We Are Counting Carbohydrates Incorrectly
For many of us, our approach to nutrition involves counting carbohydrates, whether it’s following a keto or low-carb diet, or trying to get a certain percentage of macros every day. We also tend to classify foods as “good carbs” and “bad carbs” based on criteria such as whether they digest quickly or have more fiber.
However, as two researchers recently pointed out in a review published in the journal Advances in Nutrition , our emphasis on “good carbs” and “bad carbs” can lead to the rejection of a number of foods that have well-known health benefits. As VeryWellFit co-author Rebecca Schultz , a graduate student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Minnesota, said, “While these aspects may be separate pieces of the puzzle, they do not represent the full picture of carbohydrate quality.”
The labeling “good” and “bad” overlooks many products.
Sorting foods into “good” and “bad” carbohydrates is one of those simplistic distinctions that lack the nuance for establishing a healthy diet. While this distinction may seem trivial, the key difference is that the categorization of “good” and “bad” carbohydrates forces people to avoid certain fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are considered to contain “too many” carbohydrates, although in fact, these products offer many benefits.
And this is more than an abstract concept. According to a report released by the CDC, only one in ten Americans eats the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. Given that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is known to lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, this suggests that rejection of certain fruits and vegetables as containing “bad carbohydrates” may not be the best way to think about nutrition. (This includes watermelon, which too many people think is too sugar. There is nothing sadder than living without a bowl of sliced watermelon sprinkled with a little lime and tagine.)
For example, if you are following a ” does it fit your macros ” diet and you have only a limited amount of carbs left, you may end up eating a highly processed energy bar with the right macros when you might be better off eating a piece of fruit or a slice of whole grain instead. toast, even if the macros are not quite the ratio you were looking for. (And yes, this is a suggestion for people on low-carb diets that it might be a good idea to add in some of the whole grains and fruits, even if it breaks your macros.)
When it comes to carbs, put quality over quantity.
Instead, Schultz and her co-author, Joan Slavin , professor of nutrition and nutritional science at the University of Minnesota, suggest looking at carbohydrate quality rather than quantity. When it comes to carbohydrate quality, they recommend considering factors such as percentage of whole grains, added sugar, total fiber, and the ratio of total carbohydrates to fiber and added sugar.
If these factors can be summed up in one sentence, it would be “Eat more unprocessed foods.” We all know this is good for us in theory , but when it comes to eating so many foods every day, it can be too easy to focus on just the amount of carbohydrates and not the quality. letting fruits and vegetables fall to the side of the road.