Why dogs shouldn t eat carbs

The Truth About Carbs (and Why You Should Be Eating Them)

Ask a friend or coworker about carbohydrates and you could get an earful: Theyre bad for you. Theyre finebut only if you work out. Theyll make you gain weight. Or maybe: Low-carb diets are the only way to go.

Confused? Youre not alone. Theres a lot of legit information out there, but theres also a lot of pseudo-science, making it hard to translate any of it into daily, healthy practices.

But before we dive into separating myth from fact, lets get a few of the basics out of the way. Carbohydrates are one of the main nutrients your body needs, sometimes called macronutrients (There are three macros: carbs, protein, and fat). Carbs are the most important source of energy for your body. Your body will break down carbs into glucose (the sugar found in your blood), and your blood helps transport this fuel all over your body to provide the energy you need to do everything from run and jump to sit and sleep.

Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, carbs are part of an overall healthy diet. But not all carbs are created equal, so its important to learn which (and how much) you should be eating. Here are some of the most common carb misconceptionsand the science-backed truth.

1. Myth: Carbs will make you fat.

Truth: It can be tempting to blame any undesirable health issue on a single itembe it sugar, red meat, or gluten. More recently, carbs have been the culprit du jour.People like [carbohydrates] so much, they tend to overeat them, says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. So people gain weightnot because the carbs are badbut because theyre having too much.A lot of those crave-inducing carbs are the kind that are high in refined sugar and low in fiber. Think: candy, crackers, chips, and cookies.People see carbs as snack foods or unhealthy foods, says Willow Jarosh, R.D., a dietitian and co-founder of C&J Nutrition. And unfortunately, nutrient-rich carbslike fruit, vegetables, and grainsare too often lumped in with the nutritionally-poor kindlike soda and syrup, Jarosh says.If you consume more calories than your body needswhether or not it contains carbohydrateyou can gain an unhealthy amount of weight, says Elisa Zied, R.D., author of Younger Next Week and a member of the Passion for Pasta Advisory Council. So though it might be easy to blame carbs, its probably best to look at everything youre eatingfrom breakfast to dessert.

2. Myth: All simple carbs are unhealthy.

Truth: Simple carbs get a bad rap because foods with refined sugar typically fall into this category. Think: candy, soda, chips, and syrup.Simple carbohydrates have a high glycemic index and can raise blood sugar levels, Zied says. But not all of them are necessarily bad for you. Healthy examples of unrefined simple carbs include dairy and fruit. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are absorbed and digested by the body more slowly, Zied says. They have a lower glycemic index than simple carbohydrates and tend not to raise blood sugar levels the way simple carbohydrates do. Complex carbs include grains such as bulgur, quinoa, and some pastas and starchy vegetables such as acorn squash, corn, and pumpkin.Focusing on complex carbs that are high in fiber (meaning they have 5 grams or more per serving) will keep you satisfied longerwithout having to consume too many calories. Fiber is one of the things that helps slow down the blood sugar spike, Jarosh says. [Without fiber], its more likely that youll get hungrier again sooner, and youre not going to feel as satisfied. And thats what gives carbs a bad name.For instance, think about how much easier it might be to overeat cheese pizza versus butternut squash stuffed with radicchio and onion.

3. Myth: All pasta and bread are bad.

Truth: Instead of making spaghetti your enemy, think about pairing the complex carb with healthy foods, like lean proteins, legumes, and veggies, Zied says. Pasta is a perfect vehicle for cooking with many foods, she says. Plus, its quick and easy to prepare. Hearty grains like quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, and farro are also all great bases for a healthy, satisfying meal. Just be sure to keep your portions in check; a single serving of cooked pasta equals about one cup or the size of your fist. The same rules apply to bread. If you just cant go without a lunchtime sandwich, make sure youre putting something like grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, and lettuce between two whole grain slices, Gans says. And as for that tempting bread basket on your table in every restaurant? Gans recommends skipping itbut only because it may not be whole grain, and people tend to add lots of butter to every slice. Especially if youre about to sit down to a pasta dinner, adding in the bread basket probably means youre going overboard on carbs, Gans says.

4. Myth: Low-carb diets are the only way to lose weight.

Truth: Listen up, Atkins devotees: Though opting for a low-carb, high-protein diet might help you quickly shed a few pounds, in the long run, dietitians say its almost always unsustainable. We need carbohydrates, Gans says. Our bodies rely on glucose to function optimallyespecially our brain. If you dont get enough carbs, eventually your body will go into a state of ketosismeaning its burning fat, instead of glucose, for fuel. There are other, less desirable possible side effects of keeping your body in a state of ketosis: chronic bad breath and constipation, Gans says.Instead of going cold turkey with carbs, focus on smaller portion sizes and chowing down on high-fiber, complex carbohydrates that will help you to feel fuller, longer.

5. Myth: Less than half of your diet should be carbs.

Truth: While everyones nutritional needs are different, the current acceptable macronutrient distribution range (or AMDR) for carbohydrates is 45 to 65 percent of your total daily caloric intake.Since daily caloric needs can vary, thinking about carbs as a percentage of your daily total is a good strategy. For example, a 20-something woman eating 1,800 calories per day, should aim for 810 to 1,170 of those calories(or 202 to 292 grams) to come from carbohydrates. And yes, that percentage stays the same even if youre active. According to Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke, R.D., dietician and co-founder of C&J Nutrition, the average 20-something who exercises three to four times per week for one hour or less (per session) does not need to adjust his or her carbohydrate intake.Even if your workouts are long and strenuous (like 15-mile training runs), you may need to increase your overall caloric needs, but the percentage of carbohydrates consumed stay the same, say Jarosh and Clarke.But how do grams and percentages translate into the average meal? For that, youll need to pay attention to how many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving of a particular food.To help put this in perspective, heres what one serving size of a few healthy carbs, like red lentils and sweet potato, looks like:

The Takeaway

Like so much of nutrition, theres a Goldilocks approach to carbs: Not too much, not too little, and just the right kind can yield great results. With the right balance, youll have energy for your fave activitiesand none of the downsides.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Ditch the Carbs at Breakfast

Bread. Bagels. Cereal. If youre starting the day with these carb-crammed foods, you're not heeding the latest nutrition science. From aiding weight loss to increasing exercise endurance, recent studies have linked low-carb eating with a range of health benefits.

If youre skeptical about making your mornings low-carb, consider the five evidence-backed reasons on this list. To help ease the transition, weve also gone ahead and provided a handful of healthy, carb-light breakfast ideas that will help you start your day on the right foot.

A low-carb breakfast may increase your metabolism.

Compared to people eating diets loaded with carbohydrates, those sticking to low-carb plans significantly increased their daily calorie burn, according to a 2018 study from Harvard Medical School. How significantly? The low-carb eaters burned off 209 more calories a day than the carb-centric eaters. The studys authors concluded that cutting back on carbs increased the dieters metabolism and promoted weight loss.

A low-carb breakfast can keep your hunger in check.

The same Harvard Medical School study found levels of the hormones ghrelin and leptin were significantly lower in the carb-light dieters compared to the carb-heavy eaters. Both of these hormones are thought to stoke hunger and food intake. By keeping their levels in check, low-carb diets can help you eat less at meal times, this research suggests.

A low-carb breakfast can keep you feeling fuller, longer.

Youve probably heard that protein is king when it comes keeping you full. Theres plenty of evidenceincluding some recent researchlinking protein-rich meals with increased satiety. But when it comes to carbs and fat, low-carb diets seem to promote greater fullness than low-fat plans.

A 2016 study from the Tulane University School of Public Health found low-carb eating helped maintain levels of the fullness hormone peptide YY better than low-fat dietingmeaning low-carb outperformed low-fat when it came to feeling full.

Low-carb eating may boost your endurance.

A 2017 study in the Journal of Human Kinetics found endurance athletes who stuck with low-carb/high-fat diets enjoyed performance improvements. Specifically, their muscles seemed to store energy and burn fat more efficiently than the muscles of athletes consuming high-carb/low-fat diets. The study authors say these changes could help prevent performance declines during the late stages of endurance activities like running or CrossFit training. Basically, low-carb eating seemed to prevent bonking.

Low-carb eating can help you lose a dangerous type of fat.

Multiple studies have found that visceral adipose tissuethe kind of fat that collects around your midsection and forms the ol spare tireis associated with higher rates of metabolic disease. Cutting back on carbs seems to reduce these dangerous fat stores. A recent study in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society found low-carb eating led to a 15 percent drop in visceral fat compared to higher-carb diets.

Four Great Low-Carb Breakfast Options

Youve seen the researchnow put it into practice. Each of these breakfasts contains fewer than nine grams of carbohydrates to help you reap the aforementioned benefits and start your day right.

Jimmy Dean Delights Broccoli and Cheese Egg'wich280 calories, 8 g carbs, 14 g protein

This keto-friendly breakfast sandwich is loaded with healthy protein and keeps the carbs and calories to a minimum. Pop it in the microwave and youve got a hot, satisfying breakfast in two minutes.

Two hard-boiled eggs and cup raspberries13 g protein, 4.5 g carbs, 200 calories, 2 g fiber

Combining fiber-rich raspberriesone of the healthiest fruits you can eat, by the waywith protein-packed eggs is a cant-miss combo.

4 oz greek yogurt and oz walnuts12 g protein, 13 g fat, 200 calories, 7 g carbohydrates

This quick and simple breakfast is packed with healthy fat and hunger-slaying protein.

Two scrambled eggs with 1 cup spinach and cup mushrooms15 g protein, 3 g carbs, 160 calories

Saut the spinach and mushrooms a bit before mixing in the egg and youll end up with a vitamin- and nutrient-rich omelet that contains plenty of satiating protein.

Dogs and Carbohydrates A Surprising Secret Revealed

Dogs and Carbohydrates A Surprising Secret Revealed

By Mike Sagman

Updated: September 27, 2023

Zero.Thats how many carbohydrates are nutritionally required by a dog to sustain life.The fact that a dog food doesnt need to contain any carbs at all seems hard to believe.

But its true.

You see, according to the National Research Council and compared to the other two major nutrients protein and fat no carbs are considered essential for a healthy canine diet.¹

Dogs dont need corn.And they dont need wheat, barley rice or potatoes, either.

Yet surprisingly, carbs represent the dominant nutrient found in most dry dog foods.

Why Dog Food CompaniesLove Carbohydrates

Since the early 1950s, dog food manufacturers everywhere have fallen head-over-heels in love with carbs because theyre:

• Abundant
• Durable (long shelf life)
• Essential to the kibble-making process
• Cheaper (per calorie than protein or fat)

Please notice that not one of these reasons has anything to do with nutrition not one.

Are Carbs Safe?

Carbohydrates arent bad for dogs.In reasonable amounts, they can actually provide a practical source of energy.

However, the problem lies in their quantity.

Using a dogs ancestral diet as a model, the total amount of carbs consumed by a dogs evolutionary predecessor is dramatically less than whats become the norm for todays kibbles.

One sensible source estimates natural carbohydrate consumption for a dogs ancestors at around 14 percent of total diet.²

Yet on average, todays dry dog foods contain somewhere between 46 and 74 percent carbohydrates.³

Comparing the Numbers

Todays kibbles contain as much as four times the carbohydrate content historically found in the canine ancestral diet.

Wouldnt it make sense for a dogs food to be more like the species ancestral diet with more protein and fat and fewer carbs?

The Bottom Line

When choosing dog food, its reasonable to favor products lower in carbohydrates.

However, since most dog food manufacturers fail to disclose the percentage of carbohydrates contained in their products, the Dog Food Advisor provides an estimate of this important figure inside every review.

So, look for dog foods rich in meat-based protein and lower in carbs.You could be adding years of better health to your best friends life.