Why carbs are good

Dr Ashton, Director of Healthier Weight, has written on the HW web site about the dangers of ketosis (click on the title link). This is essentially when the body obtains its energy, not from glucose stores, but by burning stored fat. Now you might think this is a good thing, and indeed fat-burning is not a bad thing in itself. However, when taken to extremes and for long periods of time, it can result in changes in blood chemistry that can be dangerous. A recent case was reported where a lady died as a result of ketosis brought on by following an 'extreme' diet.

Some ketosis is inevitable when we reduce our total calorie intake and carbohydrates. However, fat burning can be taken to serious levels on very low carbohydrate and / or low calorie diets. My observation from looking at some American web sites and reading weight loss books that come out of the US is that they appear to be much more keen on carb-free diets than us in the UK. Nevertheless, there are an increasing range of carb-free diets available and they are DANGEROUS!! How come people don't realise that our bodies need a balanced diet, with elements of proteins, carbs, fats (yes, they're not called 'essential' fats for nothing!), vitamins, minerals and fibre. If any one of these is missing the body will suffer.

Of course, some carbs are better than others. Simple carbs (sugars like chocolate, sweets) are the bad ones. The middling ones are potatoes, white bread, rice and pasta. These are complex carbs that are refined. The best carbs are complex and unrefined, like wholemeal bread, pasta and rice. These should form a component of every meal and make up about one quarter.

So there you have it. Carbs are very bad if you don't have them, they can be bad if you have the wrong ones, but if you have the right ones they're very good for you!