“Carbs make us fat” is just a myth

Most people have this perception that carbohydrates make them fat – that’s because they tend to lose weight fast when they eliminate carbs from their diets.

Somebody wrote me that they searched Substack and couldn’t find a single article about carbohydrates.

It was true. I realize now that I never wrote an article about carbohydrates.

✅ RICH FOODS

I propose we start slowly with a little list of foods that are rich in carbohydrates – maybe you’re still in the dark about this:

• white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, fructose, glucose, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar, compotes…

• …but also jams, which are 100% natural with zero sugar added, but contain 70% carbohydrates …

• …dried fruit, candied fruit, cereal, legumes, root vegetables, fruits, fresh juices.

✅ JUNK FOOD

Now let’s go over to junk food:

• sweets, pastries, confectionery, starches, crisps, chips, candies, lollipops, cakes, pizza, pasta, bread, Wasa, kiddie cereal, muesli and thousands of other similar products.

If you’ve been overweight for a long time, I am sure you already have a Ph.D. in carbohydrates and…

You have already realized that the first task you must solve within any diet program in the world is to cut down on processed foods as much as possible.

The diet we are proposing is not necessarily a Low Carb diet, but rather a Low Junk diet.

Let’s be serious, no one ever became obese from eating a bunch of beans, peas, potatoes or carrots in bowl of soup.

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✅ REAL PROBLEMS

What constitutes the problem:

• pastries, sweets, cakes, homemade cookies (entire trays of basically flour, sugar and oil);

• natural juices or sugary sodas, calories we usually drink with a straw, chips, crisps, chocolate bars, oreos;

• kiddie cereal, energy drinks, lollipops, croissants, pretzels, warm bread, alcohol.

These are what constitute a problem, not fruits or vegetables, which are carbohydrate sources, but contain fiber, minerals, vitamins and are large in volume.

Of course, if you want to lose weight fast and maintain your figure, you’ll have to learn how to does that particular food category.

If you eat mountains of mashed potatoes, entire bags of oranges or entire watermelons during their season, you’ll go to the other extreme and surely you won’t lose weight.

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✅ IF YOU HAVE A FAT CHILD

Listen to what I’m saying:

If you have an overweight child, all you have to do is make sure there is no junk food available in the house and that the kid is not drinking calories with a straw.

If you manage this, the problem will go away by itself within the year. Without doing anything special. All you have to do is cook normal food for the kid: soups, omelets, main courses.

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✅ CARBOHYDRATES MAKE US FAT

Most people have this perception that carbohydrates make them fat – that’s because they tend to lose weight fast when they eliminate carbs from their diets.

Do you know what actually happens when you remove junk food from your diet?

Meaning: pizza, pasta, fries, burgers, pastries, sweets, Nutella, cookies or ice cream.

• No one is going to eat boiled potatoes straight up. Let’s face it: You have to add some butter and cheese for those to be edible.

• No one is going to eat pasta straight up. In order to make them edible, you’ll have to add some parmesan or olive oil.

• No one is going to eat whole glucose bars or sugar by the spoonful.

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✅ HAVE A LOOK

I guess you didn’t know, but…

• 45% of calories in a pepperoni pizza come from grease/fats;

• 30% of calories in fries come from grease/fats;

• 40% of calories in Oreo cookies come from grease/fats;

• 50% of calories in Nutella come from grease/fats;

• 60% of calories in chips come from grease/fats;

• 40% of calories in nachos come from grease/fats;

• 45% of calories in a croissant come from grease/fats;

• 50% of calories from a flat white coffee come from grease/fats;

• 70% of calories from an 85% dark chocolate bar come from grease/fats;

• 50% of calories in an ice cream come from grease/fats.

What actually happens when you limit the junk food in your diet? You basically cut down on the whole mound of empty calories coming from both fats and carbohydrates.

So let’s get back to carbs. You’ll maybe ask yourself: what would a recommended carb intake per day be?

All I can tell you is that…