Originally published: April 26, 2019 | Updated: February 2026
Are carbs bad for you, or is the real problem something we’ve been overlooking all along?
What a tragedy. Who could have done such a thing? Are there any suspects? He didn’t have to go out like that! The [family] is going to be fried! Just another senseless crime perpetrated on our carbohydrate friends — and I heard some of them got (s)mashed when they saw the pictures
What do you mean, no carbs? Low carbs? I like potatoes, bread, rice, and pasta!
As the trend toward low- and no-carb eating has continued to grow, it’s worth taking a step back and understanding what carbohydrates actually do — and what they don’t — before declaring them public enemy number one. Like most things in nutrition, the truth is more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
Where I’m Coming From
Like many Americans, I grew up in a family that wanted to make sure we had enough to eat. A square meal was a starch, a vegetable, and a meat. A big pot of spaghetti appeared at least once a week — and we are not Italian. Nor are we Irish or Asian, but potatoes and rice were the staples that made the meal. The point being: the American dinner table has always been multicultural, and carbohydrates have always had a seat at it.
Meals were cooked at home. Fast food was last night’s leftovers. Nobody talked about “macros.” Having two starches at the same meal might have earned you a raised eyebrow and a gentle warning about shopping in the “chubby” section — but carbohydrates themselves were never the villain.
So what changed? Is the no-carb movement a fad, a trend, or a genuine lifestyle shift? Let’s bring in the suspects.
The Lineup: Three Popular Approaches to Low-Carb Eating
Atkins
The Atkins diet was developed by physician Dr. Robert C. Atkins, who popularized it in a bestselling 1972 book. At the time, it was controversial — even dismissed by parts of the health community — largely because of its emphasis on higher saturated fat and protein intake.
Since then, research has shown a more balanced picture. Studies have found that low-carbohydrate diets like Atkins may support weight loss and show improvements in blood sugar, HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and triglycerides in some individuals, according to a review published by Healthline. Notably, these diets do not appear, on average, to raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol — though individual responses vary and should be monitored with your doctor’s guidance.
Atkins is structured in four phases, gradually reintroducing carbohydrates:
- Phase 1 (Induction): Fewer than 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks, with a focus on leafy greens, high-protein, and high-fat foods.
- Phase 2 (Balancing): Slowly adding nuts, low-carb vegetables, and small amounts of fruit.
- Phase 3 (Fine-Tuning): Adding more carbs as you approach your goal weight.
- Phase 4 (Maintenance): Eating as many healthy carbs as your body can tolerate while maintaining your weight.
Paleo
The Paleo diet takes its inspiration from the eating patterns of our Paleolithic ancestors — hunter-gatherers who lived roughly 10,000 years or more ago. The idea, according to Mayo Clinic, is that our bodies may be better adapted to foods we could hunt or gather than to those introduced with agriculture.
The Paleo approach emphasizes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while eliminating grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, and most processed foods. White potatoes are also typically excluded, though some versions allow sweet potatoes.
Mayo Clinic notes that the Paleo diet shares many features with other recognized healthy eating patterns — particularly its emphasis on whole foods and elimination of processed items. However, researchers point out that removing whole grains, legumes, and dairy can mean missing out on fiber, protein, calcium, and other key nutrients. Long-term studies on Paleo are still limited, and the diet can also be more expensive and less accessible than more varied approaches.
If Paleo interests you, it’s worth discussing with your healthcare provider whether it suits your specific health profile and lifestyle.
Keto (Ketogenic)
Keto is currently one of the most talked-about dietary approaches, and for good reason — many people have experienced meaningful weight loss following it, myself included.
The ketogenic diet typically limits carbohydrates to 50 grams or less per day (roughly 5% of total calories), with fat making up 60–80% of the diet and protein accounting for 15–35%. This low level of carbohydrate intake pushes the body into ketosis — a metabolic state in which fat, rather than glucose, becomes the primary fuel source.
It works. For many people, the initial results are significant. But here’s what I found personally, and what registered dietitians have noted: carbohydrates store water in the body, which means early weight loss on keto is largely water weight. And once the desired goal is reached, the diet can be difficult to sustain. The limited variety — and the fairly strict elimination of fruit, starchy vegetables, and legumes — can lead to boredom and nutritional gaps over time.
Edwina Clark, R.D., has pointed to deprivation, flavor fatigue, potential nutritional deficiencies, and a “boomerang effect” as real concerns with long-term keto. For me personally, it just wasn’t sustainable. I love bananas, apples, yams, potatoes, butternut squash — and lately chickpeas as a tuna substitute. Yum.
The Real Suspects: A Closer Look at Carbohydrates
Here’s the thing about carbohydrates — they are not all the same, and the research makes clear that the type and source matter enormously. Rather than eliminating the entire category, it helps to understand the difference.
Simple carbohydrates — the ones most likely to cause problems — are found in refined sugars and highly processed foods. These digest quickly, spike blood sugar rapidly, and offer little nutritional value. Think potato chips, sugar cookies, soda, artificial juice drinks, muffins, bagels, pretzels, cake, and pies. These were, admittedly, some of my personal favorites — and they remain the most legitimate “suspects” in the carb crime scene.
Complex carbohydrates — from whole, unprocessed sources — are a different story. Foods like quinoa, oats, barley, lentils, beans, beets, yams, pumpkin, and whole grain bread contain fiber that slows digestion, allowing for more gradual absorption and better nutrient uptake. They don’t race through the bloodstream the way candy or soda does.
Lower-carb vegetables — including broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, and salad greens — contain carbohydrates as well, but at very low levels and with significant fiber and micronutrient value.
The bottom line: a can of potato chips loaded with trans fat, monosodium glutamate, maltodextrin, and cottonseed oil simply cannot provide what the body needs. Most fruits and vegetables can.
So What Now?
Many Americans are scaling back from several decades of the low-fat, high-carbohydrate approach that dominated nutrition guidance from the 1980s onward. We’re reading labels more carefully, asking harder questions, and recognizing that proteins, fats, and carbohydrates all have essential roles to play.
If you’re considering a significant dietary shift, it’s worth keeping a few things in mind:
- The Atkins, Paleo, and Keto approaches all rely heavily on meat. If you’re reducing or eliminating meat, these plans may need significant modification to work for you.
- Sustainability matters. A plan that produces short-term results but isn’t maintainable long-term may not serve you well overall.
- Your personal health history, medications, and goals matter enormously. What works well for one person may not be appropriate for another.
Please consult your physician or a registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes, particularly if you have existing health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or kidney concerns.
I’m just sayin’.
What’s your opinion on this topic? Please leave a comment below.
Sources & Further Reading
- Mayo Clinic — The Paleo Diet: mayoclinic.org
- USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020–2025): dietaryguidelines.gov
- Healthline — Low-Carb Diets and Cholesterol: healthline.com
- Medical News Today — Carbohydrates: Why we need them: medicalnewstoday.com
- NutritionFacts.org — Carbohydrate & Whole Food Resources: nutritionfacts.org
- Artificial Food Dyes: What’s Really Happening Behind the Colors We Eat
Note: The information in this article is intended for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietary advice. Before making significant changes to your diet, please consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian who can evaluate your individual health needs.
Food: The Final Frontier.