In Defence of Carbs (Plus, a Cashew Chicken Stir Fry Recipe)

I love carbs. This could be because my dad is a first generation Italian immigrant. When I was growing up, my family ate some variation of pasta at least once per week. In my family, without carbs a meal is not complete! While in hindsight I realize that eating all that gluten was making me sick, it hasn't created any kind of carb aversion for me.

When I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago, I got suggestions from friends and colleagues to go carb free. Their logic was that I wouldn’t have to stress about gluten if I just stuck to produce and protein. “Why don’t you just stop eating bread?”, was the response my boyfriend at the time gave me after I vented about my first encounters with gluten free bread. Um, je m’exsqueeze monsieur? That was not an option in my mind - no wonder that relationship didn’t work out…

Instead of taking the advice of the well-meaning people in my life, I went on a gluten free product-testing bonanza. I tried a bunch of different brands of gluten free pastas, breads, and baked goodies. While there were many disappointments, I found lots of winners. I also learned how to make the meals I love by subbing in gluten free grains, like quinoa and rice. In addition, I embraced carb-rich, plant-based protein in my cooking and started adding beans to chili, chickpeas to sandwich filling, and tofu to stir fries. I was so relieved when I realized I wouldn’t have to cut carbs out of my life. It turns out having celiac disease and being a carb lover are not mutually exclusive!

After my celiac disease diagnosis, I learned how to keep complex carbs in my life.

Given that I’m such a big carb fan, I have to say that I’m dismayed by the bad reputation this delicious macronutrient has gotten. The ketogenic (or keto) diet is as popular as ever. Low-carb diets are getting a lot of attention. People post about their weight loss results from the keto diet on every social media platform. However, there seems to be a lack of awareness of the potential negative effects going low-carb can have. And I also think we don’t give enough praise to carb-containing foods.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer that different dietary patterns work for different people. Each person should pick the style of eating that works for them. But I strongly encourage you to make informed decisions before making dietary choices. The way we nourish ourselves can end up affecting all areas of our health. If you’re thinking of trying a low-carb diet, before you say goodbye to carbohydrates, here’s some food for thought:

Negative Side Effects of the Keto Diet

If you’ve done some research on this diet, you know that the aim is to get your body to use fat as it’s main fuel source instead of carbs. Though your body is capable of using fat for energy, like me, it’s first love is carbs. As long as glucose is around, your body will preferentially use it even when other fuel sources are present. If you cut out carbs, your body has to make a major adjustment when it switches over to using fat.

This adjustment period comes with these potential unpleasant symptoms [1]:

• brain fog

• difficulty concentrating

• sugar cravings

• headache

• weakness

• nausea and vomiting

While these symptoms aren’t fun, they do tend to be short-term. Usually they’re experienced in the early stages of the keto diet and will go away or lessen as the body adjusts.

Those aren’t the only possible negative side effects though. When fat is broken down for energy, ketones are produced. The thing about ketones is that they can cause harm to your body if they get to a certain level of concentration in your blood. Luckily, your body can protect itself from damage by getting rid of ketones through increased urination.

However, increased urination can result in dehydration, which causes [1]:

• fatigue

• dizziness

• irritability

• nausea

• muscle soreness

On top of that, when you’re urinating more, you’re also losing electrolytes (ie: sodium, potassium, magnesium), and that can make the above symptoms worse. Individuals who follow low-carb diets need to make sure they’re drinking extra fluids to replace what’s lost by urination. And if electrolytes in the bloodstream drop below the healthy range, they might need to start taking supplements.

Perhaps more importantly, the evidence is mounting regarding the long-term negative effects of the keto diet [1]:

• Bad Breath:

  Ketones don’t smell great! Acetone, for example, is a ketone that gets produced when the body goes into ketosis. Along with urination, ketones are also eliminated from the body when you exhale.

• Yo-Yo Dieting:

  It can be very difficult to stay on such a restrictive diet long-term. Some people start the keto diet, get frustrated and stop, rinse and repeat.

• Weight Fluctuations:

  Going on and off strict diets can cause your weight to go up and down. Over time, you might actually end up at an even higher body weight than you started with.

• Irregular Menstrual Cycles:

  There are likely multiple factors that cause this. If you’re on the keto diet, you might be restricting your calorie intake and/or lost a lot of weight. Both can mess with your cycle. Also, changes in how your body metabolizes energy can affect hormone production, which in turn can impact the menstrual cycle.

• Decreased Bone Density:

  This phenomenon has been observed in children who are on the keto diet to manage their epilepsy [2]. You might be surprised to find out that your bones are affected by your hormones (which is why post-menopausal women are at higher risk of osteoporosis). It’s been theorized that using fat as the main fuel source instead of carbs changes hormone production in the body, which then affects bone density [2].

• Sleep Issues:

  This is possibly due to energy restriction, changes in nutrient metabolism, and/or altered hormone production.

• Constipation:

  High-fat foods don’t have much fibre, which means that things won’t be moving along as well in your gut.

• Malnutrition:

  If you follow the keto diet, you’re missing out on many vitamins and minerals. For example, milk and many milk alternatives are carb-rich. Cutting out this food group could mean a deficiency in calcium. Lentils and beans are also off-limits on this diet. But they provide fibre, magnesium, iron, and B vitamins like folic acid.

• Increased Risk of Chronic Disease:

  Not eating carb-containing foods means not eating the disease-preventing nutrients they have to offer. That could mean you’re at higher risk for diseases like osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancers, and type 2 diabetes.

Following the keto diet, or other low-carb diet, could get you feeling like this. Source: iStock

Recent research has shown that you don’t have to be on the keto diet for very long for it to start impacting your health. A recent Australian study followed race walkers over their 3 & 1/2 week training session, comparing the blood work of keto dieters versus those not on keto [2]. The investigators saw changes in blood markers related to bone health in the keto group after just a couple days. In the subjects following the keto diet, they found that the markers of bone breakdown increased, while the markers for bone formation decreased. In contrast, these markers remained unchanged in the athletes who were on high carb diets. Some athletes prefer to follow a low-carb diet because fat is more energy-dense, slow-burning, and long-lasting compared to carbs. However, evidence such as this demonstrates that this might not be the best diet for athletes.

In addition, studies using lab mice suggest that the metabolic changes that happen when your body makes the switch to ketosis could potentially lead to diabetes [3]. The study looked at the blood sugars of mice starting the keto diet and compared them to those of mice who were eating diets rich in fat and carbs. The investigators found that the blood sugars of the keto mice were not controlled as well as the non-keto blood sugars. They also observed that the keto mouse livers did not respond as well to insulin. When your body’s tissues become insulin resistant, this can result in the development of diabetes. Though this was a short-term study conducted in animals, the results suggest some possible serious consequences to saying goodbye to carbs.

Fat is Still Important

I don’t want to give the impression that fat is not as important as carbs. Similar to how cutting carbs out of your diet can have negative effects on your health, there is also research on the unfavourable impact of low fat diets [4]. Long-term studies have shown that people who eat low fat diets are more likely to be depressed and anxious. They also tend to have higher levels of stress and experience sleep problems.

The reason behind these results aren’t yet known, but there are a couple of hypotheses [4]. One is that, because fats are used to make the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin, not eating enough fat could cause a decrease in serotonin, causing mood changes. Fat is also needed to absorb certain nutrients, like vitamins A, D, and E. A low fat diet could cause nutrient deficiencies, which can have an impact on mental and emotional health.

To meet your body’s needs for fat, it’s recommended that adults eat 20-35% of their calories from fat. This averages out to being about 70 grams of fat per day [4]. If you eat less than 20% of your calories from fat, your body might not be able to function optimally.

Fat is needed for healthy brain function, nutrient absorption, hormone production, and many other super critical things. Be sure to eat adequate amounts of both carbs and fat. Source: dreamstime.com

Why Carbs are Great

• They Fuel Everything [5]:

  Running, jumping, breathing, thinking - your body uses carbs to provide energy for everything it does. Carbs are also more easily broken down than fat, so they supply energy more quickly. That makes them handy when you’re planning to do vigorous exercise or endurance activities.

• Fibre [6]:

  Fibre doesn’t provide your body with fuel, but it has many other great health benefits. It helps to lower your cholesterol, keeps blood sugar under control, and keeps your bowels regular. Don’t underestimate the value of that last one! Staying regular is good for gut health and helps reduce the risk of colon cancer.

• The other nutrients that come along with them [6]:

  Carb-rich foods are also often rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Not only are these nutrients needed for good day-to-day health, they also prevent chronic diseases in the long-term, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

• Eating a high-quality carb diet might be more effective [5,6]:

  The excellent weight loss results of people who go on the keto diet are likely partly explained by the elimination of desserts, pop, sweets, and other sugary foods. Limiting the intake of these foods is a worthwhile goal for anyone trying to lose weight and/or eat healthier. However, you don’t have to cut carbs out of your diet completely to achieve that goal. Instead, you can focus on substituting whole grains and other nutrient-rich carbs in the place of refined carbs.

  While restrictive diets, including low-carb diets, tend to give people results for the first 6 months, weight loss benefits usually dissipate in the long term. This is because it’s really hard to stick to a strict diet for a long time! Eating high-quality carbs is a more sustainable pattern of eating than eating no or low carbs. In my opinion, it’s better to lose a moderate amount of weight through a style of eating you can practice long-term than to lose a large amount of weight on a diet you can’t keep up, and gain all the weight back.

To ensure you’re meeting your body’s nutrition needs, aim to get 45-65% of your calories from carbs. If you eat 2000 calories per day, that works out to 225-325 grams of carbs. Keep in mind, roughly 130 grams of this will be used by your brain alone [6]. See - I told you carbs are important!

Research connects high (unprocessed) carb, high fibre diets to positive long-term health benefits [5]. Source: health.harvard.edu

Ultimately, it’s up to you to choose a dietary pattern you can stick to. What’s crucial is to strive for a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, lean meats & alternatives and that limits refined carbs and added sugars.

For a meal that provides a good balance of carbs, fat, and protein, try my cashew chicken stir fry recipe.

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Yield: approx. 5 servings

Ingredients

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cubed

3 bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow), sliced

1/2 large sweet onion, sliced

3 tablespoons all-purpose, gluten free flour

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup unsalted cashews (if you use salted cashews your meal will be super salty!)

Cashew Chicken Sauce

1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup honey

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

Garnishes

Cashews, sesame seeds, and/or green onion

Instructions

1. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

2. Toss your cubed chicken in a large bowl with the gluten free flour until the chicken is completely coated.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until the outside begins to brown.

4. Add the bell peppers, onion, cashews, and sauce to the frying pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook until veggies soften, excess liquid evaporates, and chicken has cooked through.

5. Serve with your favourite variety of rice (mine’s jasmine) or with quinoa. Top with your garnish of choice.

And now for my end-of-post question:

How does your body feel when you’re eating a carb-rich diet versus a low-carb diet?

References:

[1] Fischer, K. (2018) Here Are the Worst Side Effects of the Keto Diet. Healthline. Viewed February 27, 2020. <https://www.healthline.com/health-news/worst-side-effects-of-the-keto-diet#2>

[2] Reynolds, G. (2020) Could a Keto Diet Be Bad for Athletes’ Bones? The New York Times. Viewed February 27, 2020. <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/well/move/could-a-keto-diet-be-bad-for-athletes-bones.html>

[3] Paddock, C. (2018) Keto diet: Scientists find link to diabetes risk. Medical News Today. Viewed February 27, 2020. <https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322724>

[4] Kamau, C. (2020) A Low Fat Diet Can Make You Angry, Irritable and Depressed. Psychology Today. Viewed February 27, 2020. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-science-mental-health/202002/low-fat-diet-can-make-you-angry-irritable-and-depressed>

[5] Harvard Men’s Health Watch. (2018) The smart way to look at carbohydrates. Harvard Health Publishing. Viewed February 27, 2020. <https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-smart-way-to-look-at-carbohydrates>

[6] Dietitians of Canada. (2018) Carbohydrates, Health and Weight Loss. Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition. Viewed February 27, 2020. <https://www.cafconnection.ca/getmedia/9279b841-3bb3-4d97-87a9-052f57923743/EN-Low-Carb-Diets.pdf.aspx>