So let’s start with carbohydrates or “carbs”. Carbs are your essential source of energy. You can get carbs from grains (e.g. oatmeal, rice, bread, cereal, pasta, or etc.), vegetables, fruits, and yes even in milk. The body breaks it down into glucose. “Most cells [in the body] take glucose as they need for immediate energy needs; muscle and liver cells take extra glucose to store as glycogen [stored energy]” (Dudek, p. 27).
A common misconception is “Carbs make you fat!!!” so many people eat meals with little to no carbs. Now that saying is somewhat true and false. Carbs will only make you fat if you have too much of it, but you have to have carbs in your diet!!! The picture below gives the best explanation I can find.
According to Susan Dudek, “45-65% of total calories on the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for Carbohydrates”(Dudek, p 30). Meaning anything lower than 45% you are not taking enough carbohydrates and actually causing more harm than good. On top of having dealing with energy levels, you are also tampering with electrolyte imbalances, blood sugars, dehydration, blood lipid, and hormones. Going over 65% your glycogen storage is full causing high sugar in the blood, thus having higher insulin levels, and having the excess energy being stored as fat (LDL, BAD FAT!!!). This causes a wide variety of preventable disease i.e. cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and etc.
Sodas, candies, and syrups have added sugars which ARE NOT a good source of carbs. These are what you call “empty calories”. They provide excess calories with little to no nutrients. These excess calories contribute nothing other than being extra, unnecessary weight for the body. FUN FACT!!! 3500 calories equals 1lb. A large cup of soda at McDonalds holds about 32oz of coke. There are 91g of sugar in 32oz of coke. That means there are 364 empty calories in a large cup of soda. If you were to drink a minimum of 32oz of soda a day for a week, you would be close to gaining 1lb a week just on soda. Now that’s not including the extra sugar you get from other foods or snacks you have throughout the day.
Dudek, S.G. (2014). Nutrition essentials for nursing practice (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.