this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2023
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Why avoid carbs though?
Genuine question.
If we're talking bad carbs like sugar, that only make you crave more bad carbs, thus pushing you into a calorie surplus, then yes, avoid those.
But carbs in general? Why avoid them?
In the end carbs are just sugars of different complexity. For example add some saliva to starch and you got glucose. Hence white bread, pasta and even potatoes are really bad for your blood sugar.
You don't have to avoid them, but carbs are not necessarily part of a healthy and balanced diet. Their only benefit is that they are cheap sources of energy. If you don't eat carbs the body has to use fat to metabolize sugar which works just as well.
It is useful to avoid carbs for a diet, because you can remove a lot of calories from any meal by replacing them with mostly vegetables without reducing the portion size at all. Also it helps with cravings a lot.
I think they are super useful as sources of energy for an active lifestyle that includes strenght and hypertrophy training.
Which in turn is something you should do anyway if you want to lose weight. Well, bodyfat specifically.
That's a tough one. Proteins are a much more useful source of energy and nutrients here. There are limits though and then it doesn't really matter how you get your calories.
So obviously carbs are cheap food and pack a lot of calories which might be beneficial in this scenario.
You are right. I can't argue with that, but I would be careful with this as general advice.
It's just that too many people don't know enough about nutrition and think cutting carbs is magic.
No, the human body doesn't need carbs. But I'd rather focus on increasing high quality protein intake than cutting carbs altogether.
Ideally paired with some form of resistance training, so the body burns fat instead of muscle.
But at the end of the day, every person should choose a diet that is sustainable for them in the long term. If cutting carbs is what makes someone succeed, then that's great.
You just don't need to avoid them to have a perfectly healthy diet.
You are right with everything you say.
Still the consumption of carbs is too normalized. Many people believe that you should have carbs with every meal which is insane. Just look at any restaurant food, fast food and everywhere. Unless you are dieting you for sure don't have to avoid carbs, but don't seek them out either.
I believe this is the single biggest reason for the obesity problem. Most meals really shouldn't have any added carbs, yet they do.
May I ask what continent you're on? That could explain our perspectives on this.
Different environments create different problems, after all
Ohh, that's an interesting take! I guess for large parts of Asia it is a bit different. It is a problem in north America as far as I can tell and in Europe where I am from.
Huh. I'm from Europe too, but I'm not really seeing it as such a big problem here
Over 50% of all adults are overweight here.
Every single meal has some form of pasta, potato or rice as a side unless you pick a salad and even then you get some complementary white bread when you eat out.
I always get weird looks when I am asking for more salad or vegetables and no frites.
Just check the menu of any random restaurant around you and look for any low carb option which is not a salad. It is really difficult where I live unless it is a tapas bar.
I'm more worried to overdo in the fat departement when eating in a restaurant. Fries, greasy salads, when I and my digestion would much prefer rice/boiled potatoes and green beans with the fat steak. Calories per volume would be lower, too.
Avoid, no.
Cut down, yes. We overeat carbohydrates, especially empty carbohydrates. It's a cheap source of energy sure, but if we are inputting more than we are outputting, the excess is stored as fat, which can lead to inflammation and other health issues.
I did keto for a couple years and yes, cutting out most carbs that weren't nutrient dense did wonders. Only reason I've been moving off of it is because it's honestly difficult to eat that way in a world of excess carbohydrates. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, has added sugars or fillers added in that increase the carb count for cheap. I did it for like 5 years, but it cost a lot of money and time. Money because it's all about eating whole, nutritious, and organic. Time because It takes time to cook and do meal prep, and sometimes I don't have that time or energy mentally.
To effectively diet you have to reduce the amount you eat. You can do this through calorie restriction, time restriction, or food restriction. Low carb diets are a form of food restriction that are particularly effective because dropping carbs also drops hunger levels so it is easier to sustain the restriction.
It depends on the meaning of amount. By volume no, you can continue to eat like always if you adjust the food itself.
Technically yes, it is a food restriction, but in the end it is especially a calorie restriction which is the important part.
You are absolutely correct though.