Are Carbs Bad for You? How to Enjoy Pasta, Potatoes and Brownies on Breakfast Television
Are carbs bad for you? If you’ve ever tried to eat healthier, lose weight or manage your blood sugar, chances are you’ve asked yourself this question. Carbohydrates have gotten such a bad reputation that many people think they need to give up bread, pasta, potatoes and even fruit to be healthy.
But here’s the good news. You don’t have to give up carbs to eat healthy! Watch my latest Breakfast Television Segment and scroll down for recipes.
Carbohydrates are our body’s preferred energy source, and many carbohydrate-rich foods are packed with important nutrients. The key isn’t eliminating carbs. It’s learning how to enjoy them as part of a balanced meal.
In honour of Diabetes Awareness Month, I joined the hosts of Breakfast Television to answer the question, “Are carbs bad for you?” and share three delicious ways to enjoy some of our favourite carbohydrate-rich foods: pasta, potatoes and brownies!
I’ll share a link to the segment here once it is live.
Are Carbs Bad for You? Here’s What You Need to Know
Let’s clear something up right away. Carbohydrates aren’t bad for you! In fact, they play an important role in a healthy diet.
When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks many of them down into glucose, which is used for energy. This is especially important for your brain and muscles.
The challenge is that not all carbohydrates affect your blood sugar in the same way. Foods like white bread, pastries and sugary drinks are often digested quickly, while foods rich in fibre, such as beans, whole grains and vegetables, tend to be digested more slowly.
And here’s something I always remind my clients: You don’t just eat nutrients. You eat meals!
Instead of focusing on whether a food contains carbohydrates, I encourage you to look at what else is on your plate.
The Secret to Balancing Carbs: Protein, Healthy Fat and Fibre
One of my favourite ways to support balanced blood sugar is to pair carbohydrate-rich foods with three important nutrients:
- Protein: Helps keep you feeling full and satisfied and can moderate the blood sugar response when eaten with carbohydrates.
- Healthy fat: Slows digestion and helps make meals more satisfying. Think olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.
- Fibre: Slows carbohydrate absorption and supports digestive health. You’ll find it in beans, vegetables, whole grains and seeds.
When you combine these nutrients with carbohydrates, you can create meals that are more satisfying and may lead to a more gradual rise in blood sugar.
This doesn’t mean you can eat unlimited carbohydrates without affecting your blood sugar. Portion sizes still matter, especially if you’re living with diabetes. But it does mean you can enjoy the foods you love without feeling like you’re breaking all the healthy eating rules.
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It contains lots of blood sugar-balancing hacks and recipes.
Can You Eat Pasta and Still Balance Your Blood Sugar?
Absolutely! Pasta is one of those foods that often gets put on the “do not eat” list when people are trying to manage their blood sugar. But I love pasta, and I don’t think we need to give it up.
During my Breakfast Television segment, I showed how to transform a simple bowl of pasta into a more balanced meal using my Roasted Garlic and Tomato Pasta.
Here’s how I build it:
Start with whole wheat pasta. I like whole wheat pasta because it contains more fibre than regular white pasta. Fibre helps slow digestion and supports a more gradual rise in blood sugar. You can also try chickpea pasta for even more fibre and protein.
Add protein. My roasted garlic tomato sauce contains Greek yogurt and white kidney beans. The Greek yogurt makes the sauce deliciously creamy while adding protein, and the white kidney beans provide both protein and fibre.
Include healthy fats. I finish the pasta with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The olive oil provides heart-healthy unsaturated fats, while the Parmesan adds flavour and a little extra protein.
The result is a delicious, satisfying pasta dish that contains carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and fibre.
Want to try this recipe? My Roasted Garlic and Tomato Pasta recipe is included in my free Blood Sugar Balancing Guide, along with practical tips to help you enjoy carbohydrates while supporting your blood sugar.
Download Your Free Blood Sugar Balancing Guide
Are Potatoes Bad for Blood Sugar?
Potatoes are another food that often gets a bad reputation because they’re high in carbohydrates. But did you know that potatoes are also a source of potassium, vitamin C and other important nutrients? Instead of avoiding potatoes, I like to think about how I can build a balanced meal around them.
My Vegetarian Mediterranean Sheet Pan Dinner is a perfect example. It’s packed with colourful vegetables, plant-based protein and delicious Mediterranean flavours. And because everything cooks on one sheet pan, cleanup is a breeze!
Here’s how I build a balanced potato plate:
Start with roasted baby potatoes. Potatoes provide carbohydrates for energy. I like to leave the skin on for a little extra fibre.
Add plant-based protein. This recipe contains tofu and chickpeas, which add protein to help make the meal more filling. Chickpeas also provide fibre.
Fill up on colourful vegetables. Roasted Mediterranean vegetables add fibre, vitamins and minerals. I love using the balanced plate approach, where roughly half your plate is filled with non-starchy vegetables, one quarter with protein-rich foods and one quarter with carbohydrate-rich foods.
Finish with healthy fats. A delicious olive oil dressing and some feta cheese bring everything together.
The result is a comforting, satisfying meal that proves you don’t have to give up potatoes to eat healthy.
And if you’re someone who struggles to get a healthy dinner on the table after a busy day, sheet pan meals are a game changer!
Get My Vegetarian Mediterranean Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe
Can Brownies Be Part of a Healthy Diet?
Now for my favourite part of the segment. Dessert!
I don’t believe healthy eating should mean giving up everything sweet and delicious. In fact, I think finding ways to enjoy your favourite foods is one of the secrets to making healthy eating sustainable.
That’s why I love these Fudgy Black Bean Brownies. Yes, you read that right. Black beans in brownies.
Before you turn up your nose, hear me out. Black beans create a rich, fudgy texture, and you can’t taste them once they’re blended with chocolate.
They also add fibre and plant-based protein, making these brownies a more nutrient-dense alternative to many traditional brownie recipes. I’m also using oats instead of white flour. Oats provide fibre, including beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre that supports heart health.
Now, these brownies still contain sugar, so they’re not sugar-free or carb-free. But they’re a delicious example of how you can add more nutrition to a sweet treat. And they’re incredibly easy to make. Everything comes together in a food processor!
Fudgy Black Bean Brownies Recipe
gluten-free & nut-free
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35–40 minutes | Servings: 16 brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup gluten-free oats
- 19 oz black beans, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked black beans
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the oats in a food processor and blend until they reach a flour-like consistency.
- Add the black beans, eggs, avocado oil, cacao powder, maple syrup, baking powder and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
- Bake for approximately 35–40 minutes, or until the centre is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the brownies to cool before slicing and enjoying!
Make sure you blend the black beans really well. You want the batter to be completely smooth so nobody will ever guess there’s a can of beans hiding in their brownies!
How to Eat Carbs Without Spiking Your Blood Sugar
If you’re wondering whether carbs are bad for you, I want you to remember that you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet to make healthier choices.
Here are a few simple things you can start doing today:
- Include protein with your meals. Add Greek yogurt to breakfast, chickpeas to your salad or tofu to your dinner.
- Choose fibre-rich carbohydrates more often. Whole grains, beans, lentils, vegetables and fruit are all fantastic options.
- Don’t forget healthy fats. Olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds add flavour and help make meals more satisfying.
- Focus on what you can add, not what you need to eliminate. This is one of my favourite ways to make healthy eating feel easier and less restrictive.
Remember that everyone responds to carbohydrates a little differently. If you’re living with diabetes, your ideal carbohydrate portions may depend on your medications, activity level and individual blood sugar response.
You Don’t Have to Give Up Carbs to Eat Healthy
So, are carbs bad for you?
Absolutely not!
Carbohydrates can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, and you don’t need to give up pasta, potatoes or brownies to take care of your health.
What matters is the overall balance of your meals, the types and portions of carbohydrates you choose, and finding an approach to healthy eating that you can actually stick with.
Because healthy eating shouldn’t feel complicated or restrictive, it should be easy, fun and, most of all, delicious!
Get My Free Blood Sugar Balancing Guide
If you want to learn more about balancing your blood sugar without giving up your favourite foods, I’ve created a free Blood Sugar Balancing Guide just for you.
Inside, you’ll find practical tips to help you understand blood sugar balance and make healthier choices, plus my delicious Roasted Garlic and Tomato Pasta recipe.