Have you ever had that best friend you told all of your deepest, most precious secrets to, yet it gets back to you the next day? Trust me, we’ve all been there. If I’m reading the situation correctly, it sounds like a fake best friend to me. My fake best friend is carbs. Yes, you’re hearing me correctly, carbs the food group. While we all love the never ending deliciousness carbs provide us, they unfortunately, like a fake best friend, have their downfalls.
To give you a little background on my two-faced best friend, carbs is a large molecule who is used as the main source of energy for break down in your body. Carbs can either be simple or complex.
After speaking with some of my sorority sisters about their own opinion on this controversial topic, they are 100% team carbohydrates. Some believe they go a little (sometimes a lot) overboard with their carb consumption and wish they can, for even one day, take a break from the food group.
I am going to give my take on the most notorious pros and cons of carbs.
Pro: I’ve Got that Power
Have you ever listened to that catchy overplayed Will.i.am song while at the gym? Think of carbs as that song. Carbs act as the ultimate fuel source. Carbs keep your body on the go and moving. Like a good workout EDM song, your brain craves carbohydrates.
Con: Sugar, Sugar, Sugar
I want it NOW daddy, Veruca may be talking about a golden ticket, but it could easily be about carbs. Unfortunately, a con of carbs is that blood sugar levels in your body can shoot up if you have sugary carbohydrate meals including things like maple syrup or fructose. A nice substitute to beat sugar is to substitute it for whole grains and legumes.
Pro: Do you have a fiber bar by chance?
Even though some say carbs are an awful food group and its existence should be cancelled as quick as that Gossip Girl spinoff, it does have one major positive. Carbs are a huge fiber jackpot. Carbs keep your heart pumping and reduce the chances of artery blockage (yikes). Having a fiber bar like an Rx Bar or even some oats and barley are yummy carbohydrate selections to keep your fiber intake up and to keep your body healthy.
Con: “The Scale Must be Wrong”
Have you ever gone on a scale after a long week of vacation and seen it display a number that just can’t be right? Carbs act as a huge contributor to that monstrous number you see on the scale. Even though carbs are a good source of energy, energy not expended is stored as fat. If you continue to eat too many carbs, your body is forced to store fat and the number on the scale will continue to increase quickly.
Pro: A battle worth fighting
Even though carbs can be considered a huge fat contributor, they can actually elevate your mood. Shocking, right? Something that seems so bad for your body can actually make you a happier person? Even though they are seen as a weight gain contributor, consuming certain healthy carbohydrates can actually help prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Having meals with high fiber and grain content will help you win against these diseases.
And there you have it: the five ultimate pros and cons of carbohydrates rated by yours truly. Hopefully you or a carb-addicted friend (like myself) have learned something. Next time you go to a restaurant, try to refrain from getting the recommended penne alla vodka smack in the middle of the menu, and expand your horizons and try that nice Chicken Milanese meal with a balsamic drizzle.