Cutting Carbs From Your Diet? Must Read This First!!

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘Carbs’?

I think it’s safe to say the minority of people would think: ‘Energy’, ‘Fuel’, ‘Nutrition’, ‘Brain power’, and the majority would think ‘weight’, ‘naughty foods’, ‘inflammation’, or ‘YUM! … but it’s bad to eat too much of them’ 

Carbs, or carbohydrates, have gained quite the negative perception among society. And with more fad diets than ever before, the negativity of carbs just got a whole lot stronger!

First up, let’s run through our carbohydrate foods:

Carbohydrates Foods

• Grains – bread, pasta, cereal, crispbreads, rice etc.

• Dairy – milk, yoghurt

• Fruit 

• Legumes – lentils, baked beans, beans, chickpeas

• Starchy vegetables – potato, sweet potato, corn

• Sugar foods e.g lollies, chips and chocolate

Diets like Keto, High Protein - Low Carbohydrate or Grain-free have pinned carbohydrate foods as a real villain when it comes to achieving good health. This perception may be largely due to a lack of understanding of their benefits, diet culture and general misconceptions.

But what does the evidence say? Let’s take a deep dive:

Carbohydrates and digestive health

-          Fibre from grains is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer

-          This is extremely important as colorectal cancer is one of the leading cancers in Australia, with one in 12 people affected

-          For every 10g of cereal fibre, the risk of developing bowel cancer is reduced by 10%

-          People who ate 3 serves of wholegrain/high-fibre grain foods per day were 17% less likely to develop bowel cancer than those people who did not eat wholegrains/high-fibre grains.

Carbohydrates and weight management 

It is not uncommon to hear “I’ve cut carbs to lose weight” - in fact, in Australia 35% of women and 15% of men have limited grain foods in attempt to lose weight.

However, extensive research from clinical trials and cohort studies have highlighted the opposite. Carbohydrates from wholegrains or high-fibre foods have been shown to be beneficial during weight loss and for long-term weight management

-          Weight loss trials have shown that weight loss is achieved through diets that remain high in grain foods.

-          In fact, when low, moderate and high carbohydrate diets were compared, each diet was equally effective in weight loss provided that the carbohydrate were from wholegrain/high-fibre foods.

-          Higher intake of carbohydrates from wholegrains/high-fibre grains are associated with lower BMI, smaller waist circumference and less weight gain overtime

 Carbohydrates and heart health

-          Strong findings from scientific reviews suggests that higher intakes of whole grain foods are linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

-          Numerous studies suggest that higher intakes of grain foods may reduce this risk by 30% !

-          Fibre from wholegrains work to reduce total and LDL-cholesterol, improve blood pressure, inflammatory status, endothelial function and gut health.

Carbohydrates are an important source of essential nutrients

-          Wholegrains are low in fat and a good source of protein. They also provide a range of key nutrients for our health, including – fibre, iron, magnesium, iodine, carbohydrates, and B group vitamins: folate and thiamine.  In fact, wholegrains are a main food source where Aussie’s are getting these nutrients

-          Fruit, starchy vegetables, and legumes are fantastic sources of fibre and many vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin A, C, E, magnesium, zinc, iron, phosphorus and folic acid. Colourful fruits are filled with different phytochemicals which have many health benefits for our body, including anti-inflammatory properties. Legumes are a key source of protein, zinc and iron for vegetarian and vegans.

-          Dairy foods provide high amounts of quality protein and calcium for bone health, but their benefits don’t stop there. Dairy foods contain a range of nutrients which together have been shown to keep muscles, bones, nerves, teeth, skin and vision healthy, maintain healthy blood pressure, support normal growth and brain development, support immune function, and help to release energy from foods

Carbohydrates and performance

-          During exercise, whether it is short, medium or long-duration, our body needs fuel – and the preferred fuel source is… carbohydrate. Carbohydrates can break down very quickly to give our body fuel for rapid movement- such as sprinting, and other types of carbohydrates such as wholegrains can break down more slowly, giving our body an extended release of energy, or fuel, for activity such as long distance running. Fuelling your body with adequate carbohydrate before, during and after exercise can increase performance, stamina and duration.

Key Benefits of Carbs:

-          The fibre found in wholegrain or high-fibre carbohydrate foods is fermented by bacteria in our large intestine, which promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria. The health of our gut bacteria is crucial for good health.

-          Including carbohydrates in the diet during weight loss or weight maintenance phases is more sustainable in the long term because it is less restrictive, and people can enjoy a wider variety of foods.

-          High intake of wholegrain and high-fibre carbohydrates has shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease

-          Carbohydrates provide a range of key nutrients that are not easily consumed through other foods

-          Carbohydrates fuel exercise and performance

The key is to include carbohydrates from wholegrains and high-fibre foods and limiting carbohydrates from discretionary foods – or foods that provide little nutrition. And this is ultimately where the confusion lies. People often tend to blame the healthy, whole carbohydrates instead of the real culprits – the packaged, processed, and refined carbs.

Instead of cutting carbs, focus on improving the quality of your carbohydrate foods. Switch from white bread to wholemeal/multigrain, switch from plain crackers to multigrain such as Vita wheat, add more vegetables, legumes and fruit into your diet and make sure to get your serves of dairy in your diet from milk and yoghurt

Written by Marley Desmares-Matters, Accredited Practicing Dietitian. Book in today for individualised nutrition advice and planning. If you would like to book an appointment with one of our expert dietitians on weightloss and diet, please click here or if you would like more information on weight loss please visit our website or click here