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All of the “anti-carb” diets out there have a lot of folks afraid to even look at a slice of bread. However, carbohydrates are not only important to maintain your energy levels, they also contribute to your brain function. It’s true, a low carb diet can indeed help you shed weight but cutting out carbs all together is a bad idea. Here’s why:
They have important roles in our body including:
- An energy source that gives us most the energy that our body needs;
- Part of many proteins and fats (lipids) that our body needs for many bodily processes;
- Providing nutrients for the good bacteria in our intestines that helps us digest our food; and
- Protecting our muscles because carbohydrates are the first source of energy for our body, without it, protein from our muscles will be used meaning that our body will effectively eat its own muscles!
In addition to the reasons listed above, carbs just taste good. I mean, why lose weight and have a great looking body if you’re miserable? If you practice balance, you CAN have your cake and eat it too! To be safe, try not to lower your daily carbohydrate intake below 100g per day. Here’s a helpful calculator that can help you determine how many carbs you need per day based on your age, height, weight, fitness goals and activity level.
