The Come Up: Carbohydrates - Friend Or Foe?
Verdict: Friend. In fact an essential one. Carbohydrates don’t go from your lips to your hips contrary to increasing popular belief - our bodies benefit from carbohydrates massively and here’s why:
- Happier moods - Carbs increase the production of serotonin so if they are not present in your diet you may not be the best person to be around.
- Better gym sessions - Carbs fuel the body so they aid performance in a very impressive manner. Weight training, HIIT, cardio and weightlifting all depend on glucose for max performance, of which carbs produce. In short, more carbs = more gains.
- Facilitates digestion ease and bowel movements - Carbs contain fibers so the benefits of this are self-explanatory. If you don’t eat carbs you won’t go to the toilet.
Like everything though, too much of it is never good and if you have diabetes as well your individual circumstances regarding carbs will differ. However, this and the stigmas aside carbs are a friend and not a foe. The increasing popularity of keto dieting and fast-paced weight loss, whether good or not, has contributed to the increasing notion that ‘carbs make you fat’ but take these with a pinch of salt as this saying is typically a self-assuring but nevertheless for some a valid justification for keto dieting or embarking on a hyper-pace weight loss programme.
Carbohydrates come in types, the main of which are:
- Sugar
- Starch
- Fibre
The most accessible and common sources of carbohydrates include:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Milk
- Nuts
- Grains