In a “low carb” culture, conventional wisdom in the fitness world is that carbs make you fat. Like anything in life, knowledge goes a long way. Truth should always supplement knowledge which then in return should supplement wisdom. In the fitness culture, sometimes things are thought of in absolutes which in the end does nothing but misinforms people.
Do carbs make people fat?
No.
This could be a very scientific and deep article but there is really no need. The angle in which this false assumption needs to be looked is one that indirectly fuels: lack of carbs makes you lose fat. This is the birth place of the assumption in discussion. By simply finding out that taking away carbs from a diet can cause one to lose weight (fat more so if the diet is a high protein one) that should mean that by having carbs, even just a little, will make one fat. This is so not the truth it hurts to even type out.
Carbs serve such a vital purpose in our everyday lives. Remember when your teacher would tell you to eat a good breakfast before a test? This was because carbs serve as your brains food as well. They up glucose levels in the body and help regulate your hormones and every day function. If you are lacking in carbs you can easily become a little foggy in mind and body. Carbs also help with the promotion of protein synthesis which leads to muscle growth. The more muscle you have the leaner you can be. Why? Muscle is a fat incinerator. Your metabolism rises when your body composition is swayed more on the muscular side. A person with 7% body fat will not feel the ill effects of a fatty meal like a person who is 20% body fat.
So, next time you are looking at something with a carb in it, do not run away in terror. Learning about when the proper time to eat a certain carb and how your body responds is vital. Carbs are more so your friend than your enemy. Remember, it begins with truth, then goes to knowledge, than hopefully the change in the conventional wisdom of the fitness world and the carbohydrate.
