CARBOHYDRATES: where do we stand today?
We’ve been a fickle friend to carbs over the years – it’s finally time to determine our relationship
WORDS HATTIE PARISH.
Carbs have got a bad rep. From the success of the Atkins diet to the ‘no carbs before Marbs’ culture of the mid-noughties, for many people, carbs are labelled in blanket terms as ‘bad’. And while there is some scientific evidence against certain types of carbs, their negative rep is, in part, down to misinformation.
Experts argue that not only is the ‘carbs are bad’ mantra confusing, it’s also largely wrong. What most carb-based research shows is, in fact, what we already know – a balanced, Mediterranean-style diet (including healthy carbs – not the refined, processed ones) is the best for us, and that counts for everything from menopause to diabetes, obesity to cancer. Forming a healthy relationship with carbohydrates is a positive step for your health and wellbeing. We look at the good and the bad when it comes to carbs.