Don't ditch the carbs

With all the hype around high-protein, low-carb diets like Atkins, paleo and keto, you might be forgiven for thinking that carbohydrates are the enemies of a healthy diet. But whilst these eating regimes do have their fans, for vegans who want to follow a healthy, balanced plant-based, science-based diet good carbohydrates are our friends.

What is a carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients, along with protein and fats, that are essential for a healthy diet and body. They are the body’s main source of energy. Basically, carbs are a combination of starches, sugars and fibre, most of which occur naturally in fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes and milk (OK, skip this last one). They are broken down by the digestive system to make glucose to provide energy, but some carbs are better than others.

Different terms

When thinking about carbohydrates it’s necessary to bear in mind a few terms: simple carbohydrates, refined carbohydrates, complex carbs and dietary fibre. Simple carbohydrates break down quickly to supply energy speedily, so think ‘sugar rush’. Whilst they’re found in natural foods like fruit and milk products, they are also the sugary baddies in refined and processed food: corn syrup, white sugar and sweets, so the advice is to avoid eating too many of these. Stick to fruit rather than too many sugary cakes. The NHS guidelines recommended intake for total sugars is 70-90g of which no more than 30g should be added sugar.

Complex carbs, on the other hand, take much longer for the body to break down, so the energy release is slower. These types of carb are starchy veg like potatoes and squashes, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. They are also a good source of dietary fibre. Refined carbs are complex whole grains that have been processed; they include products like white rice and white bread. As these are high in sugars and their fibre has been stripped away, they’re quickly absorbed and can cause blood sugar spikes. Complex carbs are the type we should be focusing on in a healthy diet.

Finally, dietary fibre. Back in the day, this was called ‘roughage’. It’s the inedible part of plants and vegetables that cannot be completely broken down by the body. However, it may not be absorbed by the body, but it still performs an essential job: maintaining a healthy digestive system, controlling blood sugar, and it is good for cholesterol levels and weight loss, too.

What is the ideal carb consumption?

Putting aside the trendy low-carb diets, the recommendations of most authoritative organisations are that complex carbs found in whole foods are the basis of a healthy diet. The NHS recommends that one-third of diet should be made up of starchy food and one-third of fruit and veg, so over half the diet should comprise carbs. In the US, the dietary guidelines for Americans recommend 45-65% of total daily intake as carbs, so about the same.

What does this mean for vegans?

Vegans have a head start. Generally, unless you subsist on a junk food diet then you’re likely to be eating a fairly wide range of complex carbs already. A healthy vegan diet should include about 55–75% carbohydrates. Base your carb intake on complex whole foods like beans, wholewheat pasta, brown rice and lots of fruit and vegetables. Vegan dietitians recommend an overall carb intake of between 180g and 330g per day. So, the message is: for a healthy intake of fibre and fuel, don’t ditch the carbs.