Should I really worry so much about carbs?

Question

I recently started worrying a lot about carbs. And because of it, I don’t eat as much as I need to. I know carbs are good for you, if they are in healthy foods, but like eating rice or pita bread, it has lots of carbs, even though it’s healthy foods…
Is it okay? Should I really be worrying over it?
I’m still a teenager BTW…>.> And I’m not over weight by any means..

Answer 1

first you have to understand that the only truly healthy carbs are those that are all natural and in there natural form. whole grain rice is healthy while pita bread is not. just because a food item is made from healthy items does not mean that food item itself is healthy. humans combine many food items that are not meant to be combined. pita bread may be healthy compared to white bread but compared to a cup of lentils it may as well be a cup of sugar as it has the same effect on blood sugar.

the body only needs about 4 grams of glucose an hour to function normally. those that are not physically active simply do not need a high carb intake. fatty acids are the primary energy source when the body is at rest. rest being the equivalent to sleeping, walking, computing, watching tv, light house work, etc. basically all low intensity exercise.

Answer 2

"The idea is that when your trying to lose weight you don`t eat carbs so when you work out it burns at the fat instead"

this, and other statements similar arent quite true. you cant simply exercise without eating or drinking. Complex carbs (wholegrains like pasta, brown rice, jacket potatos) will release energy over a long period of time - professional athletes consume alot of these when training hard/playing their sport. you NEED carbs to be able to perform the sports/exercises you are about to undertake. It takes time for your body to realise you're going to exercise. (about 5 - 10 minutes, thats another reason we warm up first)
So, to summarise, Carbs ARE needed as part of a healthy lifestyle, even if you intend to exercise to burn off fat. About 60% of what we eat a day should be carbs; the rest is fat, proteins, then vitamens and minerals.
That said, some people simply dont need as many carbs as others, yet this still needs to be 60% of what you eat in a day to perform day to day tasks.
Hope this helps.

Paul

Answer 3

You need to focus on whole grain carbs and brown rice. White rice has very very little nutrition if any. Just be sure your carbs are coming from fruits,veggies,and whole grains and you will be okay. The key to healthy eating is balance.

Answer 4

You do not need to WORRY about carbs you just need to change your "bad" carbs for good ones such as eating whole grain bread and pasta products and brown rice instead of white rice etc. Think brown instead of white and you will do great.

Answer 5

No don't worry about your carbs worry about the nutrition of the food that you are putting in to your body instead.

Answer 6

If you can, stay away from the white carbs. ie. white rice, white bread, potato.

instead eat whole grain foods, brown rice, sweet potatos, squash, etc.

Answer 7

if your not over weight you don`t really need to worry about it at all.
Carbs are fine as long as your doing exercise.
The idea is that when your trying to lose weight you don`t eat carbs so when you work out it burns at the fat instead

Answer 8

no dont, just excersize...... and dont over eat
you'll be thin all your life, (plus getting sleep usually makes you thinner too)