The short answer is – no! The longer answer is somewhat longer and more complex.

When I say ‘no’ it is because there are essential fats and essential proteins that the body cannot make, so they have to come from our diet. There are no ‘essential’ carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates provide glucose which is used by the cells of the body for energy.

However glucose does not need to come from the food we eat, we can actually make glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis (which literally translates as ‘gluco’ – glucose, ‘neo’ – new, ‘genesis’ – creation i.e. the creation of new glucose).

Do we need glucose? 

Yes – certain cells do (red blood cells and certain parts of the brain), and they can use this newly made glucose. All the other cells in the body can instead use ketones when glucose levels are low. This is a natural, normal occurrence that happens after a longer overnight fast and certainly nothing to fear. So from an energy perspective then the answer that carbs are not essential still stands. Even athletes now are turning away from high carbohydrate, sugar filled diets and are instead fulling themselves on fat. Fat is in plentiful supply in even the slimmest and most athletic of bodies so ‘hitting the wall’ is no longer an issue; constant glucose refuelling becomes redundant. This works particularly well for endurance athletes.

To discuss this further we need to split carbohydrates into starchy ‘complex’ carbohydrates and non-starchy ‘simple’ carbohydrates. Starchy ‘complex’ carbohydrates are lots of molecules of glucose joined together and typical examples are bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice. Simple carbohydrates do not contain long ‘complex’ strings of glucose, but instead contain a variety of different sugar molecules (fructose, glucose, lactose) and examples are fruit, vegetables, milk and milk products (as well as sugar which we do not need to discuss further as we know it is has no nutritional benefit and is certainly NOT essential).

We then further need to split complex starchy carbohydrates into two groups – wholegrain carbohydrates and refined carbohydrates. There is indeed evidence to say that higher wholegrain intakes are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. So certainly wholegrains have properties that should not be ignored.  This effect however may be greater for some than for others. Genetic testing shows that some people with a specific gene really do respond well to consuming wholegrains to prevent heart disease, and this is certainly something I can facilitate in testing and advising you on. Refined carbohydrates on the other hand do not confer these benefits.

But carbohydrates provide fibre right?

Right – fibre is in essence an indigestible carbohydrate. However this does not mean we need to eat bread, pasta and rice to meet our 30g a day fibre recommendation. An average slice of wholegrain seeded bread provides wholegrains which is great but just 3g of fibre (ranging from just 1.4g to 4.1g) in conjunction with 18g of carbohydrate. Or 200g cooked wholewheat pasta which does provide an impressive 7g of fibre, but also a whopping 59g carbohydrates. The reality though is that much of the population do not choose wholegrain versions of foods, they choose the refined, processed carbohydrates. For white bread and pasta you are looking at just 1g and 2.8g respectively but with the same amount of carbohydrate. Compare that to a tablespoon of chia seeds which provides 5.5g fibre and 1g carbohydrate. Or 80g raspberries which provides 5.5g fibre and 3.5g carbohydrate.

In the example of fibre then no, starchy carbohydrates are not essential, however sources of simple carbohydrates, such as raspberries, may be. We know fibre is essential for the healthy movement of bowels, the reduced risk of bowel cancer, the growth and diversity of gut microbes that impact every aspect of our health and wellbeing and so on, but we can get it without the use of blood glucose elevating starchy carbohydrates.

Starchy carbohydrates are important sources of key vitamins and minerals. Truth or myth?

Truth. We are advised to consume 50% of our energy from starchy carbohydrates so of course on a population level they provide a large proportion of our vitamin and mineral intake. But can we get those same nutrients from non-starchy carbohydrate foods? Indeed. White bread flour in the UK is fortified with calcium. Eat 4 slices per day to meet 30% of your calcium requirements, along with 80g carbohydrate! Or eat 30g cheese to meet the same 30% of your requirement, but this time with 0g carbohydrate. But cheese is bad for your heart I hear you cry – oh no it is not, but that is a blog post for another day. Brown rice and bread are sources of vitamin B1 – true, but to consume 30% of your requirement you would also need to consume 50 – 65g blood glucose elevating carbohydrate respectively. Alternatively meet nearly your entire requirement with one 6oz/150g pork chop (0g carbs), 50% of your requirement (and 0g carbs) with a 6oz/150g salmon fillet or 35%(6g carbs) in 1oz/30g sunflower seeds.

So overall, no, I do not believe carbohydrates, specifically starchy carbohydrates are essential. For every essential nutrient they provide, so do numerous alternative foods which crucially do not raise blood glucose levels.

Why am I so concerned with blood glucose levels? Well, as a diabetes dietitian I need to be. Ingest too much glucose over a long period of time, deny your body sufficient fasting or exercise periods to fully utilise all this glucose and you are on the way to developing insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes. So for health, no, they are no essential, unless they are truly wholegrains. For enjoyment of life – now that’s another matter. Nothing beats crusty French bread or a well-made pizza. Life sometimes is better with carbs. The art is knowing which carbs are an important part of the diet and how to manage those carbs through what you combine them with (vinegar or fat for example) or by ensuring they are fully utilised through fasting.

As always – balance your blood glucose naturally and if I can help with that then don’t hesitate to get in touch.