A message from Anonymous

What are you thoughts on eating carbs? I keep hearing things about "varbs turning into fat" and "if you eat too many you can't lose weight.". If I want to lose weight and am working out, how many should I eat?

Carbs have a bad rep for making you gain weight, and this is why:

1. There are two types of carbohydrates: Complex and Refined. Complex carbs are those found in whole grains, wheat bread, and fruit. Refined carbs are those found in sweets, white bread, and soda. Both provide you with energy, but complex carbs take longer for your body to break down into sugar, while refined carbs are broken down into sugar much quicker, meaning you eat more to achieve satiety. When you eat more, you gain weight. In addition to eating more, foods with refined carbs are usually packed with sugar, salt, and fat.

2. Carbs are a widely available nutrient. They’re found in many, if not most plant based foods and when you compare your carb intake gram for gram with your protein or fat intake, it seems like you’re eating A LOT of carbs and therefore, you might pinpoint them to weight gain. In reality, most of your calories should come from carbohydrates - the recommendation is 45-65% of your daily diet. 

It’s not about eating less carbohydrates, it’s about eating the right kind. Aim for at least 5 servings of complex carbs a day.