To carb or not to carb? That is the BIG question!

The high carb/low carb debate can be VISCIOUS!

In a nutshell, carbs, or carbohydrates, are food components known as macronutrients, along with fat and protein. We need ALL of them in our diets – but what exactly is the correct balance of carbs to fat and protein? This causes intense debate.

Some health advocates recommend eating a diet high in carbs and low in fat and protein. Among these are people who follow a raw vegan lifestyle, including those who follow the "80-10-10" formula, where 80% of the calories in your diet come from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fat.

On the other side of the health debate are those who recommend eating a diet low in carbs and high in fat and protein. This is recommended by people who follow a "paleo" lifestyle, and followers of the Atkins and ketogenic diet plans.

People who follow the high carb, low fat philosophy generally eat lots and lots of fruit and vegetables, sometimes with nuts, pulses and whole grains, and sometimes only raw, depending on their particular outlook. They are more likely to be vegetarian or vegan, because they keep their protein levels low. Their fats often come from avocados, nuts and seeds.

Low carb, high fat lifestylers will often eat a high protein diet including meat, fish and dairy along with salads and fresh vegetables, though the lifestyle can be followed by vegetarians and vegans who are happy to eat non-meat protein and fat. The emphasis is on healthy fats like butter from grass-fed cows, organic cream, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Not only have these competing health philosophies triggered monumental battles online – they even led to a high-profile court battle in 2015, when high raw vegan "Freelee the Banana Girl" was sued by Kayla Itsines, fitness trainer and creator of the Bikini Body Guide.

But how different are these two healthy eating philosophies? There is a lot of confusion over which foods actually are high in carbs. When we think of high-carb foods, we think of cakes, doughnuts, bread, pasta and sugar.

For example, these are mostly carbs:

But vegetables are also high in carbs. Celery is about 73.5% carbs. Cauliflower is almost 72% carbs. Lettuce is almost 68% carbs.

These are also mostly carbs:

Hmm... maybe we're focusing on the wrong thing. What's the difference between high-carb green vegetables and high-carb cake or doughnuts?

Gren vegetables have...

• fewer calories
• more fibre
• more micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
• no refined sugar
• provide slow-release energy that can be used by the body

Cake and doughnuts are...

• high in calories
• low in fibre
• low in micronutrients
• high in refined sugar
• provide quick fix energy that is mostly stored as fat

High-carb-low-fat healthy eaters consume lots of fruit and vegetables and avoid refined carbs and sugar.

Low-carb-high-fat healthy eaters consume lots of vegetables and avoid refined carbs and sugar.

It seems to me that the two groups have more similarities than differences.

Forget about carbs!

Personally speaking, I don't think we should be focusing on carbs at all, or on fats, or protein. I think the focus should be on healthy foods vs refined and processed foods.

We all have different constitutions and different lifestyles. Some people need to consume more carbs, others less. Some need more fat, others less.

Instead of focusing on the balance of carbs, fat and protein and on rules, regulations and absolutes, why not just eat more healthy food? In other words, consume...

• more fresh, unrefined food
• more high-fibre foods, like fruit and vegetables
• more fresh water
• less convenience food
• less processed food
• less sugar

And... ENJOY it!