Simplifying Things: Carbs.
We’re in the business of making things easy to understand so, here: CARBS. What are they. Why do they matter. But, no BS-y, science-y, confusing chitchat.
Short for carbohydrate. All foods have a carbohydrate make-up, but for our purposes, let’s think of a carb as a starchy food that gives your body (i.e. the cells in your body) the energy it needs to function.
Your “Good Carb” Cheat Sheet:
Brown Rice
Oats
Lentils
Sweet Potatoes
Root Vegetables: Carrots, Pumpkin, Squash, Beets, Turnips, etc. google it
Beans: FRESH, not the baked, refried shit, C’mon.
Chickpeas/Garbanzos
Flours: Almond, Coconut, Cassava
Farro
Quinoa
Fruit, baby, real fruit
Cells need the energy that carbs provide in the form of glucose and glycogen. Think of glucose + glycogen as food for your cells. Glucose is a single sugar unit. Glycogen is a multi-sugar unit.
Facts:
We need glucose and glycogen to live
Our brains need, on average, 130g of glucose to function on a daily basis.
This is where it gets confusing because we always say, “don’t eat sugar,” but here we’re saying, “you need sugar to live.” Keep reading.
Not all carbs are made equal.
The type of carb you eat matters. There is a BIG difference between a banana drizzled with local, raw, unfiltered honey, and a piece of white bread smeared with jam, or a cookie.
Both are carbs.
Both will turn into glucose and/or glycogen.
Both will give your body energy.
The banana, however, is also loaded with LONG-TERM energy. It’s also packed with potassium and other nutrients that will give your body that bump of energy that your body needs, while helping you optimize your performance in other areas.
The bread/cookie, also carbs, will give you that same jolt of energy, but will cause inflammation, disease, and addiction. Why? Because it’s all processed. The sugar (usually bleached, refined, and processed) is not the same as the sugar from a banana. The flour is also usually bleached, processed, and refined. On top of it, when you throw in additives that you can’t pronounce, oils that give you cancer (here’s a blog on oils), and food processing, you’re not giving your cells the energy that they need to perform - you’re loading them up with garbage that they now have to filter out of your body to prevent disease. Make sense?
It comes down to choices and lifestyle. There are simple carbs - your white flour products and sugary snacks, i.e. processed bullshit, created to make you addicted and sick:
Soda
Crackeres
Noodles
Don’t even get us started on fast + fried food
Anything made with white flour
Basically, anything beige with the exception of a handful of “white” and “beige” veggies
And then there are complex carbs, that keep you satiated and feeling “full” for longer, take longer to digest, are packed with protein + fiber, and are wonderful for you:
Potatoes/ Root Veggies
Beans, Lentils, and Legumes
Brown Rice + Quinoa
Fruit
Veggies
Science vs. Marketing
There is the science-y definition of a carb, which means a whole bunch of nothing to most people: A group of macronutrients, including sugar, starch, and cellulose, classified into 3 categories including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Our body converts these into energy in the form of glucose or glycogen for our cells, and this whole process (super simplified, of course) is essential for daily function.
And then, there is the BS-marketing definition of a carb — which also means nothing — it’s a word that everyone worries about and tries to “cut.” 1. If you’re reading “low carb” on a package, put it back on the shelf and walk yourself over to the produce aisle; 2. #readthelabel — if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.
If the packaging has any of these words on them, they’re 99% of the time, processed garbage:
Low Carb
Low Fat
Keto
What matters is that you’re eating starches (carbs) that have nutritional value, i.e. nutrient-packed.
Yes, everyone is different… BUT, make good choices.
With that said, there are LOTS of things to consider here, like insulin levels, athletic/fitness output, liver health, and digestive performance. Some carbs have more fiber than others, some carbs are incredible for athletes and not so great for people who aren’t as active. When push comes to shove, there is always a “better for you” option than a bagel smeared with strawberry cream cheese or a hot pocket. Bet.
Check out our “Simplifying Things” Protein video on IG!
THE SIMPLIFYING THINGS SERIES
Simplifying Things: What to eat.