Are Carbs Bad?
If you are following my work there’s a good chance that at some point in time you asked the question, “Are carbs bad?” Many of you may have come to the conclusion that the answer is yes and have decided to follow a keto or low-carb diet. That’s great!
But I want to be careful with this concept of carbs being bad because I think that the wrong perspective on this question can lead to a poor relationship with food, a misunderstanding of the point of keto, or even an unhealthy dieting cycle. So let’s break this question down a bit more.
When it comes to nutrition it is tough to make generalized statements such as, “X food is good/bad.” Of course there are some really shitty foods like seed oils, refined sugar, soy, etc., and some really great foods like organ meat, steak, eggs, and fish. But generalizing a whole macronutrient group, like carbs, for the entire population is much less clear and requires a lot more nuance.
To work through this nuance the question has to change from “are carbs bad?” to “are carbs bad for me?” and to add even more specificity, “are carbs bad for me right now?”
This level of nuance is a big reason why you will hear most people who are realistic about nutrition and have a strong understanding of biochemistry answer a question like this with, “it depends” which is maybe the most frustrating answer to a question that you are having a hard time finding a straight answer to. So I made this little graphic to break down the question, “are carbs bad for me” a little further and help you come to a conclusion:
If you can confidently answer any of these 3 questions then you can better answer the question, “are carbs bad for me?” From left to right, they are listed by order of importance. Let’s talk briefly about each:
A1C is a metabolic marker that tells the 3 month average of your blood sugar. If this reading is high that means your blood sugar has been high for the last 3 months and this is a sign that carbs may not be good for you. You can test your A1C with your doctor or with these at-home testing kits from BioCoach.
Blood sugar is a key marker of our metabolic health that allows us to understand how we are responding metabolically to our current environment. Fasted blood sugar is the best marker because it determines baseline levels before things like coffee, food, stress, and other blood sugar manipulators are factored in. A1C is better than blood sugar because blood sugar is a single measurement where A1C is a 3-month average but if you already have a blood sugar meter, this is an easy way to assess
The way you feel after eating carbs is also a great marker of your carb tolerance. Being shaky or low energy after eating carbs is a sign of hypoglycemia and a sign that your body doesn’t do well with carbs, or the carb sources that you are currently eating. Pay attention to the next 1-2 hours after eating to notice if any of these symptoms occur.
If any of these 3 led you to the conclusion that carbs aren’t good for you right now, then going low carb/keto could be especially beneficial for you. If you did not end up at this conclusion, carbs may be alright for you!
Now it is important to differentiate between different types of carbs. Processed carbs like flour, refined sugar, and other packaged carbohydrates are generally not beneficial to anyone. If you reached the conclusion at the end of the graphic that “carbs are not good for you right now” then they are especially not beneficial for you. This chart should be used within the context of whole food carbohydrates like fruit, tubers, and maybe even rice.
I want to point out one more final point. Notice that the conclusion is that, “carbs aren’t good for me right now.” The “right now” is important. A low carb/keto diet can restore your metabolism, improve your carb tolerance, and allow you to incorporate more whole-food carbohydrates into your diet. This is important to remember because the notion that keto or low-carb has to be a forever way of eating is a big reason why many choose not to follow the diet. Of course, you can stay keto long-term if you choose but if having fruit and other healthy carbs is something you desire, know that you may be able to better tolerate this after a little metabolic healing.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Irvin
P.S. This newsletter is sponsored by my favorite CBD, Santa Cruz Medicinals. I just did a post the other day highlighting some awesome research about how CBD can reduce anxiety before public speaking making it a great product to work into your daily routine. Especially if you have a lot of meetings!
