Though the current low-carb diet craze may make carbohydrates seem like a scary enemy lurking in your kitchen, in reality, certain carbs are actually a very necessary part of a healthy diet. The hard part is getting the right balance of “good carbs” that support your optimal wellness, while adhering to a particular dietary plan.
The path you choose all depends on your personal goals when it comes to weight loss or weight maintenance and living a healthy lifestyle. If your goal is simply to eat a clean, mostly plant-based diet and maintain your current weight, then a selection of high-fiber, complex carbs will greatly assist with that initiative.
However, if you’re trying to lose weight, current research shows that you might be better off with a low carbohydrate diet; But that doesn’t mean a NO carb diet. Certain carbs are still essential to a balanced, nourishing dietary plan. In addition, making sure you get enough vitamins, minerals, and fiber is also key.
We’ll go into both weight loss and weight maintenance views in this article, and also discuss where meal replacement shakes fit into the equation. Also, what you should look for in a healthy shake that supports your long-term wellness.
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Structure Of Carbohydrates
If we’re getting technical, carbohydrates are defined as organic compounds that at the chemical level contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Pretty cool, right? We don’t normally think of food items as containing chemicals, but they do.
Carbs are also one of three macronutrients (with the other two being protein and fat). You absolutely need to get these essential macronutrients – or macros for short – from your diet. This is because your body doesn’t produce them. Most people eat more carbs than protein and fat on a daily basis, unless they’re following a low-carb dietary plan (such as the Ketogenic Diet or Atkins).
Some examples of carbohydrates you probably come across often include breakfast cereal, salad, oatmeal, pizza and even ice cream. Of course, they’re all different types of carbs, and will affect your body differently.
Carbs typically function as your body’s main source of energy, since they break down into glucose, turning into a fuel source for your body and brain. They are therefore also essential to your brain function, and play a major effect on mood and memory.
The difference is if you’re following a very low-carb or Keto Diet; In that case, your body won’t run on glucose. Instead, you essentially switch your main fuel source to fat or ketones, and your body enters a state called ketosis. Even so, your body still requires some carbs on these types of diets, just in smaller amounts.
When people talk about “bad carbs”, they’re referring to simple carbohydrates. Basically, these are the carbs that don’t support your optimal wellness, since they’re void of nutrients. Therefore, they only offer empty calories and can contribute to weight gain.
In contrast to complex carbs, simple carbohydrates are digested and absorbed much faster in your body. Due to this, they can cause uncomfortable dips in blood sugar levels after consumption – most likely leading to tiredness, lack of concentration and increased hunger.
As you probably already guessed, simple carbs are refined, processed carbs that typically contain quite a bit of sugar. An example is white bread and white pastas. During the manufacture of these products, much of the fiber, vitamins and minerals are removed.
Therefore, you’re basically just left with sugar and calories. These refined carbs may taste better to some, but they aren’t doing any favors for your digestion or fat-burning processes. Any carbs with less fiber will be harder to digest, potentially causing digestive distress. And they will also slow your metabolism.
More foods containing simple carbs include candy, table sugar, soda, syrups, pastries and baked goods.
When speaking of “good carbs”, these are the ones we’re talking about. Complex carbohydrates are digested much slower in your body. Therefore, they keep your blood sugar levels stable and work best for lasting energy. They also contain natural fiber, which assists with satiety and proper digestion.
Complex carbs include vegetables (starchy and non-starchy), fruits, beans and legumes, whole grain breads, cereals and grains.
If you aren’t trying to lose weight, you should make sure to get plenty of veggies, fruits and whole grains into your daily diet. But if you’re following a low-carb dietary plan for weight loss or health reasons, then all of the rules changed.
As we discussed, there are different types of carbohydrates, but none of that actually matters on a low-carb diet. Instead, you need to focus on how many carbs are in each food item, and only choose the ones that are low in carbs.
Of course, you still want to make nourishing carb choices, but you have to do so while also sticking with a certain amount of carbs each day.
One very popular low-carb diet circulating right now is the keto diet. On this dietary plan, you eat only 30g of net carbs (which is the total carbs minus the fiber content) per day, or less. On this diet, you have to be extremely picky about the types of carbs you choose.
You definitely need to eat veggies on keto – but only very low carb ones. And almost all grains will be too high in carbohydrates for this diet – no matter how healthy they may be on a regular healthy dietary plan.
Foods High In Carbohydrates to Avoid on Keto
If you’re trying to lose weight, you may be wondering what to look for when it comes to carbohydrates in your meal replacement shakes. And the answer is, the less carbs the better.
Basically, you want your meal replacement shake to have around 6 or 7g of carbs, and 1 or 2g of net carbs. This is low enough to further enhance fat-burning processes in your body. And if you’re on the keto diet, it’s low enough where you can still enjoy 1-2 shakes per day while keeping your body in ketosis for weight loss.
Low-carb, keto-friendly meal replacement shakes are actually an incredibly useful tool while following keto. This is because they help you get the fiber, vitamins and minerals you need that many people lack on this plan. Since carbohydrates are still an essential macronutrient, you still need to consume them in small doses, and meal replacement shakes are one of the best ways to do that.
The bottom line is, don’t be scared of carbohydrates – especially when you know the difference between simple and complex carbs and how they affect you. Carbohydrates are usually your body’s main source of fuel, so don’t cut them out unless you plan to replace them with more fat and protein on a low-carb diet.
If you’re interested in following a keto diet, do your homework first. Cutting out carbs will not be easy in the beginning, and may even leave you with some side effects from the sugar withdrawal. But eventually, many people report increased energy levels and mental focus once their body is adjusted to a low-carb diet, if you decide to go that route.
Have you tried a low-carb diet for weight loss? Let us know about your experience in the comments, below.
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