It Is Not the Carbs. It Is the Quality of Your Carbs

Carbohydrates have become one of the most misunderstood parts of nutrition. 

We’ve been advised for so long that carbs were our biggest downfall, the cause for accumulating fat, increasing the likelihood of diabetes, constant fatigue and inability to maintain stable blood glucose levels.

Now, the story has changed again, and we hear another perspective stating that carbohydrates are vital for us and that we should consume more of them.

So who should we believe and who is right?

The truth, as it is often the case in nutrition, is not as straightforward as simply stating that carbs are good or bad.

A better question would be: What type of carbohydrates do you eat? 

After all, a fruit, lentils, and a sweet soda all contain carbohydrates but affect our bodies differently.

And that’s where I think we’ve gone wrong. We’ve taken a single word “carbohydrate” and used it to describe an enormous variety of foods.

So Let’s break this confusion down:

Carbohydrates refer to a wide range of dietary ingredients like sugars, starches and fibers. Many carbohydrates are broken down into smaller forms of sugars at the time of digestion thus yielding energy for the body. The structure of carbohydrate is most important aspect as it influences how fast a carbohydrate is digested, the amount of fiber it carries, its capacity to satiate and its compatibility with blood sugar. That is why one should not only consider the number of grams of carbohydrates in a food product.

Let us take two examples:

Carbohydrates can derive from a soft drink. 

But it can also come from an apple. However, there are major differences and implications between carbs derived from these two sources.

On the one hand a soft drink delivers very quickly digested sugars and has almost no fiber, proteins or micronutrients.

On the other hand, an apple provides carbs having fibers, water, vitamins, minerals and other plant compounds.

Hence, we can see the difference.

When you eat carbohydrates, glucose eventually enters your bloodstream. Your pancreas responds by releasing insulin which helps move glucose from the blood into tissues where it can be used or stored. When your body responds appropriately to insulin, we call that good insulin sensitivity. 

When cells become less responsive to insulin, we call that insulin resistance. 

And insulin resistance is an important part of metabolic problems such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

But here’s where I want to be careful.

It would be a mistake to conclude that carbohydrates themselves are automatically causing insulin resistance. The quality, quantity and context of the carbohydrates matter. 

A diet dominated by sugary drinks, sweets, refined grains and highly processed foods is very different from a diet containing fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

Now let’s talk about what actually makes carbohydrates a better choice.

One of the biggest factors is fiber. 

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our digestive system cannot fully break down. And that’s a good thing.

Fiber can slow digestion, influence how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream and support the microorganisms living in your gut.

That’s one reason a whole fruit comes with a much different nutritional package as fruit juice.

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When you eat an orange, you’re getting the carbohydrate along with the structure and fiber of the fruit.

But in contrast, when you drink orange juice, all that physical structure of the fruit has been removed and sieved out, making it easier to consume a much larger amount of carbohydrate very quickly without the fiber. (Because the fiber is strained out.)

This is also why vegetables, legumes and whole grains can be valuable sources of carbohydrates.

They aren’t simply delivering sugar. They’re delivering food along with fiber, vitamins, minerals and other necessary compounds which is just great.

Now let’s talk about refined carbohydrates.

White bread, many biscuits, pastries, sugary drinks and numerous ultra processed snack foods9 can be rapidly digested.

Some of these foods can cause a significant rise in blood glucose followed by a fall that may leave you feeling hungry again.

And this can become a vicious cycle:

• You eat something highly processed.

• You get a quick burst of energy.

• You’re hungry again.

• You reach for another snack.

And before you realize it you’ve consumed a significant amount of energy without feeling particularly satisfied.

That’s one of the reasons I don’t want you to focus only on the carbohydrate number on a nutrition label.

I want you to look at the food.

• Where did the carbohydrate come from?

• How much fiber does it contain?

• How processed is it?

Because carbohydrates don’t exist in isolation. 

Consider this scenario. You are presented with a dish comprising rice dealt in the right portion along with a sizable amount of vegetables which can now provide the necessary protein content.

This whole concept seems to be far removed from the idea of consuming a bag full of carbs as is. While the quantity of carbs in this meal matters, so do fiber, protein and nutrition quality of the food consumed.

This is why I hold the view that food should not be automatically condemned just for being high in carbs.

• Fruits possess carbs.

• Vegetables possess carbs.

• Legumes possess carbs.

• Lentils also contain carbs.

• Grain products possess carbs.

Even seemingly healthful foods still have carbs in their composition.

And all of those products carry a lot of nutrition value.

Let’s take berries, for example.

Berries contain carbohydrates but they also provide fiber and a variety of plant compounds. The water and fiber content can make them quite different from a concentrated sugary food.

Or consider legumes for more relevancy.

Beans and lentils provide carbohydrates but they also provide fiber protein and a range of micronutrients. That’s a very different nutritional package from a sugary beverage.

This is what I mean when I say it isn’t simply about carbs. It’s about the quality of the carb. 

Now, does that mean everyone should eat a high carb diet?

No. 

Also, it does not imply that everyone must adhere to a reduced-carb regimen.

Some individuals excel in lower carb diets, especially under situations where decreased carb consumption allows them to regulate calories consumed or improve blood glucose control.

For an individual suffering from obesity or metabolic syndrome, controlling the amount of refined carbs and total carbs consumed can be an effective element of a general healthy diet plan. 

Nevertheless, it does not imply that carbs are dangerous to health. It’s not necessary to stop eating an entire nutrient for effective dieting. 

There is no universal dietary recommendation for people who consume carbs.

• Your activity level matters.

• Your metabolic health matters.

• Your goals matter.

• Your food preferences matter.

And perhaps most importantly, your ability to sustain the diet matters.

If you are highly active, your carbohydrate requirements may be very different from someone who spends most of the day sitting.

If you’re training regularly, carbohydrates can provide useful fuel for exercise.

If you’re managing blood glucose, you may need to pay much closer attention to the type and quantity of carbohydrates you’re eating.

This is why I don’t like nutrition advice that says, “Everybody needs to eat exactly this way.”

Nutrition is not a uniform prescription. 

Now let’s come back to one food that gets an enormous amount of attention in India:

Rice. Rice is not automatically unhealthy because it is white. And rice is not automatically healthy because it is brown. (Brown rice)

The bigger question is how much you’re eating, what type you’re eating, how it’s prepared and what you’re eating alongside it.

A reasonable serving of rice combined with vegetables and a protein source can absolutely fit into a healthy diet.

The same food can become very different when the portion becomes enormous and the rest of the meal consists primarily of refined carbohydrates with very little protein or fiber.

So instead of asking, “Is rice bad?”

Ask: “How much rice am I eating, and what does the rest of my plate look like?”

That is a much more useful question. And this brings me to one of my favourite ways of thinking about meals.

Build the plate, don’t just count the carb.

Start with vegetables.

Add a quality source of protein.

Then add an appropriate portion of carbohydrate based on your needs.

That carbohydrate could be rice.

• It could be a potato or sweet potato.

• It could be whole grains.

• It could be beans or lentils.

• It could even be fruit, depending on the meal. 

The point is that carbohydrates can be part of a balanced plate rather than becoming the entire plate. And there is another mistake I see people making.

They remove carbohydrates and then replace them with highly processed “low-carb” foods.

They think they are automatically healthier because the package says low carb. But low carbohydrate doesn’t automatically mean nutritious.

You can have a low carb food that is still highly processed and nutritionally poor.

So don’t let the word “low-carb” become a health halo. 

Look at the food itself.

The same principle applies to “whole grain.” Something being labelled whole grain doesn’t automatically make it a perfect food. The overall ingredient list, processing, fiber content and portion still matter.

And this is why I prefer a much simpler rule.

• Eat more foods that look like the foods they came from.

• Eat whole fruits.

• Eat vegetables.

• Eat legumes.

• Eat nuts and seeds.

Opt for the least processed grains whenever applicable in your diet. Cut down on the number of refined carbs and processed food that takes over your meals.

You do not need to be scared of bananas.

You do not need to be scared of rice.

You do not need to be scared of potatoes.

You do not need to be scared of bread as long as you can tolerate it well and it meets the principles of your overall diet.

But you should think twice about making sugary drinks, sweets, biscuits, pastries, and ultra-refined snacks one of your mains.

That’s the difference I want you to pay attention to.

The issue is not so much that this food has carbohydrates in it.

The problem can come from the combination of ultra-refined carbs, oversized portions, fewer fibers, high calories, and the lack of supportive eating habits.

And that’s why I don’t want you to follow extreme diets.

Some people do better with a low-carb diet. Others can do better with high carbs, especially if they are active.

There is not a single percentage of the calories from carbohydrates that works for everyone.

What matters is whether the overall diet is nutritionally adequate, appropriate for your goals and sustainable for your lifestyle. Because at the end of the day, the best diet isn’t the one that looks perfect on Instagram. It’s the one you can actually follow for years.

So the next time somebody tells you, “Carbs are bad,” I want you to ask them a simple question: “Which carbs?”

• Are we talking about a soft drink?

• A doughnut?

• White bread?

• Or are we talking about lentils?

• An apple?

• Vegetables?

• A bowl of minimally processed whole grains? 

These are not nutritionally interchangeable simply because they contain carbohydrates.

And that’s the bigger lesson.

Stop thinking about carbohydrates as one giant category of “good” or “bad.”

Start thinking about quality, quantity and context.

• Choose carbohydrates that bring something useful to the table.

• Choose fiber.

• Choose minimally processed foods more often.

• Pair carbohydrates with protein and vegetables.

• Pay attention to portions.

And if you have a specific metabolic condition or very different nutritional requirements, work with a qualified professional to determine what is appropriate for you.

Because carbohydrates don’t need to be your enemy.

You just need to choose them intelligently.

Your body doesn’t simply see the word “carbohydrate.” It responds to the entire food. 

And that’s why the question shouldn’t be: “How do I eliminate carbs?”

The better question is: “How do I make the carbohydrates I eat work better for my health?”

That shift in thinking can completely change the way you approach your plate. Because it is not simply the carbs.

It is the quality of your carbs.

A qualified dietitian or nutritionist can look at your health, lifestyle, food preferences, sleep goals and nutritional needs and help build a plan around you, rather than asking you to fit into a generic diet.

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