Is a carb a carb ?

Okay, so this is the first video in a series I'm starting about the most common fitness questions and myths that I get asked. So when I'm asked these questions, instead of typing out a big long response, I can just send them a video. So let's get the ball rolling with, "Is a carb a carb?" Okay, so everyone seems obsessed with differing between fast carbs and slow carbs and the glycemic index they carry. First of all, when you ingest any carbohydrates with other nutrients/food, the glycemic index completely changes. When you eat carbohydrates with protein, fat, and fiber, the glycemic response is lowered and altered significantly. And when you've eaten a few hours before, the glycemic index becomes even more irrelevant. The only people who need to pay attention to the glycemic index is diabetics. But for some reason this fear of high GI foods has spread over to active people without the disease. That said, even the American Diabetes Association have came out and said that the total amount of carbohydrate in the food is still the strongest and most important indicator. So let's look at some research. In a 6-month study of just under 400 participants, one group ate a diet high in sugary or simple carbs, and one group ate a diet high in low glycemic carbs. Both calories and macros were the same for both groups. Fat loss and muscle gain was identical in both groups. There were no differences. On top of this, we have a lot of other studies with varying amounts of sugar, different high and low GI carbs, with the macros the same, and body composition is always no different in all of these studies. Which I will reference below. Even markers of health were unaffected, such as blood pressure, glucose and insulin metabolism, heart rate, and all-over blood work. We also have a lot of real-life examples of those who ignored this whole good carb, bad carb propaganda and just concentrate on the total carbohydrate intake, such as Alberto Núñez and Jeff Alberts over at 3DMJ. We have Matt Ogus and Chris Lovato from Legends of Aesthetics. Another popular YouTuber is Christian Guzman, and of course we have yours truly. Then you get people complaining about, "Oh, but what about my insulin spiking?" Well, most people don't realize that the glycemic index and the insulin index are two different things. Milk and yogurt are very low on the glycemic index, but they rate highly on the insulin index. Beans, another low GI food, is also right up there on the insulin index. We even have protein-heavy foods like beef and fish that are more insulinogenic than some carbohydrate-based foods. There are actually many other protein sources that are more insulinogenic than most carbohydrate foods, such as whey protein. So it's really— there's really no point in getting caught up in all of it. So, is a carb a carb? Yes and no. Once ingested, all carbohydrates will get converted to glucose. This is basic stuff. But 30 grams of carbs from sugar may not differ from 30 grams of carbs from a sweet potato, but please use common sense. The sugar will contain no nutrients, no minerals, it'll do nothing to satisfy your hunger, whereas the sweet potato, it contains a lot of nutrients, a lot of minerals, it contains fiber, it will fill you up a lot, and it also tastes great. So obviously I'm always gonna recommend the whole food option. But a bit of sugar in your diet is not the end of the world. In fact, it won't even stop progress. So what is the summary of this video? How am I gonna summarize it? Your total daily carbohydrate intake is what really matters. Thanks for watching. As always, like, comment, and subscribe really helps, and I'll catch you in the next video.