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“Cut carbs and the weight falls off.” “Never eat pasta after 5pm.” Carbs cop a lot of blame.
None of it holds up. Here’s what the evidence actually says.
Carbs show up in more foods than you’d think: bread, cereal, rice, pasta, fruit, starchy veg, corn, legumes, sugar, milk, yoghurt.
They’re your brain’s preferred fuel and your main energy source for exercise. Fat and protein can fuel you too, but fat burns slow and steady, good for a walk, not fast enough for a run. Cut carbs too far and physical activity gets harder.
Aim for a carb-containing food at each meal. Quality matters more than avoidance.
Unprocessed, wholegrain, low-GI carbs are the better choice most of the time. They’re more nutrient-dense, higher in fibre, and keep you fuller for longer.
GI stands for Glycemic Index, a measure of how quickly a food’s carbs raise your blood glucose.
High GI foods are absorbed fast, so blood glucose spikes quickly. Low GI foods are absorbed slowly, so blood glucose rises gradually.
Low GI examples: wholegrain bread, pasta, oats, apples, apricots, oranges, yoghurt, milk, dried beans, lentils.
Both high and low GI foods have a place in a balanced diet. But leaning low GI more often has real benefits:
Carbs carry nutrients your body needs, especially fibre. Cut them out and you’ll need to lean hard on vegetables, nuts, and seeds just to hit your fibre target.
Low-carb diets are also hard to sustain. Most people regain the weight within 12 months, because cutting out a whole food group rarely survives real life, birthdays, takeaway, a bowl of pasta with friends.
Small, sustainable changes beat any diet you can’t stick to.
No. Carbohydrates don’t check the clock.
Whether kilojoules come from carbs, protein, fat, or alcohol, what matters is the total across your day, not the timing. If you love pasta at dinner, enjoy it. Just keep an eye on portions overall.
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