One nutrition myth I wish would just go away once and for all is that “carbs are evil”

You know what’s evil? Me after being deprived of said carbs! The carbs that are delicious, nutritious and help to greatly improve my performance.

Just like everything else in health and fitness, all things are not created equal. All exercise isn’t created equal. There is resistance training, balance training, aerobics, HIIT circuits, density circuits, general “cardio” and many others.

All of the aforementioned modalities are miles more effective than slowly lulling on a treadmill, but still, falls under the wide umbrella of “exercise”.

So knowing this, why is it still suggested that all carbs are created equal and that all of them are harmful?

What adds more insult to injury is, if I were to list carb A and carb B, one would be clearly identified as a better option. It’s just common sense!

Carb A is the dark green vegetable known as spinach. Spinach is packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and is heavily nutrient dense.

Carb B is the confectionary favorite known as cotton candy. Though Delicious, far from nutritious. Cotton candy digests very quickly due to the absence of fiber, making blood sugar levels spike which results in the “sugar high” then “crash” felt after consumption. You might even notice that you can have cones and cones full of cotton candy and still be hungry. This is also due to the lack of fiber.

Both are still carbs. Spinach is a clearly better choice for you. That’s because spinach is a “complex carb” or “slow digesting carb”. The not so good choice, cotton candy along with chips, white kinds of pasta, white bread, and desserts are “simple carbs” or “fast digesting carbs”.

Appropriate amounts of carbs help us look, feel and perform our absolute best.

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy so severely restricting your carbs limits your potential and increases your health risks. Your carb consumption correlates with how active you are. If you are currently sedentary, you don’t need as many carbs as someone who regularly exercises but too few carbs over a long period of time causes a crash.

Heavily restricted carb count could result in a slower metabolism, higher stress hormones produced, muscle building hormones slowed and can even contribute to a funky, grumpy mood.(Like how I mentioned I turn evil when deprived of carbs.)

That is not sustainable behavior, and that will, ironically, lead to fat gain, because you thought carbs were bad.

Carbs are your friends. Treat your friends nicely and coddle them. Make smarter carb choices such as

• fruits and vegetables
• Spaghetti squash
• Red potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Butternut squash

They help keep you fuller for longer and don’t make your blood sugar levels spike too high. This gives you sustainable energy throughout the day, versus the sugar high and crash you get from simple carbs.

There is plenty of variety out there so go out and make new friends, variety is the spice of life right?

Need more help with the nutrition side of things?? Grab my free report and I’d love to help you simplify your eating habits.

This blog post title was brought to you by the letter “C”