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Rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, bananas, etc … hearing any of these foods or simply seeing them on the plate when you are on a diet, is as if they named you your worst enemy. But are carbohydrates really that bad? Nutritionists and diet experts say no. In this presentation we bring you the myths about carbohydrates so that you are well informed and so that you can include them in your diet without feeling remorse.
Myth 1. Eating carbohydrates causes obesity.
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Fake. According Harvard School of Public Health, The popularity of low carb diets has made people think that they are all bad and cause obesity. White bread and rice, pasta, and refined sugars, among others, can contribute to weight gain. However, other carbohydrate sources such as grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables promote a healthier state and help preserve weight. Starches and sugars provide calories while dietary fiber does not, as it is not absorbed and is eliminated as it is consumed.
Myth 2. Excessive carbohydrate consumption is bad for your health.
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Partially False. The problem is that simple carbohydrates (white or brown sugar, the sugar in ice creams, cakes, sweets, etc.) in our body become sugar and if we do not do exercises that burn that sugar, it is stored as fat. By converting to sugar and entering the bloodstream, carbohydrates cause the body to produce insulin to counteract its action. Insulin overproduction causes our energy level to drop and we feel hungry.
Myth 3. I can’t eat bread, pasta, banana or rice every day if I want to lose weight and maintain my weight.
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Fake. “You can eat all these foods in the recommended amounts to cover your daily caloric needs.” If consumed in moderation and grilled, boiled, steamed or grilled, they will contribute to a balanced diet and help control weight. It is advisable to include rice and whole wheat bread in your diet, as well as oatmeal and whole grains; high fiber foods that will keep you full for a long time and decrease hunger.
Myth 4. I can’t eat carbohydrates for dinner.
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Fake. The Larisa Paéz Nutrition Center of Costa Rica explains that: «it is true that if a person eats carbohydrates in excess at dinner and goes to sleep, they will probably store a lot of energy and can transform it into fat. But this does not mean that you cannot eat carbohydrates at night. What you should do is consume a moderate amount. Do not eat refined carbohydrates (white bread, french fries, hamburgers, etc.) and include fiber and protein with dinner.
Myth 5. Carbohydrates should contribute about 50% of total calories to the diet.
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Certain. Carbohydrates are essential nutrients for a good diet, so much so that we need about 50% of the total calories we consume in our daily diet to come from them, “if, for example, a person needs 2000 calories throughout a day , a good contribution of complex carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, pasta, grains, cereals, flours) could be 1000 calories ».
