Anyone born in the ‘80s or ‘90s is likely to agree with this statement: carbs are unhealthy and will make you fat.
It’s a sentiment that was so widely believed back then that it still persists today – with surprising force. A whole generation will remember the saying: “no carbs, before Marbs” – a reality show star’s mantra for losing weight before a beach holiday. And there were several fashionable eating plans, like Atkins that specifically told people to eliminate carbs, promising that a diet of meat and animal products was the way to a lean physique and good health.
Now, there are modern day iterations: keto and the (concerning) carnivore diet – which tells its followers to fill up on essentially nothing but red meat – and “blood sugar diets” which encourage shunning carbs for protein, working on the assumption that rises in one’s blood sugar are bad.
However, in the last year there has been a major shift in the nation’s eating patterns and now – finally – carbs are back on the menu.
Waitrose reports soaring sales of foods such as beans and bread in what the supermarket has dubbed, “the great carb comeback”. For example, sales of canned and jarred beans are up 45 per cent on this time last year, and different types of flour such as rye and wholemeal have also seen a dramatic rise in popularity.
Even previously shunned potatoes are back in people’s shopping baskets, with the humble jacket potato seeing a glorious renaissance. Sales of large potatoes are up by more than a third compared to this time last year and jacket potato searches at waitrose.com are up by 178 per cent.
So, what’s behind this change in the way we see carbs?
Dr Joanne Lunn, head of health and nutrition at Waitrose, says it’s all to do with a greater understanding of the importance of eating fibre – a type of carbohydrate – and more plants in general (all of which contain carbs).
“Fibre is the new buzzword in terms of nutrition,” she says. “As people become more aware of the link between fibre, good gut health and satiety, they are also recognising its benefits as an economical and environmentally friendly option.” Foods like beans and potatoes don’t cost much after all.
“Protein isn’t going anywhere, but we’re also seeing a major carb comeback as part of a shift toward a more balanced and sustainable approach to eating,” she adds. “This marks a definitive move away from the strict, low-carb diet trends of the past and a move towards a more balanced intake of macronutrients.”
Carbs are back on the menu
Jam Press/TheFork
So, how did carbs get such a bad name in the first place? Is there such a thing as “good” and “bad” carbs? What are the main health benefits of carbs? And what exactly are carbs anyway?
Carbohydrates are a key macronutrient and the body’s preferred source of energy for the brain and muscles. There are different types: sugar, a simple carbohydrate that is digested quickly; and starch and fibre, complex carbohydrates that are digested more slowly, or in the case of fibre, mostly pass through the digestive system and get fermented by our gut microbes. Many foods contain a mix – for example, fruit contains both sugar and fibre.
Carbs are found in all plant foods – fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and legumes – and also in dairy such as milk and yoghurt.
Why did they get a bad name?
The rise of ultra-processed foods is largely at fault for the bad reputation of carbs. With the rise in these very sugary, nutritionally-empty packaged foods came rising obesity in the Western world and an idea that it was the carb content that was to blame. All carbs – even things like exceptionally healthy legumes – got tarred with the same brush and “low-carb” quickly became synonymous with “healthy” or “weight loss”.
As Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at ZOE, explains: “Our fear of carbs then comes from highly refined and high risk processed foods and drinks with added refined sugar, stripped of fibre and goodness to be made into hyperpalatable products without the health benefits.”
Whole food carbs, she says, are “essential for good health”. “They form the basis of a healthy diet. The key is to eat whole foods, focusing on the mighty three: whole grains, nuts and seeds, and pulses & legumes. Fresh fruits are not only a joy to eat but an essential party of a healthy diet – every day!”
Jacket potatoes are having a resurgence
But, aren’t they fattening?
Carbs are not uniquely fattening – in fact carbs contain less than half the calories of fat, gram for gram. And in many whole-food forms they’re high in fibre and low in energy density, such as whole grains, legumes and vegetables. What matters far more is quality and overall eating pattern, not the mere presence of carbohydrates. Ultra-processed, energy dense, carby foods that can be eaten very quickly such as biscuits, crisps and supermarket baked goods can lead to overconsumption and therefore weight gain.
As runners will know, carbs are the most efficient fuel for our muscles, helping with both performance and recovery. And because the brain relies heavily on glucose, carbs help maintain steady concentration, mood and mental clarity. But the benefits extend far past just providing energy.
Eating a wide range of carbs – everything from chickpeas to soba noodles – is key, says Dr Amati. This is because it’s a broad category of food with lots to offer nutritionally.
“The most wonderful thing about whole food carbohydrates is that they are packages of goodness,” she says. “They always come with a combination of fibre, bio-actives like polyphenols, vitamins and minerals, plant proteins, healthy fats – as long as they are unrefined, carbs are the quintessential whole food. Even honey and dates, two of the most naturally sweet foods we have, have positive health effects.”
Fibre supports healthy digestion, feeds beneficial gut microbes, helps regulate blood sugar, and keeps us feeling full. Supporting a healthy gut microbiome is protective against disease.
Dr Sammie Gill explains that this is something a lot of us need to work on, especially after years of low-carb diets: “The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) survey data published earlier this year showed that 96 per cent of people in the UK fall short of meeting the recommended 30g of fibre a day. As a nation, there is a big fibre gap.”
If all of us just ate more whole grains that could really help, she says. “For example, for every 7g daily increase in fibre (two slices of whole grain bread is around 5-6g), you lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 9 per cent, stroke by 7 per cent, type 2 diabetes by 6 per cent, and colorectal cancer by 8 per cent.
“Another landmark study backed this up showing that a fibre rich diet reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer by 16-24 per cent.”
What you choose to eat can have a huge impact on longevity
Pixabay
Carbs are linked to long, healthy lives
Perhaps then it’s no surprise that the longest living populations around the world – known as the blue zones – all eat high-carb diets, which is to say, they eat predominantly whole plant foods such as legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and things made from plants like extra virgin olive oil, tea and coffee. Meat and animal products make up only a small part of their diet.
As Dr Amati explains, it’s slightly unhelpful to talk about foods in terms of their carb content alone, because they are so much more than that. “We need to move away from ‘nutritionism’ – where we reduce food to individual components and instead focus on the overarching benefits of diet and lifestyle. Because it’s consistency that makes the difference, not one individual food.”
What about white pasta and bread?
“There is no such thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ carbs,” says Dr Sammie Gill. “But some carbs are undeniably more nutritious than others.
“For example, whole grain bread is significantly more nutritious than white bread because it contains the whole, intact grain. Whole grains contain up to 75% per cent more nutrients compared with refined grains, including fibre, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.”
However if you like white bread you can simply just pair it with other foods to create a balanced meal. The same thing goes for pasta.
“People do not need to worry about eating white pasta,” says Dr Gill. “It gets a bad reputation – it’s often blamed for more than it should be. For many, white pasta is the preferred choice due to its taste and texture.
“What’s important is what you pair it with. For example, a rich tomato-based sauce with added vegetables and topped with cheese, or pesto with pine nuts and rocket, or a yogurt-based or cream cheese sauce with salmon and avocado, or a tuna pasta bake. These are all balanced meals. Add a tin of mixed beans for extra fibre and plant-based protein.
“Like most things in nutrition, it always comes back to the same basic rule – keep it balanced and don’t overdo it.”
Dr Lunn from Waitrose adds: “It is fantastic to see ‘misunderstood’ carbohydrates firmly back on the menu. People recognise they are vital for providing long-lasting, sustainable energy and are crucial for meeting daily fibre targets, which supports overall well-being and digestive health.”
