Senior Dietitian Tracy Parker explains why carbs are an essential part of a healthy diet and what the relationship is between calories and fat. The rise of low-carb diets has seen carbohydrates undeservedly become the baddie when it comes to weight gain.

But it’s not the carbs themselves that are the problem: gram for gram, carbs contain less than half the calories of fat. The problem is when you take in too many calories (energy from food and drink). If you eat more calories than your body can burn off, the excess will be stored as fat in your body.

Carbs are an essential part of a healthy diet, and current recommendations say half our energy should come from carbs. This may seem high, but there’s a good reason you need this amount. They are our body’s preferred source of energy for supporting daily activities and exercise, and to help fuel the brain. They also provide vitamins, minerals and fibre, which are important for our overall health.

But not all carbs are equal. Most of us eat too much sugar and processed foods like chips, biscuits, cakes, white breads and refined breakfast cereals. These are digested quickly, making it easy to eat too much of them. This can ramp up calorie intake, leading to weight gain. 

The best carbs for weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight are ones that are not processed. This means whole fruit and veg, lentils and beans, wholegrain and high-fibre varieties of oats, breads, cereals and pasta. These are digested slowly, helping you feel full for longer on fewer calories.

As well as being good for your waistline, wholegrain and high-fibre carbs can help lower your cholesterol and risk of type 2 diabetes and improve your gut health. High-fibre foods should make up a third of your diet. As a guide, a portion of these types of carbs for one meal should be about the size of your fist.

If you are worried about your weight, rather than cutting out all carbs, fill up on fibre. Simple swaps such as an apple instead of apple juice, popcorn instead of crisps, brown rice instead of white and oats instead of cornflakes are a good place to start.

Content sourced from the British Heart Foundation (bhf.org.uk). Click here to view our Heart Health Articles.