For years we’ve been sold the idea that carbs are the enemy, and as a result, we’ve learned to avoid it like the plague. We blame them for bloating, weight gain and mid-afternoon crashes, so they’re usually the first thing to go when we decide to eat better.
But while protein has become our new hyper-fixation, neglecting carbs could be the very thing holding your health journey back. A slew of fitness creators online have recently come to carbohydrates’ defence, pointing out that they give you the energy to hold those reps a few seconds longer in pilates, run that bit further, and push more weight in your lifts. Over time, that means more muscle and more calories burnt.
Though it might not seem the smartest to take fitness advice from Tiktok and Instagram, wellness coach and nutritionist Rohini Rao says these creators have a point.
“After years of hearing that carbs are the enemy, people are starting to understand that a balanced diet includes both carbohydrates and protein,” she says. “Carbs give you energy to train, while protein supports your muscles. They go hand in hand.”
So how do we get the most out of carbs, and how should we think about eating them? Rohini breaks it down.
Your body runs on carbs
While many of us see carbs as an obstacle to weight loss, Rohini says this macronutrient is essential to how your body functions day to day.
“Carbs are your body’s main fuel for effort,” she explains. “They break down into glucose, which your brain and muscles use right away. Some glucose is stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver.”
When you consistently underconsume carbs and those stores run low, your energy can dip. “You may start feeling tired and find you can’t push as hard, so your workout isn’t as efficient,” she adds. If your training suffers, it becomes harder to build muscle and make progress.
Carbs also help you recover after a workout by replacing the fuel you’ve used, which matters even more if you train often.
There’s a visible perk too. “Glycogen is how your body stores glucose. When you eat carbs, some of that glucose gets stored in your muscles as glycogen, and glycogen holds water along with it,” she says, adding that roughly three grams of water are stored for every gram of glycogen, though this varies from person to person. “When your muscles store more glycogen, they hold more water and look fuller.”
Choosing the right carbs and right amount
It helps to know that the type of carbohydrate matters as well. According to Rohini, complex carbohydrates such as oats, lentils, beans, whole grains and sweet potatoes take longer to break down and tend to contain more fibre, which keeps you fuller for longer.
Simple carbohydrates, on the other hand, are broken down quickly and can raise blood sugar just as fast. Sweets and sugary drinks are obvious examples, but refined starches like white toast also digest quickly.
The problem, Rohini explains, is that carbs have long been cast as the villain in dieting advice. “What I wish people understood is that the quality and quantity matter,” she says. Regularly eating large, carbohydrate-heavy meals without much protein or fibre makes it easy to take in more than your body needs, and refined carbs in particular can leave you feeling hungry again sooner.
It’s only when we consistently take in more energy than we use, that’s when the excess can contribute to body-fat gain. “Carbs aren’t the enemy; it’s the amount and quality that matter,” she adds.
So how much exactly should we be eating? According to Rohini, we can adjust our carbs depending on how much we’re training: more on a hard training day, fewer on a rest day. Someone who is largely sedentary will need fewer carbs because they’re using less energy for exercise.
A general reference for adults is around 130g a day, she says. For light training, a good guide is three to five grams per kilogram of body weight, rising to around five to seven grams per kg for about an hour of moderate training.
The best time to carb up
The hours around a workout are prime time for carbs, Rohini explains. Having them pre-workout can give you useful energy, especially if it’s been a few hours since you last ate.
“You could have a small bowl of fruit or porridge, a little quinoa salad, dried fruit with a handful of nuts, or half a sandwich with some protein and carbohydrates,” Rohini shares. “Air-fried sweet potato fries are another option I like.”
It’s a handy trick if you train after work and want a lift without caffeine. A small snack does the job without weighing you down like a full meal.
During exercise, extra carbs are mainly useful for longer or more demanding sessions. Afterwards, pairing them with protein helps replace the fuel you’ve used and supports recovery.
Building a better plate
That said, carbs aren’t the whole story. Rohini stresses that protein should still be a priority, and that everyone should include a protein source in their meals. “If you’re vegetarian, that could be lentils, beans, tofu, eggs or dairy; if you eat meat, it could be fish, chicken or lean meat,” she says.
Unlike carbs, your protein intake should stay fairly steady from day to day. A general reference for a sedentary adult is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight, while someone who exercises regularly may need around 1.2 to 2.0g per kilogram, depending on their training.
So what should a balanced plate look like? Rohini recommends building each meal around four components: a source of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables or fruit, and some healthy fat. Think chicken, fish, eggs, tofu or beans with rice or potatoes, plus vegetables and a little olive oil or avocado.
The bottomline? If you’re training regularly, there’s no need to shy away from carbs.
