Ep. 39: Cut the Carb Confusion

Carb Confusion is common. Let’s straighten some things out. Carbs often get mislabeled as “bad” but we need this macronutrient for energy to fuel our bodies.

Three main macronutrients are fat, protein and carbohydrates. “Macro” means large, so macronutrients are needed in large amounts. Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram.

To make sure you’re making the connection of what this means, remember when I talked about all of the info that’s on the Nutrition Facts label a couple of episodes ago? Imagine you’re looking at one of those labels and you see the line that says how many carbs are in each serving. If it says there are 25 grams of carbs per serving, by knowing that carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, then by multiplying that 25 x 4, you can calculate that you’re getting 100 calories worth of carbs from whatever that item/serving size is. That is the beginning concept of how you would learn to count macros as a dietary tool, but today we’re just going to talk about the singular macronutrient of carbs.

A lot of people tend to forget that vegetables are mainly carbs. Not only that but they give us sources of MICROnutrients and fiber too. Therefore they are more nutrient-dense sources of carbs than other carbs like pasta, muffins, or bread.

Other things discussed in this episode:
• Carb Confusion: dispelling generalities about carbs
• Gluten: how this protein is often thought of as a carb and why it’s incorrect
• Gluten and food sensitivities
• Should you stop eating carbs at night?
• How to use statements like “Yes, and…” or “No, but…” to turn inaccurate generalities into something more accurate
• Portion sizing tips and carb awareness for a lifestyle change
• Dialing carbs up or down for your goals