Power Of The Carbohydrate

CARBS ARE A GREAT FUEL FOR RUNNING, AND FOR LIFE – BUT IN THE 180 YEARS SINCE A SCIENTIST FIRST DISCOVERED THEM, THEY’VE BEEN A TOPIC OF MUCH DEBATE AND NUTRITIONAL CONFUSION. RW SETS THINGS STRAIGHT.

- FRANKIE HUANG

WHEN PEOPLE COME TO Katherine Metzelaar asking for her help, they seem to have one thing on their mind.

Metzelaar is a US-based dietitian specialising in nutritional therapy. With patient eyes and a warm, easy smile, she's the kind of expert who helps her clients untangle their attitudes and beliefs about food. In her nine years of clinical practice, she says that many of her clients have shared one fear: carbohydrates. “Guilt is a very common emotion associated with eating carbohydrates,” says Metzelaar. “And then if you restrict those foods, you're going to feel out of control.”

‘Fear’ seems extreme. Except that when you look back over the millennia-spanning history of carbs, the stigma that surrounds them makes total sense. More than fat, more than artificial ingredients, more than GMOs - carbs have been a scapegoat for ancient philosophers, class warriors and creators of money-raking fad diets alike. Carbs will shorten your life, so the drumbeat goes. Carbs are blood-sugar-spiking empty calories. Carbs will make you fat, sick and unhappy.

Over the past few decades, however, scientists have built a more evolved view of carbohydrates. This class of nutrients has been unfairly blamed for obesity, diabetes and other health terrors. New research shows that carbs are a driver for a long, healthy and active life. And, as it turns out, avoiding carbs can even be bad for you. A few recent studies have linked low-carb/high-fat diets with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and shortened lifespans.

But still the collective freak-out about carbs continues. So if you're confused, sceptical or fearful about carbs, Metzelaar understands. As she tells her clients, your anxiety towards carbohydrates probably goes way back. So let's go way, way back.

DAWN OF THE CARB