Let’s wrap up this balanced plate mini-series with a deeper dive into carbohydrates. (If you haven’t read the posts on protein & fats, do it now!)
Like fats, carbs have been deemed ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at different points in time, and in different circles today.
Why?
Because if ‘fats are bad’, there’s a natural skew towards carbohydrates when you remove fat from your diet. Sugar is ‘fat free’, so things like twizzlers & gummy bears got ‘fat free’ labels and masqueraded as a healthier alternative to cheese, eggs & meat.
And then we had, ‘fats are good; so good in fact that we should remove carbohydrates completely’. While low carb & keto diets showed us that fats don’t make you fat, they can be hard on your hormones in the long term, especially for women.
So where does that leave us? Somewhere in between.
While we need ‘essential amino acids’ from proteins, and ‘essential fatty acids’ from fats (compounds we cannot produce ourselves so we must get through food), carbohydrates are not technically essential. Carbs offer us glucose, which provides a quick energy source for our brain, liver & muscles.
So while our bodies can convert glucose from proteins, it’s an energy intensive process and yet another thing our liver is tasked with. Very low-carb diets can be hard on our liver, adrenals & sex hormones for just that reason. Our liver plays an important role in managing our blood sugar, by carefully releasing or storing excess glucose when it’s needed. Our adrenals are also responsible for correcting low blood sugar by using cortisol to release stored glucose. Chronically low blood sugar can drive up cortisol which impacts thyroid function (lowering conversion into active T3, impacting metabolism) & dysregulates sex hormones (driving up testosterone in women, and estrogen in men). This is why long term low carb diets can throw off your sleep, mood, hair growth, skin, menstrual periods, body temperature, and more.
On the other hand, refined carbs can have a similar adverse impact on our system. A diet high in processed carbohydrates, that’s also low in quality fats (check out last week’s post!) and animal proteins (two weeks ago!), leaves us with blood sugar swings throughout the day, low energy & poor sleep.
So what do I mean by processed carbohydrates? Refined grains & sugar in large quantities, for the most part. Balancing your blood sugar by focusing on whole food forms of carbs instead of the harder hitting refined carbs can make a huge difference, particularly if you’re struggling with low energy, mood swings, poor sleep, hanger & shakiness before meals, or unable to go for ~3 hours without eating. Refined carbohydrates are rapidly released into the bloodstream & can contribute to insulin spikes and fatigue after meals, and energy crashes & sugar or caffeine cravings between meals.
Whole food carbohydrates in the form of starchy vegetables, roots & tubers, fruits, and moderate amounts of properly prepared grains (soaked & sprouted or fermented!) deliver several important things to our balanced plate.
Easy-to-use glucose, which supports blood sugar balance & energy levels alongside healthy fats, protein & fiber
Fiber, which slows digestion and glucose release into the bloodstream, and also feeds the microbiome & promotes healthy, regular bowel movements
Great source of micronutrients, particularly those we can’t get from animal products like vitamin C, phytonutrients & many antioxidants
The carbohydrates on your balanced plate are colorful, nutrient dense & close to their whole-food form! How much starchy carb, non-starchy vegetables (like broccoli, zucchini & tomatoes), and fruit you actually do well with is very bioindividual. Experiment with some fine tuning to find what works best for YOU:
If you’re dealing with a lot of gas & bloating after veg-heavy meals, try pulling back on some of the vegetables, raw vegetables (and beans & legumes!) in particular, while you’re working on rebalancing the microbiome. Focus on easier to digest vegetables like squash & root veg in the meantime.
If you don’t sleep well after dinner with a big serving of rice, potatoes, or other carbohydrates, try adding in some more protein & fat to your evening meal in lieu of some of the rice, for more stable blood sugar overnight.
If you’re getting sugar & caffeine cravings throughout the day, try adding more animal protein to your breakfast.
If you’re trying a low carb diet right now, and you’re feeling cold, tired, foggy, or not sleeping well, try reintroducing some carbohydrates to get your body out of it’s stress state & back into a nourished state.
Are you looking for more help on carbs, fat & protein? I talk more about balancing your plate, and ideas for carbs, fats & proteins in my ‘Meal Planning Quick Start’.