Macro Myths: Carbs — Friend or Foe?

Macro Myths: Carbs — Friend or Foe?

Macro Myths Series: Part 2

Are carbs the enemy… or just misunderstood?

In this episode, we’re busting one of the biggest myths in modern nutrition: that carbohydrates are bad for your health. From keto trends to carb-cutting culture, it’s no wonder so many women feel confused, restricted, and frustrated.

But here’s the truth: not all carbs are created equal—and your body, especially as a woman, was never designed to fear food that came from the earth.

We’re talking about:

• Why low-carb diets work until they don’t.
• What carbs actually do in your body (hello, hormones, thyroid, and brain!).
• The difference between processed carbs and God-made carbs.
• Why timing, type, and season of life matter when it comes to carb intake.
• And yes—we’re talking about biblical bread vs. modern space-bread.

If you’ve ever felt afraid to eat a sweet potato or guilty for craving fruit before your period, this episode will bring clarity, freedom, and practical wisdom to your plate.

This is your permission slip to stop fearing carbs and start understanding them. God made your body to be nourished, not punished. Let’s untangle the myths—together.

 

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Episode Transcript

Jerusha (00:01):
Welcome to Tired Mommy Revival.
Hey mama.
Are you running on coffee fumes,feeling like brain fog, fatigue
and anxiety, or running the show?
Do you wake up dreading the dayahead already overwhelmed by the
endless to-do list, and unsurehow you'll make it through.
Do you long for the energyto enjoy motherhood?

(00:23):
And care for yourself, but feelstuck and unsure where to start.
Let me remind you ofsomething life changing.
You were created for more, moreenergy, more clarity, more joy.
Hi, I'm Jerusha, certifiedHolistic Wellness Coach.
Wife and mom to two wild boysand one baby girl in heaven.

(00:46):
I know the exhaustion you'refeeling because I've been there
barely making it through the day.
Relying on coffee and chocolate tosurvive and wondering why nothing
I tried ever made me feel better.
Then God stepped in andrevealed a powerful truth.
A woman's body is beautifullyand uniquely designed to thrive.

(01:07):
When we align with how God createdus, we can boost our energy bust
through fatigue and step into thevibrant, joy filled life he has for us.
Mama.
I'm living proof thatit's possible these days.
I wake up, refreshed, nourished my bodywith intention and navigate the chaos
of motherhood with patience and peace.

(01:28):
Most days, and I wannahelp you do the same.
If you're ready to swap exhaustion forenergy, brain fog for clarity and guilt
for grace, you are in the right place.
Each week we'll dive into practicalstrategies, faith-filled truths,
and empowering tools to renew yourhealth, body, soul, and spirit.

(01:48):
Are you ready for this?
Let's do it, mama.
Today's episode is all about oneof the most controversial topics

in modern nutrition (01:56):
carbs.
Yep.
Those little guys that we've beentold are the reason we can't lose
weight, can't get pregnant, can't feelenergized, or can't fit into our jeans.
But what if carbs aren't thevillain we've made them out to be?
What if the real problem isn'tthat we're eating carbs, but which

(02:17):
ones we're eating and how they'reaffecting our unique female biology?
Let's start here.
Are carbs evil?
I mean, if you look at dietculture, you'll think they are.
Keto, Atkins, Paleo, everywhere youturn, someone is preaching the gospel
of low carb equals better health.

(02:38):
And if you've ever cut carbs and seensome amazing results like weight loss,
more energy or mental clarity, you mightbe nodding your head right now thinking,
"yeah, Jerusha, they kind of are evil".
And I get it, I've been there.
There was a time in my life when Iwas 100% on the carbs are bad train.

(02:59):
And to be honest, at first I felt great.
I lost weight, I hadenergy, my brain fog lifted.
But over time things started to shift.
My periods were very painful.
I struggled with cravings, especiallyduring certain times of the month, and
I started to ask some bigger questions.

(03:22):
If carbs are bad for me, arethey bad for my family too?
What does healthy cooking actually looklike when I'm trying to nourish growing
kids, not just fit into my jeans?
Those questions open the door fora deeper understanding, and that's
what we're digging into today.
So let's talk about what carbsactually are, because not

(03:46):
all carbs are created equal.
Carbohydrates are one of the threemacronutrients right alongside protein
and fat, and they come in a few forms.
Including sugars, likeglucose, fructose, and lactose.
Starches found in potatoes,grains, and beans.
And fiber, which technically countsas a carb, but acts in the body in a

(04:10):
totally different way, which we'll talkabout in the last episode of the series.
Your body breaks carbs down intoglucose, which becomes a primary
source of energy, especially foryour brain, muscles and thyroid.
But glucose isn't just about energy.
The right kinds of carbs actuallyhelp your body convert thyroid

(04:31):
hormones to their active form T3,produce serotonin, your feel good
mood, balancing neurotransmitter,stabilize cortisol, your main stress
hormone, and stimulate the productionof progesterone, especially important
in your second half of your cycle.
So yes, carbs actually help yourhormones, when they're the right kind.

(04:55):
So where did we go wrong?
Honestly, it's not hard to see.
Look at the modern food landscape.
The standard American diet is fullof highly refined carbs, processed
sugars, packaged foods with fakeingredients and artificial everything.
These carbs do cause problems.

(05:17):
They spike insulin,they stress your liver.
They mess with your mood, energy,and hunger cues, and they absolutely
contribute to weight gain and inflammationwhen eaten constantly and without balance.
But let's be clear, it's not sweetpotatoes that are tanking your health.
It's the Pop-Tarts.
So what about the carbs God made?

(05:39):
Let's take a breath and comeback to God's design because
carbs, real ones, were his idea.
He gave us sweet potatoes, lentils, beans,ancient grains, and fresh seasonal fruit.
These foods are nourishing,fiber rich, and mineral loaded.

(06:02):
They feed your gut, supportyour metabolism, and keep you
satisfied, especially when pairedwith protein or healthy fats.
When we throw pineapple and powdereddonuts in the same category, we're
not just confused, we're misinformed.
Ultimately, when I started learning this,it changed everything for me because

(06:22):
cutting carbs worked, until it didn't.
I started asking deeper questions.
Why was I irritable andemotional before my period?
Why was I craving chocolate andfruit and all of the off limits
things during my luteal phase?
And why was I tired even thoughI was doing everything right?

(06:42):
Turns out my body needed carbs, especiallyduring the second half of my cycle when
my hormones were shifting and my bodywas naturally craving more glucose to
produce progesterone and calm cortisol.
Once I added real whole carbs back in,and timed them with my body's rhythm, I

(07:06):
felt grounded again, stable and clear.
And even more importantly,I felt confident feeding my
family food that wasn't aboutrestriction, but about nourishment.
Now, let's talk about bread becausewe can't pass up the fact that
bread was mentioned in the Bible.

(07:31):
Now let's talk about bread.
Yes, it's in the Bible.
Jesus broke bread.
It's part of Jewish feasts andcelebrations in daily life.
But here's what most people don't realize,the bread they ate back then, it was
nothing like the bread we eat today.
Ancient wheat was what I callunadultered, meaning it hadn't been

(07:54):
bred, modified, or stripped of nutrients.
It was closer to the originalgrain God created on the earth.
They also didn't have quick rise yeast.
They used natural fermentation,which is more like sourdough.
They ground fresh wheat, often sproutedit, baked it daily, and ate it fresh.

(08:15):
Today's bread is ultra processed,made with bleached flour, it's
full of additives and it's designedto stay on the shelf for weeks.
Honestly, if you showed a loaf of modernbread to someone in ancient Israel, they'd
probably say, "what is this futuristicspace food?" If you want bread to work

(08:38):
for your body, not against it, get asclose to the original process as you can.
That's why I'm on my own wholewheat sourdough journey right now.
It's slower, yes.
But it's richer and way more nourishing.
And let's be honest, we allneed more bread in our life.
Also fun fact, some people tolerate breadand gluten in general better in places

(09:03):
like Europe simply because of gut lineage.
Let me explain what I mean.
They've inherited specific probioticsthat help break down gluten.
Many of us have lost that overgenerations of antibiotic use,
processed food and gut disruption.
So when you're looking at somebodyelse who can eat a bunch of pasta

(09:25):
or bread and they never feel tired,or bloated, or just super off, and
they don't gain weight, and you'rethinking, what is going on with them?
Did they just get the metabolic lottery?
Well, yes and no.
They didn't get the metaboliclottery, but they may have gotten
gut lineage that actually sets themup for success in eating gluten

(09:48):
more often because they've been ableto keep that in their family line.
Again, it's not your fault, butit's something to be aware of.
I've even heard of people like Lisaand John Bevere talk about how because
they're Italian, they believe in pasta.
And I'm like, great.
I would love to believe in pasta too,but it doesn't work for me that way.

(10:10):
I can't just eat a bunch of pasta andfeel great, even if it is non GMO.
But here's what everyone needs to know.
If you're a woman in your fertileyears trying to balance hormones,
raise kids, or recover from stress,you probably need some carbs.
But not the ones in the vending machine.

You need the ones God designed (10:28):
sweet potatoes, root veggies, lentils and
beans, whole fruits and homemadeor naturally fermented breads.
And the good news is you don'thave to eat them all the time.
You just need to eat them strategically.
Honor your cycle, pay attentionto cravings, choose real food.

(10:51):
That's how you work withyour body, not against it.
Here's some practical tips tohelp you get started today.
Choose carbs that come from theearth, real, whole, and colorful.
Pair them with protein or fatto keep your blood sugar steady.
Eat more carbs before yourperiod or during times of stress,

(11:12):
breastfeeding, or heavy activity.
And avoid refined carbs on their ownbecause they're the fast track to a crash.
And lastly, keep a journal and trackhow different carbs make you feel.
Not everybody will respond tocarbs the same way, so learn
what works for your body.
There was a time when I swore off potatoesabsolutely altogether because after

(11:37):
integrating them into my diet, I realizedthat brain fog came over me really bad.
And so I actually swore them off anddecided I was not going to eat potatoes,
except on a very rare occasion.
But eventually I figured outthat I was eating them at
the wrong times of the month.
When my estrogen needed to behigh, potatoes were definitely not

(12:00):
gonna serve my body and they weregonna make me feel foggy and tired.
But if I ate them when myprogesterone needed to be high,
then I actually felt pretty good.
And so it's all about learning towork with your body the way that
God designed you as a female.
And if you're wondering what theworld are you talking about, and

(12:21):
how do I eat to balance my hormones?
I have good news for you.
I actually have a course designed aroundteaching women exactly how to do this.
How to eat, detox, and balance yourhormones with natural foods and to
work with your body the way that Goddesigned it, not the way that current

(12:41):
culture tells you you need to diet.
So if you're interested, findthe links down below in the
show notes for more information.
But here's what I wantyou to know right now.
Carbs are not the enemy.
Confusion is.
And today you just took amajor step toward clarity and
confidence in your health journey.
Next week we're diving into anotherheavily misunderstood macro: protein.

(13:06):
But we're not just talkingabout how to get more.
We're talking about the overhype too.
From protein powders to carnivorediets, the wellness world has
pushed protein in ways that mayactually hurt women more than help.
You'll learn how to find balancethat supports your body without
falling for the marketing schemes.

(13:27):
Mama, if this episode helpedyou feel more at peace with your
plate, would you text it to afriend or share it in your stories?
Let's spread the food freedom.
Until next time, stay nourished,stay grounded, and remember
you were made for wellness.
Mama, I hope this episode blessedyou and reminded you that you were

(13:49):
beautifully and uniquely made to thrive.
If today's conversation spoke to yourheart, I'd love for you to take a
moment to leave a rating and review.
Not only does it encourage me,but it helps more tired mamas
discover the hope, healing, andenergy they've been searching for.
You are not in this alone.
Make sure to hit subscribeso you never miss an episode.

(14:10):
Together we will reclaim yourenergy, renew your health, and revive
your spirit one step at a time.
Until next time.
Remember, you are beautifully designed byGod to live with energy, clarity, and joy.
You're not just surviving mama.
You're stepping into the vibrantlife you were created for.
I'm cheering you on.