that, when putting a low carb or low fat diet head to head, neither one is more successful than the other in terms of weight loss. These studies show that a diet is a diet. It all comes down to calories in and calories out and the quality of the food you’re putting in your body. And when you look at dieting holistically from a health and longevity perspective, the way you eat should be sustainable, complete (meaning you’re not leaving any nutrients out), and risk averse. (Who wants to be on a diet where there is risk involved??? High cholesterol and heart disease are definitely risk factors of a high fat and animal protein diet.).