Hello and welcome back to the Fresh Focus podcast. My name is Megan Rivenburg, and I am a dietetic intern at the Bay Pines VA in Florida. I have my master’s degree in nutrition, and one of my favorite things to do is to help people dispel common myths about nutrition and food in general. There’s so much information out there that it can be hard to sort through what’s true and what’s well, myth. Over the course of the next 6 episodes my goal is to tackle 6 of these myths that are really common and shed some light on the truth. Because the truth is, people tend to want to make nutrition more complicated than it has to be.
Let’s get into it.
It seems that our society goes through “diet phases” where people pick one food group to ostracize, or one food to deem a “superfood” and eat all the time. Back in the day people thought all dietary fat was bad, and avoided it at all costs. Thankfully, it’s pretty common knowledge nowadays that dietary fat is so important for our overall health, and there are so many amazing sources of heart-healthy fats that play important roles in our bodies such as helping out with the absorption of different nutrients, helping out with keeping us full and satisfied, giving us energy, helping us regulate our hormones, and even more.
However, as people started to learn that fat is important to include in our diets, they searched for another nutrient to decide was the new “bad nutrient.” And there we landed on carbs.
And I mean, I guess I can see why it was easy for us to choose carbs to demonize. They’re delicious, they can at times be easy to overeat, and they are in a lot of the hyper-palatable foods that we traditionally see as unhealthy these days, like cakes, candies, pastas, and more. But somewhere along the way, the idea has gained popularity that carbs are completely un-important to our overall function as human beings, and that low-carb, or even NO-carb, is the best way to eat not only for weight management but also for overall health. And my job today is to walk you through why this just isn’t true- even for people who might benefit from cutting down on some of those super-palatable carbs like the cakes and candies.
First and foremost- carbs are the primary source of energy for every single cell in the human body. Yup- you heard that right! While we get energy from fat, our body’s preferred energy source is glucose, which is what carbs break down into when you eat them. This is why you may hear people say things like “carbs turn into sugar when you digest them.” But the sweet potato you eat with dinner doesn’t turn into a pile of table sugar in your stomach like this phrase implies. Instead, it is metabolized, or broken down, into glucose. This glucose is then used to supply your body with energy. This energy can be used for things such as exercise, but your body also needs a LOT of energy just to exist. This energy is used to fuel all your organs and their daily functions, keep your heart beating, keep your lungs breathing, etc. In fact, your brain alone needs about 130 grams of carbohydrates per day to function optimally.
The next reason that carbs are important is one of my favorites. Carbs make us happy! And no, I’m not talking just because they taste good, although that’s a valid reason too. The reason they make us happy is a little bit more scientific than that. Eating carbs helps our bodies make enough of the neurotransmitter called serotonin. When we don’t make or have enough serotonin, we are more likely to be anxious, depressed, have trouble sleeping, get migraines, have digestive issues, and are even more susceptible to things like obsessive thoughts and eating disorders. I’m not saying here that carbs are a cure-all for any of this, but taking care of our bodies by making sure that we eat a well rounded diet (that includes carbs) may help to prevent or manage some of these issues.
You also may find that if you eat a diet low in carbs, you might have trouble going to the bathroom. That’s because fiber is a carb! And fiber helps us go to the bathroom regularly. It also feeds the little bugs in our guts (or the good bacteria) that help us break down food and also help to prevent us from getting sick. Eating enough fiber can even help to lower high cholesterol, and to help play a preventative role against certain cancers.
If none of this has convinced you why carbs are important, then maybe this will. Nutrition recommendations are based off of the combination of all nutrition research that has been done on the topics. Years and years of nutrition research has led us to the recommendation that depending on the person, around 45-65% of calories eaten each day should come from carbs. You don’t necessarily have to count and keep track, but just know that that’s around half of what we eat! And a whole lot more than some of these popular low carb fad diets recommend.
There are certain carbs that are better choices than others for overall health, and these are the ones that you’ll hear dietitians and other medical professionals always talking about and promoting. Things like whole grains (whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice), fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash, apples, bananas, berries, etc., beans, and other complex items along those lines are going to be great options to get your carbs in.
As always, if you are interested in talking more specifics or talking more individually, feel free to schedule an appointment with your registered dietitian. Thanks for listening into today’s myth busters episode!

Hey everyone! Sieger here, with your friendly neighborhood fresh focus team.

We wanted to take a quick moment with you after this episode in order to just touch base and clarify a few things. We know that macronutrients (meaning our proteins, carbs, and fats) can sometimes cause some confusion. Megan does a wonderful job of discussing a great, generalized approach to addressing carbs in your intake. But just know that even if you prefer a lower carb style of intake, this can absolutely be done in a healthy way. It’s important to find a style of eating that works well for you, but still meets those major nutritional needs of getting a consistent, balanced intake of real, whole foods. As always, it’s in your best interest to discuss these specific topics with your local dietitian, as they can help you navigate any specific needs you may have, such as certain disease states, goals, etc.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll catch you on the next episode.