Written by Edgar Ulloa
Carbohydrates, commonly referred to as carbs, have been getting a lot of negative publicity lately across various communication platforms such as social media, written articles, and even cable news. Carbs are painted as the villains of the fitness industry; being blamed as the sole reason for weight gain, insulin sensitivity, and other health problems. However, this isn’t the full story. Carbs are actually the most powerful and most efficient form of energy our bodies use every day. When consumed and used effectively, they could even be the extra boost you’ve been looking for in your daily life.
Carbs, in its simplest forms, are basically sugars. However, this isn’t the same sugar you have at home to bake with. These sugars can combine and create complex structures, similar to proteins and fats. Different carbohydrate structures affect not only how these carbs behave when they’re cooked, but also affects how we digest and absorb them. We need these “sugars” to live. Tissues such as our brain and red blood cells can’t make their own, so they need a continuous supply of it to function properly. Carbs give us energy and are essential for the transfer of that energy throughout our bodies. Unlike protein, our bodies can store carbs in different forms and in different places in our bodies, such as in our liver and even in our muscles.
That being said, not all carbs are created equal. The carbs that we can eat to maximize our health and wellness come from less-processed, whole food sources. A bowl of fruit and a bag of chips might have the same carbohydrate and energy amounts on the nutrition label, but the effects on your body will differ drastically. Carbs from whole food sources, such as fruits, rice, potatoes, and even sweet potatoes, have a much higher amount of micronutrients and fiber than any bag of chips could ever have. These micronutrients and fibers are the “magic ingredients” that help your body recognize and convert those carbs into easily accessible energy, ready for when you might need it.
Carbs are also a more powerful and more efficient form of energy than fats. When we do activities that raise our heart rate, like playing sports or running or biking, we switch to the carbs stored in our bodies for energy. This is because they pack more of a punch than our stored body fat and are able to supply us with the energy needed to perform those activities. This is also true for activities that might not raise our heart rates as much, like lifting weights at the gym or carrying heavy grocery bags into the house. Because carbs can also be stored in our skeletal muscle tissue, they’re readily available to give your muscles an extra boost whenever it’s needed. A simple way to test this is to perform the same workout routine two times, one while fasted and one after a nutritious breakfast that includes less-processed, whole food carb sources. You’ll be amazed once you see and feel the difference for yourself!
Even though carbs get a bad reputation online, it’s mostly about carbs from processed foods that aren’t nutritiously dense and pack a ton of “empty calories”. Choosing the best carb sources is like choosing the best type of gas to fuel your car. So, as you can imagine, it’s important for us to not only get enough carbs for our daily activities, but to get the right kind of carbs to keep us healthy and happy.