That depends. What kind of carbs? Lots of simple sugars, syrups, and sweets wrapped up in white bread and cake? Ha! Yes. Fiber-rich, unprocessed whole grains? No. Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables? (Yes, of course they’re carbs.) No. The bottom line is this: eating carbs will not make you fat inherently, but you have to choose the “right” carbs.

Okay, so technically if you were to eat “too many” apples or carrots, you would “get fat.” But, in all my years as a scientist (and dietitian) studying metabolism, I’ve never seen it. Or, heard of it. Or, know of any colleagues who have seen it or heard of it.

Have you ever seen/heard of it? Exactly. So here’s the thing. A carb is not just a “carb,” and honestly, this macronutrient (fat and protein are the other two macronutrients) has gotten such a bad rep. Hey, if carbs are so bad for you, why does your brain (and many cells in your body), rely on a carb (glucose) to work properly? And, why is there an entire organ (I’m talking about you, pancreas), dedicated to keeping that glucose amount in balance for the body? Yeah…one way or another, your body will find a way to get its carbs. But, what does that mean for your diet and weight loss journey?

A “high-carb” diet does not automatically mean a diet full of croissants, white bread, pasta, dinner rolls, and muffins (and cake, and cookies, and…you get the point). Many of the more popular, not to mention healthful, diets out there right now would qualify as a “high carb diet.” Which ones? Ever heard of flexitarian, pescatarian, Mediterranean, Ornish, vegan, Whole 30, or “plant-based,” for example? They are all technically “high carb” diets. And guess what? These diets have a wealth of research showing that not only are they conducive to weight loss and healthy weight maintenance, but have a myriad of other health benefits as well. Take the Mediterranean diet, for example. A review of published research in adults found that it significantly lowers body weight, lowers waist circumference (a fancy word for your belly size), and improves certain aspects of your body’s metabolism.

So, go for those green apple slices, frozen grapes, carrot sticks, baked sweet potato, or quinoa. Eating these carbs will not make you fat. In fact, your body will thank you. Interested in learning more? Find out how eating whole grains, a high-carb food group, is actually linked to lower body weight on our blog post here.