Before we dive into whether or not we should be eating a lot of carbs, let's discuss what a carb is, first and foremost.
A carbohydrate is a macronutrient that our bodies need for survival. It is a compound that contains oxygen, hydrogen and carbon and is broken down into glucose by our bodies to be used as energy. Carbohydrates, on a molecular level, can exist in a variety of forms based on their length: disaccharides, monosaccharides or polysaccharides are some examples that might ring a bell. But, we don't eat on a molecular level, so some examples of dietary carbs include fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, baked goods, sweets, rice, potatoes and legumes. And to make things more complicated, not all carbs are the same. For obvious reasons, eating an apple over a slice of cake is going to do more for your body, but there are also less carbs in fruits and vegetables compared to traditionally processed carbs like breads, pastries and pastas.
So if fruits and vegetables are carbs, why is a low carb diet such a focus? Great, question and one of the most important things to clarify. Fruits and vegetables tend to be lower in carbohydrates than other carb-heavy foods like breads and you find more nutrients in fruits and vegetables so the focus of a low-carb diet is not to eliminate those healthier carbs, but rather to decrease the amount of "heavy carbs" in our diets. This is why we use a vegetable (cauliflower) as one of our main ingredients in lieu of wheat and bread products!
In addition, there are a number of health benefits that come with a low-carb lifestyle:
1. Weight loss. Studies have shown that by decreasing the amount of carbs you eat in day could aid in weight loss. This could be due to the fact that it forces us to eat more of those nutrient dense carbs like fruits and vegetables as well, it could be more satiating as we focus on protein rich foods instead.
2. Improvement in blood sugars. There is only a certain number of carbs our bodies can handle at a time, especially if we're living a sedentary lifestyle. When we eat more carbs than our body can tolerate, our blood sugars spike. When this occurs on a chronic basis, we can put ourselves at risk for type 2 diabetes. So a lower carbohydrate diet can aid in keeping our blood sugars at normal levels, further improving this biometric.
3. Reduction in risk for heart disease. Studies have found that a reduction in dietary carbohydrates can reduce our triglyceride levels, which in turn is beneficial for our heart.
Here at Cali'flour, we offer low-carb version of your carb heavy favorites like pizzas, crackers, lasagna and more, so that you don't have to compromise on your favorite comfort foods.
Happy Eating!