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All-Carb Diets

An all-carbohydrate diet is a misleading idea because it is virtually impossible to eat nothing but carbohydrates. Foods are almost never composed entirely of one macro-nutrient, which is good because a wide variety of nutrients are required, in at least small amounts, by the body. A more realistic diet might be a high-carbohydrate diet, which is not only possible to follow but more common than you might think.

  1. The Government Food Pyramid

    • MyPyramid is the program through which the USDA gives recommendations on nutrition to the general public. MyPyramid recommends that grains be the largest food group in a person's diet, with fruits, vegetables, and beans all making up a significant portion of the remaining calories consumed. All these foods are significant sources of carbohydrates. During the research process for development of MyPyramid, it was also recommended that carbohydrates make up 45 to 65 percent of total calories, which makes MyPyramid a high-carbohydrate diet.

    The Right Carbohydrates

    • Knowing which carbohydrates to eat and which to avoid is an important part of eating a high-carbohydrate diet. Carbohydrates are sugars after all, and the more refined carbohydrates like white sugar and white flour, can be bad for the body in excessive amounts over a long period of time. MyPyramid recommends carbohydrates like whole-wheat flours, oatmeal and brown rice. Vegetables are also an excellent source of carbohydrates.

    Endurance Athletes

    • Athletes who compete in endurance events often eat carbohydrates almost exclusively during events. Marathon runners, for example, often eat carbohydrate gels and even candy bars to help feed fuel to their working bodies. Bicycle riders competing in long distance events also eat large amounts of carbohydrates during their races to have the energy to compete all day. Carbohydrates make an excellent fuel source, and high-carbohydrate diets are well-suited to endurance athletes.

    Carbohydrates and the Body

    • The three macro-nutrient categories are protein, fat and carbohydrates, and of these three, carbohydrates are the only unnecessary macro-nutrient, meaning the body can survive, and in fact thrive on just fat and protein. For this reason, attempting an all-carbohydrate diet would be a mistake. Following any diet which advocates for one macro-nutrient to the exclusion of all others is highly unhealthy and unwise. Following the more balanced recommendations of government programs like MyPyramid is advisable.

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