Why women don’t eat carbs!
The more and more women I coach the more and more I realise how many of them
Don’t eat carbs
Don’t eat regular balanced meals
Don’t eat before they train
Basically, so many women are spending their days trying to eat as little as possible which to be honest blows my mind.
And the reality is they do is because they have been conditioned to think that carbs make them fat. Which before we go any further, let me tell you…is not true!
Many elite women athletes don't consume enough carbohydrates, which can affect their physical and mental health. Despite resources, under eating and low carb intake are common. Many women avoid or under-eat all carbohydrates, including whole grains and starchy veg, most likely due to low carb/anti-carb trends. This may compromise performance and recovery
Constantly under eating, skipping meals and neglecting carbs are very common patterns amongst women, particularly in fitness contexts!
Let’s be clear, no food inherently make you fat…excess food is what causes weight gain.
And let me be very clear carbohydrates do not make you fat. Yes they were demonised a couple decades ago but here is what they did’t tell you about carbs and what they do for your body!
Carbohydrates are your bodies prefered energy source, and if you want to be active, perform, build muscle, recover train trainng, carbs are even more important. They refuel glycogen stores in muscles, they have been show to improve your endurance and overall they really help aid your recovery and performance.
After training, your muscles are most receptive to replenishment in the first 2 hours, with glycogen storage happening up to 1.5x faster. This is key if you’re training regularly or doing back-to-back sessions. When glycogen is fully depleted, it can take up to 48 hours to fully restore—so consistent fuelling before, during, and after intense sessions is essential.
As well as being key in performance, carbs help sustain energy through out the day helping you prevent fatigue, dizziness and hitting the wall. The lower our carb intake, the higher chance we are to move less through out the day which in the end actually impacts are daily energy expenditure (another key aspect to managing our weight). Whilst some people may express they feel lethargic after eating carbs that usually will be down to the type of carb and the quantity. A big bowl of pasta will be more likely to make you feel tired then a big bowl of quinoa salad which is higher in fiber and nutrients and a slower releasing carb.
For women carbs are essential to support hormonal function. In premenopausal women chronic restriction of calories and/or carbs can lead to lower energy availability. What happens here is it can reduce luteinising hormone and disrupt estrogen and progesterone production which is why menstrual cycles can become irregular or cease all together. Obviously if you are in perimenopause or post menopause your menstrual cycle will be changing so we won’t be able to use our period as a sign, however chronic restriction can still disrupt hormone balance.
First things first, chronically low calories and/or carbs can raise cortisol and stress which is something women of this age are already at risk for. It can also contribute to thyroid down regulation which can then affect energy metabolism and our overall wellbeing, It can worse our symptoms such as sleep disturbances, hot flushes because it might be increasing the fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone. Once you are through menopause having a poor diet or just not enough food can then further impact things like your bone health, hearth health, muscle mass, insuline sensitivity etc.
Finally, do you not notice that people who eat carbs are generally happier people? That is because carbs help boost our mood and aid our cognitive function by fuelling our brain and regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin. Complex carbs support sustained blood glucose, gut health, and serotonin synthesis.
The reality is we grew up eating three meals a day and a few snacks for a reason….and that is because eating balanced meals, not skipping breakfast or doing fasted training not only helps prevent excessive hunger, but it also reduces binges, it supports our metabolic health allowing us to eat more for as long as possible, which in turn allows us to keep our bones health and our muscle mass higher for longer; but it also provides a steady release of energy and nutrient delivery for muscle health and recovery.
When you eat carbs they are stored as energy for use in our day to day life and our exercise. As I always bang on about nutrient pairing, when we pair our carbs with protein and fats we then get better control over hunger, fuel our muscles and recovery and most importantly we keep our metabolism healthy.
I really hope by sharing full days of eating etc that I am showing women the crucial role of carbs and balanced nutrition and why it is key for long term health, for body composition goals and for performance goals.
So instead of cutting carbs from your next meal try and just make sure they are high quality nutritious carbs such as:
Whole grains such as oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and whole wheat bread are excellent choices. They are packed with fiber, minerals, and B vitamins while supporting heart and digestive health.
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, and parsnips offer high amounts of carbohydrates along with vitamins A and C, potassium, and antioxidants. These vegetables are satiating and add variety to meals.
Legumes and beans: Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are rich in complex carbs, fiber, and plant-based protein. They can help regulate blood sugar and improve heart health while supporting muscle growth.
Fruits: Bananas, apples, mangos, berries, and pineapples provide natural sugars along with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Fruits make excellent snacks and promote overall well-being.
Want help with your diet, work with me and become the healthiest version of yourself.
Bibliography
Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A., Burke, L. M. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This paper highlights that female athletes can store glycogen similarly to males if carbohydrate intake (8-12 g/kg/day) is adequate, emphasizing carbohydrate's role in performance and recovery.
Larrosa, M., et al. (2025). Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Health, Sports Performance, and Recovery in Female Athletes: A Systematic Review. Oxford University Press. This systematic review confirms that high carbohydrate intake enhances performance during glycogen-depleting activities and that pre-exercise carbohydrate meals increase metabolism and aid recovery.
Sims, S. T., et al. (2023). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand. This position stand recognizes unique carbohydrate and protein considerations in female athletes and proposes intake recommendations adjusted by menstrual phase.
Townsend, F. (2024). Optimising nutrition - girls and women in sports. This practical guide explains why many female athletes underconsume carbohydrates due to social pressures and misconceptions, and documents consequences such as early fatigue, impaired cognition, and relative energy deficiency syndrome (RED-S).
Vardardottir, B., et al. (2024). Patterns of energy availability and carbohydrate intake differentiate between adaptable and problematic low energy availability in female athletes. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. This study links chronic low carbohydrate and low energy intake to disrupted hormonal function, menstrual disturbances, and impaired training adaptation.
Sert, O., et al. (2025). Evaluation of the association of carbohydrate quality on physical activity enjoyment and burnout in athletes. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. This research associates higher carbohydrate quality with improved enjoyment of physical activity and reduced burnout, highlighting the importance of fiber-rich complex carbs for mood and sustained energy.
Additional insights spanning hormone regulation, mood, and cognition supported by articles on carbohydrate metabolism and female athlete health from Women's Health, Healthline, and sports nutrition experts (2023-2025) reinforce that carbs fuel serotonin production, stabilize mood, and are crucial for balanced reproductive hormones.
