Carbs are the sexy fuel. It’s the fuel marketers and advertisers love to tempt us with. It’s sugar, baby! It’s also the most complex and misunderstood macronutrient of the three.
Let us break it down for you and help you organize and prioritize it. Carbohydrates at their simplest form provide energy, once broken down into glucose. Starches (potatoes, bread, rice, and legumes), vegetables (those grown above and below ground), nuts, and fruits are all carbohydrates. They all get broken down into glucose.
Carbohydrates make up part of a balanced diet because they provide fiber for the gut biome, vitamins, and minerals to help us thrive.
These mentioned above are the natural whole food versions of carbohydrates. For thousands of years of human history, civilizations learned to gather, and ultimately farm these carbs for their nutrients and energy value.
In the late 1800’s granola and cereal were invented to provide new forms of processed grains. That was when carbs took a turn into creating super-fuels for mass production. It started slow, but in the 1950’s it exploded into what we know today. Modern processed foods were manufactured by adding sugar, honey, or any sweetener that they could into these grains. Fast forward a million print ads, and ultimately commercials later, and the modern day marketing industry combined with “Big Agriculture” now has us consuming massive amounts of refined sugar every day.
To give a comparison: In 1800 the average person consumed around 22.4 grams each day. In 1900 it was 112 grams, and today it’s a whopping 250+ grams of sugar each day!
To make things worse, in the 1980’s the federal government created guidelines for daily eating. These guidelines were used in every school, hospital, and nutrition curriculum. These guidelines have taken many forms over the decades, but it started with the Food Pyramid and today it’s known as MyPlate. They placed the priority of carbohydrates as the bulk of what we should eat daily. They didn’t break apart carbohydrates into sections based on nutritional value. They told us to eat modernized grains, pasta, and other overly-processed starches. They got it all wrong!
At Fast.Eat.Live. we don’t vilify any foods, but we do educate our clients and advise them in prioritizing all three macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs) into a weekly mechanism that helps them enjoy a lifestyle they love, while staying leaner and healthier.
We have a few free tips for you to prioritize your carb intake immediately: Eat carbs that were available pre-1950. These are whole foods, and are made up of organic (no chemicals used in cultivating them) vegetables, fruits, and ancient grains. For more info on pesticides, we suggest you read our past article on “Round Up.” Organic foods contain more protein and are less genetically altered. Eat above ground vegetables, as they contain less natural sugar and more fiber. Eat a higher quantity of fruits with the skin on them, like apples or berries, versus pineapple and papaya. Eating the fruits with edible skin has more fiber, which is fuel for your gut biome and helps prevent large spikes in blood sugar. Think of breads, pastas, and starchy carbs as treats, to be enjoyed sparingly.
For an individualized meal plan or higher level nutrition coaching, contact us at info@fasteatlive.com
