The importance of carbs and why you NEED them!

Carbohydrates, a word our world has slowly come to fear. Somehow, in the past few years especially, carbohydrates has become a negative word and gotten a bad reputation. People are avoiding them and cutting them out of their diets completely because they are not associated with 'weight gain' or 'indigestion.' The indigestion part coming in the form of everyone believing a Paleo diet is the way to live and is a must. All of these are fallacies and I am going to explain why.

First of all, carbohydrates are not the devil. They are the body and most importantly, the brain's number one source of energy. Without them, our bodies will not function at full capacity. Our brains run on glucose which is primarily from carbs. In fact, our entire Central Nervous System, heart and kidneys require glucose to function. I also want to point out that when I say carbs, I am referring mostly to whole grains, fruits and vegetables. That does not mean that white potatoes or other so-called white-carbs are out completely, just not processed junk and sugar! Whole grains include whole wheat products (breads, pastas, flour), farro, quinoa, oats, barley, brown rice, rye, buckwheat, etc.

In addition to glucose being extremely important for brain function, it is also the primary fuel source for our bodies to perform everyday activities. Carbs/glucose are the first and primary source for energy, when you are low in carbs, your body will then use protein and fat as sources but when they run out, your body will turn to your own muscles for that energy. Here is how it works, your body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose and uses it for energy. Any extra glucose in the body gets converted to glycogen and stored in muscles as fat. After your body uses up all of its glucose and glycogen stores, it turns to protein which is also stored in muscles and will begin breaking down muscle tissue to release protein. Obviously this is not a good situation and is even more important if you are working out or exercising, and your body requires an increased amount of energy stores. A great analogy is to compare carbs to gas. A car needs gas to run, just as your body needs carbs to run. It'd be pretty hard to drive your car with no gas, right!?

Another reason they are important is for their fiber content. Fiber keeps our digestive tracts running smoothly and help keep us regular. whole grains, fruits and vegetables are a great source of fiber. Fiber also helps move waste through our tracts, removing toxins. Fiber also helps our bodies absorb vitamins, minerals and nutrients ingested. Lastly, fiber also keeps you full for a longer period of time, helping to control cravings.

If you are active, aim to get 50% of your calories from carbohydrate sources. Each gram of carbs contains 4 calories. So a good way to figure out what your body needs is to determine your average daily calorie consumption. Divide that number in half then divide that number in half for the amount of grams you need to consume daily. For example, if you consume 2,000 calories a day, 1,000 should come from carbs. 1,000 divided by 4 is 250. That means you should be eating around 250 grams of carbs a day.

Bottom line; eat carbs, they are good for you, you need them and your body will thank you!