From scones to cakes, carbohydrates are traditionally inevitable at the Easter table. However, when popular diets dictate what can and cannot be on the plate, more and more people are developing carbophobia.
After weeks of abstinence and fasting, many are counting the hours before Easter until the moment when the fast will officially end. There is a lot of chopping, kneading and baking in the kitchens. Baskets with colorful eggs are already on the tables. Piglets, who were unlucky this spring, are getting ready to be slaughtered in the homes of their Serbian hosts.
Most happily plan what will be on the Easter table. However, in the shadow of this festive euphoria, many people feel anxious. In the era of diets, calorie charts and endless advice on social networks, the fear of carbohydrates, better known as carbophobia, has become a phenomenon of its own. Thus, before the festive table, there is an internal struggle: whether to take at least one piece of bread, gibanica or pie with meat, or to remain faithful to the rule "no dough is out of the question" or at least "no bread after six"?
In a conversation with experts, we discover why the fear of carbohydrates is scientifically unfounded and how to enjoy food during the upcoming holidays, choosing wisely and not blindly giving up what we need.
A few decades ago, fats were declared the greatest "evil". Unfairly demonized at the time, today, say in the keto diet, they rise to the pedestal together with proteins - the current gods of healthy nutrition.
Trends change, and in the new age, carbohydrates are the pillar of shame. They are so accused of increasing obesity, creating addiction and causing devastating diseases like diabetes, that the fear of carbohydrates is getting its own word - carbophobia. People start highly restrictive diets in which they are almost completely eliminated from the diet, sometimes out of the hope for a slimmer body, sometimes out of a desire to live as long as possible.
In truth, obesity in Serbia is a big problem. According to data from the Serbian Association for the Study of Obesity, almost 55 percent of our country's population is overweight.
Is the fear of carbohydrates then justified? Nutritionist-dietitian Dubravka Tišma says that the science is very clear.
"Carbohydrates are the primary and evolutionarily oldest fuel of our body. They are necessary for brain function and stable metabolism," she says. He adds that the official recommendations of the World Health Organization and our "Batut" Institute are unequivocal: between 45 and 60 percent of our daily energy should come from carbohydrates.
"The problem is not in the carbohydrates themselves, but in the selection of foods from which we get them. The secret is to give priority to complex carbohydrates, in foods rich in fiber, while simple sugars should be limited to less than 10 percent of the total daily calorie intake," says Tishma.
He explains that the problem arises when we start equating real, whole foods with "industrial scams," and that we owe the "obesity flood" to that.
"Let's take an example of an apple. When you eat the whole fruit, the fructose in it is 'trapped' in a network of fibers, vitamins and minerals. It is released into the blood slowly and then it is extremely healthy. However, the industry has extracted that fructose and concentrated it in glucose-fructose syrup. The industry loves it because it is cheap, it is obtained from corn starch, it serves as a preservative and is easily mixed into everything. It is the one that artificially stimulates the appetite, so that you would 'ask for more'", he says Tishma.
Glucose-fructose syrup is everywhere: in soft drinks, sweets, processed food, and even in breads and different types of flour. Excessive consumption of this sweetener, in numerous scientific studies, is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, diabetes, and caries.
Social networks have largely become the stage of fitness culture. There are all kinds of videos, from those that are meaningful and useful, to those that glorify extreme aesthetic ideals, extreme discipline and restrictive diets. The complexity of a healthy diet often boils down to a few "forbidden" foods. Advice is quickly shared but rarely checked.
Nutritionist Tishma says that inexperienced people very often routinely throw away bread, fruit and starchy vegetables, and force only proteins and fats. He warns that this approach can have serious health consequences.
"Patients come to me who have developed orthorexia already in puberty, an obsession with 'healthy' food, where every bite is measured and counted. This often leads to other eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia," she says.
"Losing weight is not a simple process," adds Tishma. "Nutrition counseling is complex and should be handled exclusively by people who have adequate medical knowledge, who have been educated for it, and not self-proclaimed nutritionists and certified 'experts'."
When we stop consuming carbohydrates, our body looks for another way to get energy. Instead of glucose, it begins to burn fat. This metabolic state is called ketosis.
At first, it works great for us - the number on the scale drops sharply. However, then we do not lose weight in the true sense of the word. That initial, sudden weight loss is actually a loss of water in the body. What follows after that is much less fun and beautiful. One of the first things to suffer is our mood.
"For the brain to produce serotonin, our happiness hormone, it needs carbohydrates because they transport the necessary amino acids to the brain. Without them, we become anxious and depressed," explains Tishma. However, the problem does not end there.
"When glucose stores drop, the part of the brain responsible for self-control 'turns off' and the basic instinct for survival is turned on. Then people lose control and reach for the worst processed foods. This is followed by a spike in dopamine, and then a terrible feeling of guilt, which in many leads to bulimic episodes," she says.
The consensus among doctors and nutritionists is that every meal must contain all three macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
"Breakfast should be the richest in carbohydrates, and their intake should be gradually reduced through lunch and dinner, but by no means should they be completely eliminated," says Tishma.
He cites cereals, starchy vegetables such as potatoes or pumpkin and fruits as good sources of carbohydrates. He adds that if we want to sweeten ourselves, we should choose healthier alternatives such as honey or dates, but that we should not run away from anything - balance is key.
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