Why breakfast is the worst time to eat carbs

The worst time to eat refined carbohydrates is actually at breakfast - even though pastries, pancakes and French toast are all temptingly on offer. Photo / Getty Images

Carbs are much-maligned these days, with many fitness fanatics opting to almost cut them out altogether from their diets.

But the myth that it's better to have a carb-light dinner in favour of heavier food in the morning and at lunch is incorrect, according to a nutritionist.

Shauna Sacco, a registered dietitian and personal trainer, from Houston, Texas, says that the worst time to eat refined carbohydrates is actually at breakfast - even though pastries, pancakes and French toast are all temptingly on offer.

Her advice comes after a new US study, published in The Lancet Public Health, revealed that a low-carb diet could lead to an early death.

Shauna told Popsugar.co.uk: "The most important time to eat a balanced meal is at breakfast so you fuel up for the day and maintain steady blood sugar."

She added: "It can be hard to find good breakfast options because we're often on the go or indulging in sweeter options like pancakes."

However Shauna isn't condoning cutting out carbohydrates altogether from your diet.

Her advice is to aim to eat a balanced meal at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, that includes wholegrains and "good" complex carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables and oatmeal that keep you fuller for longer.

She adds that there is never an optimal time to eat sugar-loaded refined carbohydrates such as breakfast pastries because without a healthy balance of protein, complex carobhydrates and healthy fats, your blood sugar levels will spike, leading to a crash.

But if you are going to carb-load, then Shauna says the best time to eat heavier food is in the evening.

She said: "If you're going to indulge in a carb-heavy meal, it's better to do it at the end of the day, before you sleep, to avoid blood sugar crashes and cravings."

But Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, the best-selling author of Re-Nourish: A Simple Way To Eat Well, says there is no proof it's better to eat carbs at a certain time of day.

She told FEMAIL: "There is no conclusion to say that we should only eat carbs at a specific time of day. Everyone is different. Your body is unique, and no one way of eating is appropriate for everyone.

"There is however, a difference in the carbohydrates you choose to fuel your body with. Complex carbs are slow releasing energy that may help maintain a stable blood sugar balance.

"Refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white pasta, have very little fibre in it and these carbs are released and used for energy quickly. These may result in a 'blood sugar spike' and will often leave you craving more sugar and feeling low in energy pretty quickly.

"I would recommend having a well balanced breakfast that contains complex carbohydrates, protein and veggies or fruit, as these types of carbs may supply you with longer lasting energy. Something like eggs on whole grain toast with some spinach, is a nourishing breakfast to set you up for the day."

The Lancet Public Healthy study found that eating a moderate amount of carbohydrates, as well as switching meat for plant-based protein and fats, is healthier than cutting out carbs completely.

The study of 15,400 found that low-carb diets could shorten life expectancy by up to four years - but it did rely on the participants remembering the amounts of carbohydrates they consumed.