The human body requires sufficient calories from food to function and a substantial amount of carbohydrates for the same reason. Carbohydrates are not only an ample source of fuel for you body, but those containing fiber also help your body remove waste and dangerous cholesterol. Therefore, as much as 65 percent of your total daily calories should come from carbohydrates, advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, despite the calories such food contains.
Cause of Weight Gain
Various factors can contribute to excess weight, including your age, family background, lack of physical activity, poor sleeping habits and health conditions such as hypothyroidism. The primary cause of weighing too much, however, is eating more calories than your body needs for energy over an extended period of time. Consequently, numerous health care professionals recommend balancing the calories you consume and the calories you use calories so that you eat about the same number of calories on average as you burn through activities such as exercise.
Calories and Weight
Calories are units that indicate how much energy beverages and foods provide for your body when you consume them. Although different beverages and foods have a different amount of calories, one calorie is the same as the next calorie when it comes to your weight, regardless of their source. This means that consuming the same number of calories from a carbohydrate, fat, protein or other type of food will have the same impact on your weight. Moreover, no matter what kind of beverage or food the calories come from, eating too many calories increases your risk of gaining weight.
Carbohydrates and Weight
The body's main source of fiber, sugar and starch, carbohydrates consist primarily of numerous sugar molecules made of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. Many foods classified as carbohydrates, such as low-fat snack products, contain large amounts of sugar but minimal fat. The sugar content significantly increases the calories in such foods, but many consumers mistakenly believe the reduced fat allows them to eat more without affecting their weight. This misunderstanding may explain why some individuals associate carbohydrates with weight gain incorrectly, explains Providence Health & Services.
Considerations
Some people distinguish between simple carbohydrates, such as fructose and sucrose, and complex carbohydrates containing at least three types of sugar. Yet, with regard to your weight, the more relevant distinction is between sugars and starches as opposed to fiber. Excess calories remain the main cause of weight gain, but consuming large amounts of food containing sugar or processed starches -- such as in many brands of white bread, for example -- can lead to diabetes and heart disease. In contrast, eating more high-fiber carbohydrates made with whole grains can lower your chances of developing those medical conditions.
References
- American Dietetic Association: Do Carbohydrates Cause Weight Gain?
- Harvard School of Public Health: Carbohydrates - Good Carbs Guide the Way
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: What Causes Obesity and Overweight
- Providence Health & Services; Ask an Expert: Protein Vs. Carbohydrates; Kimra Hawk, et al.; September 2003
- "Time" magazine; Which Are Worse: Calories from Carbs or Fat?; July 2008
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005: Carbohydrates; July 2008
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