This article explains the basics of carbohydrates, including what they are, the different types of carbohydrates, Glycaemic Index (GI), Glycaemic Load (GL), general carbohydrate requirements, low carbohydrate and ketogenic diets, carbohydrates and fat loss, and the common confusion between carbohydrates and highly processed foods. It also discusses how carbohydrate needs vary depending on goals, activity levels and individual responses.
************
Previous newsletters I have covered the essentials you need to know about protein, fasting, food in general and cholesterol. Today we focus on carbohydrates, another topic that has become massively misunderstood over the years.
Depending on who you ask, carbohydrates are either the secret to athletic performance or the root cause of obesity and poor health. Like most things in nutrition, the truth sits somewhere in the middle.
What Are Carbohydrates?
Carbs are one of the body’s main energy sources. Like protein they contain 4 calories per gram and, once eaten, are broken down into a sugar molecule called glucose, which is then used by the body for energy. Any excess glucose can be stored in your muscles and liver (called glycogen), ready to be used later, or eventually converted into body fat if you consistently eat more energy than you need.
Your brain, muscles and nervous system all rely heavily on carbohydrates, especially during higher intensity exercise. This is why endurance athletes and sports people generally eat far more carbohydrates than the average person.
However, unlike protein, carbohydrates are not technically essential because your body can produce glucose from other sources if required. That does not mean carbohydrates are bad, it simply means the body has a backup plan if intake is very low.
Different Types of Carbohydrates
Broadly speaking there are three main types.
Sugars – These are the simplest form of carbohydrate. They include glucose, fructose and lactose. They are found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk but are also added to many processed foods and drinks.
Starches – Longer chains of glucose are called starches, they include foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta, oats and bread. These are the carbohydrates that form the basis of most people’s diets around the world.
Fibre – This is technically a carbohydrate too, but unlike the others we cannot digest it properly. Instead it helps support gut health, digestion, fullness and blood sugar control. It is one of the reasons whole foods generally outperform highly processed alternatives.
The Glycaemic Index (GI)
The Glycaemic Index (GI) measures how quickly a carbohydrate raises your blood sugar compared with pure glucose. Low GI foods generally release energy more slowly, while high GI foods tend to produce a faster rise in blood sugar.
For years this became a huge focus within nutrition, but in the real world it has limitations. Very few people eat foods on their own. If you eat potatoes with chicken and vegetables, or have toast with eggs, the protein, fat and fibre all change how quickly the meal is digested. Even cooking methods can alter the GI of the same food. So whilst the GI can be useful to understand, I do not think it is something most people need to obsess over.
Glycaemic Load (GL) attempts to solve this problem by taking into account both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate eaten. For example, watermelon has a high Glycaemic Index but contains relatively little carbohydrate per serving, so its Glycaemic Load is actually quite low. Again, it is a slightly better system than the GI, but I still think many people spend too much time worrying about numbers rather than looking at the overall quality of their diet.
How Many Carbohydrates Do You Need?
Like protein, there is no single number that works for everyone. Your ideal intake depends on your goals, activity levels and how your own body responds to carbohydrates.
As a rough guide, a low carbohydrate diet is often around 2g/kg of body weight or less. General recommendations for active people tend to fall somewhere around 3-4g/kg, while endurance athletes training for long periods can require 8-10g/kg or even more during heavy training blocks. People on keto diets aim to keep total carbs below 50g per day.
If you prefer tracking your food using macronutrient percentages rather than grams, ketogenic diets are typically around 5% of calories from carbohydrates, whereas endurance athletes can easily consume 55-70% of their calories from carbohydrates during periods of heavy training. For my bodybuilding shows I ate 50% carbs with 35% protein and 20% fat as my general macro.
There is a huge individual differences in carb intake in both how you feel or how much you need. A marathon runner will need much more carbs than a desk worker. There are also just people who feel better on carbs and others who feel worse on them. Your body will often guide you here if you pay attention. Your energy levels, hunger, cravings, exercise performance and mood can all give useful feedback.
Carbs & Fat Loss
Low carbohydrate diets became hugely popular because many people lost weight on them. However, this was not because carbohydrates are uniquely fattening, it was usually because people ate fewer calories overall. For some people, reducing carbohydrates works brilliantly. For others it actually increases cravings, makes exercise feel harder and becomes difficult to stick to long term. Like most nutrition debates, the best diet is the one you can actually follow. People are still surprisingly scared of carbohydrates, but for the vast majority of people they are not the enemy.
There is no biological reason you need to reduce carb intake to lose fat, it is just one method for reducing overall food/calorie intake which is the mechanism behind fat loss. For my bodybuilding shows, the 50% macro ratio I was using meant I had 250g of carbs a day (1000 calories) right up until my shows and I was shredded of course.
Carbs vs Junk Food
One of the biggest mistakes people make is confusing carbohydrates with junk food. Foods such as croissants, cakes, doughnuts, pastries and biscuits are often labelled as “carbs”, when in reality they are usually packed with both carbohydrates and fat. This combination makes them incredibly calorie dense and very easy to overeat. Compare that to foods like potatoes, rice, oats or fruit, which are predominantly carbohydrate and much harder to consume in excessive amounts. It is often not the carbohydrate itself causing the problem, but the highly processed foods that happen to contain lots of it alongside large amounts of fat and sugar.
What Does This Mean For You?
Carbohydrates themselves are not good or bad. They are simply another source of energy. The bigger issue is where they come from. A bowl of oats, potatoes or fruit is very different from litres of fizzy drinks or highly processed foods loaded with sugar and fat. As with protein and cholesterol, context matters far more than demonising a single nutrient.
Overview
- Explains what carbohydrates are and how the body uses them for energy.
- Covers the main types of carbohydrates (sugars, starches and fibre).
- Explains Glycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) and their practical relevance.
- Discusses recommended carbohydrate intake for different goals, from ketogenic diets to endurance athletes.
- Debunks common myths around carbohydrates and fat loss.
- Explains why people often confuse carbohydrates with highly processed junk foods.
Key Takeaways
- Carbohydrates are neither good nor bad; they are simply another source of energy.
- Carbohydrate requirements vary depending on activity levels, goals and the individual.
- Low-carbohydrate diets can work for some people but are not inherently superior for fat loss.
- Focus on mostly whole-food carbohydrate sources rather than highly processed foods.
- Overall calorie intake, food quality and consistency matter far more than eliminating carbohydrates.
Photo – Some carb looking food (Khachapuri & Brazilian buffet) which have way more fat in it than actual carbs, and some bodybuilding photos achieved while eating plenty of carbohydrates –
Need Support Getting In Shape?
Changing your body on your own without support or an effective system usually ends in failure sadly. To avoid this outcome you can become one of my coaching clients either online or in person. I provide Holistic, Healthy & Sustainable Body Transformations. Contact me to discuss your goals further or see below for more details and the options available to you based on your location / preferences:
Worldwide (Online) –
For transformations, coaching and support wherever you are in the world read more here>>>>
London (Battersea) – If looking for Personal Training Battersea please contact me. I am available for sessions in homes, private gyms or Personal Training Battersea Park. To see my locations please visit my Battersea Personal Trainer page>>
London (Oval / Kennington) – For Personal Training in Oval & Kennington please contact me. I am available for sessions in homes, private gyms or parks.
**************
Read My Book – The Grand Unified Theory of Weight Loss – My latest book is available in print, kindle/ebook and audio formats. You can read more about it and see where it is available here>>>
Follow Me – You can get more great advice, tips, hacks and more by following me on one of my social media channels. Follow Me>>>
Instagram>> You Tube>> Facebook>> Twitter>> Tik Tok>> My Weekly Newsletter>>
**************