True or False? Carbs—Are they Bad for You?

You have seen it on Facebook, read it on the internet, heard it on the news: “Carbs are bad for you if you are trying to lose weight.” Pundits advocating a low-carbohydrate diet condemn the consumption of starches. They say that even whole grains sabotage your health. Are they right?

No doubt about it, consuming candy, binging on cookies, and indulging in fried potatoes increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, liver damage, and a decline in kidney function.

However, that’s not the whole picture.

Not All Starches (Carbs) are Equal

Carbohydrates are a form of starch. Rapidly digestible starch breaks down quickly into simple sugars. The starch in white potatoes and refined baked goods digests very quickly, providing readily available glucose for the body’s needs.

Slowly digestible starch breaks down into glucose in the small intestine for up to two hours. Other foods with high starch content, such