Do you need to completely remove all forms of carbohydrates from your diet to lose weight?
In clinical practice I get asked this question a lot. Yet, the answer to this question is not cut and dry. In this short blog I hope to convey that there are good forms of carbohydrates and bad forms of carbohydrates. First, let's take a quick look at the obesity epidemic...
It's no surprise that we are living in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Exam Surveys estimated that 42.4% of the American population was obese(1). Yet, this has not always been the case. So what has changed? Why is there such a high ratio of the population now obese?
In the late 1970s, there was a crusade against fats. Ultimately, this increased the consumption of carbohydrates. Fats were largely being removed from the diet in the hopes that the risk of cardiovascular disease would go down. It was also around this time that carbohydrates were starting to become more refined. It was no longer farm to table. It was farm to processing plant to remove fiber, add sugar, add preservatives, precook, package and sell.
So we have a removal of fats that leads to a higher consumption of highly refined carbohydrate. Why is this a problem? Refined carbohydrates lack fiber and cause a large spike of insulin. High levels of insulin increase appetite and reduce our brains ability to recognize other hormones that tell us when we are full(2). Prolonged elevations of insulin will put us at a greater risk of numerous health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers have shown to be linked to elevated insulin levels independent of weight(3).
Instead of refined carbohydrates one should focus on replacing these with unrefined carbohydrates that still possess ample amounts of fiber, vitamins and minerals. These unrefined forms will not spike insulin levels anywhere near as high as the processed carbohydrates. Mixing unrefined carbohydrates with healthy fats and protein can absolutely be utilized in ones weight loss plan.
Unrefined carbohydrates examples to include in your diet:
Legumes (lentils, peas, soybean)
Whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa)
Fruits
Vegetables
Refined carbohydrates to avoid:
Breads - including brown bread
Pastas
Fruit juice / pop
Candy
Simple sugar (sugar in coffee)
Book a free consult or appointment for more information on how to achieve your weight loss goals!
References
(1) Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. (2020). Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2017-2018. NCHS Data Brief, (360),1-8. PMID: 32487284. (2) Kumar R, Mal K, Razaq M, et al. (2020). Association of Leptin With Obesity and Insulin Resistance. Cureus, 12(12), e12178. doi:10.7759/cureus.12178 (3) Kilvert, A., & Fox, C. (2020). Hyperinsulinaemia and cancer risk: cause and effect?. Practical Diabetes, 37(6), 223. doi: 10.1002/pdi.2310
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