Carbs – do you need to eat them?

My 13 year-old niece visited me and for breakfast, I offered unsweetened natural Greek yoghurt with nuts, seeds, coconut shavings and fruit salad.  She helped herself but didn’t sit down to eat.  Instead, she rummaged through my pantry and found a packet of brown sugar (heaven alone knows how long it had been there!) and proceeded to add 4 tablespoons of sugar to her bowl.

I asked her:  ‘Do you need to add sugar?’

And she replied with strong conviction:  ‘Of course!  Sugar gives you energy!’

The conversation could not end there.  I probed to find out where she got this information.  Home economics class.  Kids are being taught in school that carbohydrates should be the base of all your meals and that sugar is your best source of energy.

I asked her a simple question:  How much of your body is sugar?  She didn’t know.  I asked her whether foods other than sugars and carbohydrates could give energy.  She didn’t know.

We talked about body composition and food groups and how your body can make sugar from protein and fat if it needs it.  We also talked about how eating sugar can actually make you feel hungry and tired.

After that morning, there are no hidden packets of sugar in my house.  And, when my niece comes to visit, she knows she doesn’t need to eat sugar for energy.  She knows what her body needs based on what it is made of.  And, she knows that carbohydrates are NOT an essential food group.

You do not NEED carbohydrates for energy.  If you eat carbohydrates, you should eat them for other health benefits like vitamins, minerals and fibre.  And, carbohydrates should be considered a side-dish rather than the main component of your meal.