The Matildas’ dietitian on why we shouldn't be cutting out carbs

Let them eat cake

As a millennial woman who grew up in the deadly diet culture of the 90s, I’ve spent more than 30 years of my life dodging carbs. Now the dietitian for the Matildas says it’s time to pick up a fork and eat pasta. 

Growing up my best friend’s mum had a house rule: No carbs after 5pm. But then she’d be the mother to phone your parents the night before a playdate to ask what colour donut you wanted. 

Since then, I’ve passed the years in a complete state of culinary confusion, but one thing has always been clear. Don’t eat bread. 

And it turns out that I’m not alone with new research from Youfoodz, the ready-meal delivery service, revealing that nearly a third of Aussies (30 per cent) believe they’re got to avoid carbs to stay healthy, while 40 per cent think that carbs will make them gain weight. 

Crumbling the carb culture

“I’ve been in dietetics for a really long time and this rollercoaster is one that I’m yet to exit,” Alicia Edge, Matilda's dietitian, tells Body+Soul, adding that there is “so much voice around nutrition”, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. 

It’s no wonder we’re all confused. Then add on the fact that carbs come in all shapes and sizes. “I think this is where some of the misconception comes from actually, because carbs can be anything from fruits to some veggies, and then they’re in a lot of things like pasta, rice, cereal, oats, milk and yoghurt,” Edge explains. 

“I guess the bad name comes from when you then think about the hyper palatable foods also containing carbs, like biscuits, cakes and donuts. So carbs have become something that is advocated against, in that we have too many of them or we can’t have them as part of a healthful, fulfilling purposeful diet, so it’s very conflicting.”

Especially when Edge says that carbs have an important place in our lives. 

Did someone say pizza party? Image: Pexels

Food for wellbeing

Before we even get to the huge health benefits to downing a carbohydrate, the messaging coming from the Matildas dietitian is crystal clear. We need to change our mindsets. 

“There are a lot of reasons why carbs do belong and it does involve health as well as things like fueling, but it also involves every aspect of our wellbeing outside of food just being fuel,” says Edge. “It's also around connection and celebration and that relationship with food that does bring us comfort.” 

So instead of viewing food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, Edge says we need to think of food as having a purpose. “And that purpose can absolutely be something around, ‘Let's fuel this workout’ or ‘Let's ensure this meal is complete and satiating and enjoyable’, or, ‘Hey, having that cake at a birthday party is exactly the right option right now for me to feel connected and celebrate with loved ones’.” 

There are plenty of great ways to get carbs in your diet.

Why we actually need to chomp carbs 

Carbs are essential for ensuring that we get enough energy in our day to cover not must our metabolic needs, which is what our body needs just to keep functioning while we sleep, but also to cover the cost of movement, fidgeting, walking around, and all of those things that we do, alongside thinking and making decisions. 

“On top of all that, we also need to make sure that we're covering the cost of our exercise or training,” Edge says. “If we don't and if we fail to meet that energy demand of what we need per day, we see disruptions in things like our hormones, or our metabolism will actually become suppressed, or we might find that we’ve got gut upset or issues with concentration or we might just be low in energy or have disruption in our sleep. 

“So there are lots of things that carbs are really important for and help provide us over the day.”

Make carbs your mate. Image: Tyrell Hampton/Instagram.

Even if we’re not a Matilda?

“Absolutely,” Edge says. Although our need for carbs will increase or decrease with how much exercise or activity we’re doing. 

So if you’ve got a high intensity session coming up, you’re going to need to load up on carbs in the lead up. But if you’re more sedentary and are sitting down more often, the amount you need does get scaled back.

“So fuel for the work required,” the dietitian encourages. “On big training days, we scale that up, and on smaller training days, we scale that again. And that goes for everyone.”

Which is not saying ‘we need to burn to earn’. “I think that's a bit of a myth,” Edge explains. “We all still need that carbohydrate coming in.”

Happy carb loading. Image: Getty

Good ways to get carbs

“The first thing to do with increasing carbs is to give yourself permission to add them in,” the Matildas dietitian says. “Because if you try to force them in while you're still thinking that they’re bad or they're going to cause weight gain, there's going to be associated feelings of guilt or shame when you’re eating those”. 

Once you change your mindset, you can start adding carbs in a really healthy way. “Some of my favourites are absolutely things like bread, oats, rice, potatoes, pasta, and all the really lovely things, but part of it is also ensuring that we give ourselves permission to have more easy to digest carbohydrates the closer we are to any exercise or training,” Edge explains.

“It's about what purpose do we need them for right now, and what's the best option with what your day's bringing you?”

Originally published as The Matildas’ dietitian on why we shouldn't be cutting out carbs