The Great Carb Debate (That Didn't Happen)

Welcome back!

 Snuggle on in for some discussion on carbohydrates (or carbs). Today myself and one of my clients (let's call her Jill for her protection of identity) got into what she called a "debate" on carbs, but really I found it to be more of a discussion (PLEASE read the "disclaimer" at the bottom in regards to my thoughts on "debates".) The idea was that we have different opinions on the amount of carbs we recommend to our clients. As a dietitian, she advocates 50% carbohydrates for their diet. From what she told me, she then gives them options of different carbs from categories such as grains, fruits, etc. This includes pastas, breads, and other forms of grains. Her thought was that we recommend different things, because my belief is that we as humans need to eat (see if you can remember it before you read it!):

Lean meats and veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar.*

*Note: I've color-coded based on sources of macro-nutrient sources, with red being protein, yellow being fats, and blue being carbohydrates (I do realize that nuts and seeds provide some protein, and even carbs, but for all intensive purposes, we will go with this outline for simplicity).

With this formula, there is very little in the ways of grains, pastas, breads, milk, and other forms of highly carb-dense materials. Therefore, it would make sense to think that I recommend less of your overall calorie intake be in the form of carbohydates. That's actually not the case at all! It turns out, we both recommend the exact same proportion sizes to our clients (50% carbs, depending on the client and their goals). Here's where it gets really interesting!

The differences in our recommendations are in the sources. While her guidelines are more based on the total amount of carbs (percent of gram totals consumed per day) I am more focused on the sources. I agreed with her in full that it is more difficult to gain 50% of your daily calories in the form of carbohydrates when it comes from lots of veggies, some fruit, and a little bit of starch. However, easier isn't always better (I have to convince that to people on a daily basis on the topic of exercising vs. not!). There are many positives to choosing to glean your carbs from the sources above, two being:

1) Avoiding Hyperinsulinemia: In a nutshell, when you consume foods with high levels of processed carbohydates, it spikes your blood glucose very quickly (think pastas and breads). To store that, your body dumps a TREMENDOUS amount of insulin into the bloodstream. Over time, your body loses it's "sensitivity" to making insulin (much like getting used to caffeine after consuming it so much for so long) and stops being able to create it as readily. This inevitably can lead to pre-diabetes.

2) Calorie-dense vs. Nutrient-dense: If you consume 2 cups of pasta, that is roughly 30% of your daily intake of calories (not to mention the negative effects above). This to most is just a portion of a meal, not including breads, sauces and other side dishes. If you are gaining your carbohydrates from sources like blueberries, sweet potatoes (occasionally), zucchini, etc., you are going to be able to consume a much larger volume of food, without the calorie density of pastas and grains. And you are getting a greater deal of nutrients and vitamins from these foods as well.

 

One cup of broccoli, 1 medium apple, 1 cup of cherries = 188 calories (total)

One cup of pasta = 221 calories

 So we then talked about how getting our clients to consume 1 cup of pasta was better than consuming 3 cups of pasta, which is undoubtedly true. It donned on me then the true difference in our recommendations: she was using portion control to better clients' diets, while I was using sources to better the diets.

It then it all came down to a single question of a monumental dilemma all of us in the health care industry face. How far do we push our clients to change? And this really is a balance act. If we tell them they really need to cut out pasta from their diet, and they don't like that answer, they will move down the street, and if that person says the same thing, they will keep moving until they like the answer. So will getting them to cut back on their pasta help? Absolutely. Will it help to the extent that they will see the results they most likely want to see? Most likely not (but it is a great start!).  They still run the risk of Hyperinsulinemia with highly processed carbohydrates, and they are still going to be hungrier after a cup of pasta then a cup of all those fruits and veggies, AND lacking in vitamins and minerals they need.

 I agree that something is better than nothing, but my final thought is this...When it comes to your health, isn't it best to shoot for "everything"? If you shoot for the stars, and don't reach them, at least you're on top of the world. If you shoot for a perfect diet, and slip every once in a while, at least you are great most of the time. Ideas to ponder. I hope you enjoy your carbs tomorrow, however you may get them. And remember.

Stay Fit.

And sometimes you just burn off bad carbs the fun way!

"Disclaimer": I want to thank Jill for the discussion we had today. It was great to talk about these topics with a true professional, and get their side of the story. I care for one thing, and one thing only, how to best help people become more fit. I only care about my own opinions in-so-far as they are the best way I know to help someone's fitness. Discussions are the best way to test your own thoughts, learn how to best present them to others, and at times, even learn when you are not right. If I learn something that is better than my own opinions, I will adopt them. That is why I hold opinions, and not beliefs. Opinions are much easier to change.

 I did ask Jill before I posted this if it was okay with her, and she agreed. I also knew she would be reading it, so thanks again for the talk today, it was a blast!