Are ALL Carbs & fats unhealthy?

Reading the news can sometimes be misleading, especially when the information is provided by doctors. I have come across THIS article here, and I cannot help but be shocked by what's mentioned in the paragraph that reads:

Dr Miqdady said parents needed to make their children aware of what was healthy by acting as a positive role model. "Parents themselves should eat healthily and lead by example, eating from all food groups, having more fruits and vegetables and dairy products on a regular basis, and less unhealthy food such as fats and carbohydrates, so children will learn how to make choices,"

Generalizing by saying fats and carbs are unhealthy is really misleading information to the readers as some might drop consuming such foods all together. When the fact is, YES there are unhealthy carbs and fats, however there are HEALTHY carbs and fats.

Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates 101:

Simple carbs: are those quickly converted to glucose in the body and cause an quick insulin spike and cause you to crash. Those are the kind of carbs that you should be avoiding as they contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Here's a list:

• Corn syrup (mostly found in packaged and processed food)
• Soda (coke...etc.)
• Fruit juice (you better off eating it than drinking it)
• Cake
• Pasta/rice made with white flour (lots of fiber and essential minerals lost during processing)

Complex carbs: are the healthy ones which are digested more slowly, stabilizing your blood sugar, rich in fiber, keep you full longer, and have long-lasting energy.

Here's a list:

• Oats
• Wild & whole grain rice.
• Multi-grain bread
• Legumes
• Wholewheat pasta (yes you can find them in jam3iya, i.e. Co-Op, too!)
• Veggies (Broccoli...etc)

How much carbs you should eat per gram depends on many factors: a) level of activity, b) goal, i.e. fat loss or muscle gain, c) female vs. male, but an average breakdown of calories is usually 50% carbs, 30% protein, & 20% fats.


Talking about fats, there are also healthy and unhealthy fats; those are broken down into four components, and they are:

Bad Fats

• Saturated fats: are the kind that clog your arteries and raise LDL (BAD cholesterol). Usually found in butter, red meats, full-fat dairy products. It's recommended you do not consume more than 20g of those.

• Trans fat: are the REALLY bad fats, which are "man made" and can usually be found in "packaged food." If you read the word hydrogenated oils in any food AVOID IT IMMEDIATELY. Your body cannot break it down and process these kind of fats. They can be found in a lot of "snack bars" and microwave popcorn packets. You should be consuming 0g of these kind of fats. More here on FDA WEBSITE.

Good Fats

• Monounsaturated fats: Lowers the bad LDL cholesterol and increases the GOOD type of cholesterol, HDL. They are found in nuts, like peanuts. As well as olive oil, canola, and avocado. These kind of fats actually AID in body fat and weight loss.

• Polyunsaturated fats: Also lower LDL cholesterol, and are usually found in seafood, like salmon and sunflower oil to name a few. Omega-3 belongs to this group of fats.

Bottom line of this post is that, there are unhealthy and healthy foods when it comes to carbs and fats. Educated doctors should NOT make such a comment for the public to read as it's misleading and isn't painting the whole picture of the food groups mentioned.

Here I go again, 999-Fitness for the rescue!

Yours truly,

GymFreak @ 999Fitness

Correction: I was approchaed by the doctor quoted above who kindly requested I clarify what he meant in his quote. Given the nature of how media works, not everything turns out as it should. So he clarified what he meant, and agreed there are necessary carbs and healthy fats humans needs.

He said:

"I did not say all CHO or fats are good or bad, agree with you that some are good other are not. And I did not suggest to the people not to eat CHO/Fat. I said eat from all food groups. Moreover, usually I dedicate part of my lectures (to the public as well as the professionals ) trying to change this bad rap about fat, actually fats are ESSENTIAL for survival and for the normal development of the brain in growing children,"