Carbohydrates Are Essential to Human Nutrition!

There Is No Reason to Fear Them!

Carbohydrates have become one of the most misunderstood components of modern diets. Whole grains cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables — foods that have nourished human populations for centuries — are now approached with suspicion. Rice is questioned, chapatis are avoided, and even fruits are consumed with guilt.

This is paradoxical, given that human diets across cultures and history have been centred on carbohydrate-rich foods. The fear surrounding carbohydrates appears to stem less from nutrition science and more from concerns about weight gain, diabetes and declining health.

Carbohydrates are not merely sources of calories. They are the body’s natural, preferred and primary source of energy. The brain, nervous system and muscles rely on glucose for optimal function. When consumed in appropriate amounts, carbohydrates are used first for energy. They are converted into body fat only when total energy intake consistently exceeds requirements — just as excess fats and excess proteins are also stored as fat. This represents normal human metabolism.

Much of the confusion arises from failing to distinguish between whole, minimally processed carbohydrates and refined carbohydrate-rich foods. Whole grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables digest slowly, provide dietary fibre, promote satiety and help regulate appetite. Refined foods such as sugar, refined flour products, sweets, sugary beverages and bakery items digest rapidly, cause sharp rises in blood glucose and promote overeating and weight gain. The metabolic harm caused by refined foods is often wrongly attributed to carbohydrates as a whole.

Another common misconception is that cereals are “carbohydrates” and pulses are “proteins”. In reality, both contain a much higher proportion of carbohydrates than proteins. Cereals typically contain 7 to 12 percent protein and 50 to 80 percent carbohydrates, while pulses contain about 21 to 25 percent protein and 55 to 65 percent carbohydrates.

Proteins from pulses are not complete proteins in isolation. Traditional dietary patterns addressed this by combining cereals and pulses, allowing their amino acid profiles to complement each other and form high-quality, complete proteins comparable to those from animal sources. Excluding cereals leaves pulse proteins incomplete, making the cereal–pulse combination nutritionally essential, particularly in vegetarian diets.

Carbohydrates do not inherently cause weight gain. Traditional diets were carbohydrate-rich, yet obesity was uncommon. Weight gain results from a sustained imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, irrespective of whether excess calories come from carbohydrates, fats or proteins. The rise in obesity corresponds not to increased consumption of rice or wheat, but to refined foods, added sugars, excess fats, frequent snacking, higher intake of animal foods in some populations and reduced physical activity.

Even in diabetes, the solution lies not in eliminating carbohydrates, but in selecting appropriate carbohydrate sources and consuming them in sensible portions. Whole grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables elicit very different metabolic responses compared to refined foods.

Carbohydrates become increasingly important with ageing, as they provide sufficient energy to preserve muscle mass by sparing dietary and body proteins for repair and maintenance rather than energy production. Once again, the cereal–pulse combination provides complete protein without reliance on animal foods.

Rather than asking whether carbohydrates are “good” or “bad”, a more meaningful question is which carbohydrates, in what quantity, and how often. Whole grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits and minimally processed foods have always formed the foundation of healthy diets. 

There is no nutritional justification for fearing them today. 

Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’ and ‘Carbohydrates Don’t Make Us Fat’ on this website!