carbs... are they really that bad?!

Nutrition × Code

Carbs Are Essential,
But Easy to Overeat

A coding analogy for better energy and focus

B

By Brenden

• May 19, 2026

Energy Done Right

We’ve all been there. You’re deep in a coding session, deadline looming, and instead of taking two minutes to extract a repeated block of logic into a clean, reusable function, you just copy, paste, paste, paste. It works… for now.

□ Carbs: The Essential Energy Function

Carbohydrates are not the enemy. They are your body’s preferred quick-access fuel source, especially for your brain and muscles during focused work. Glucose from carbs powers everything from intense debugging sessions to creative problem-solving.

Just like a well-designed calculateTotal() function that gets called whenever you need it, carbs efficiently deliver energy on demand.

“Whole-food sources—oats, sweet potatoes, fruits, beans, quinoa—come packaged with fiber, vitamins, and minerals that slow digestion and provide steady, reliable power.”

⚠️ The Copy-Paste Trap

The problem isn’t carbs themselves. It’s how ridiculously easy they are to over-consume in their refined, hyper-palatable form.

You keep pasting more carbs into your day without extracting the core need (sustained energy) into a smarter structure. Before you know it, you’ve consumed 300–400+ grams in a sitting.

♻️ DRY Principle for Your Diet

Don’t Repeat Yourself. In nutrition, we can follow something similar: Don’t Repeat Carbs Mindlessly.

1. Define the Core Function
   Identify when you actually need carbs. Build your meals around protein, vegetables, and healthy fats first.
2. Make It Reusable and Efficient
   Choose high-fiber, nutrient-dense carbs that satisfy you longer.
3. Avoid Blind Copy-Paste
   Mindless snacking while coding is the ultimate duplicate code.
4. Refactor Regularly
   Audit your eating patterns and adjust based on how you feel.

The Balanced Refactored Diet

You don’t need to go zero-carb. You need intentional, purposeful carb usage.

Breakfast

Oatmeal + protein powder + nuts + berries

Work Session

Apple + cheese + almonds

Dinner

Smaller rice portion + big vegetables + protein

Final Commit Message

Clean code leads to maintainable software.
A clean, intentional approach to carbs leads to sustained energy, better focus, and feeling good in your body.

Refactor your plate like you’d refactor your code.

Thanks for reading! What's one "duplicate carb" habit you're ready to clean up?

brenden nichols

Brenden Nichols is a traumatic brain injury survivor, coach, and corrective exercise specialist.  He's also an author and entrepreneur. He is an Eagle Scout and Evangelist who shares his story to uplift and inspire others.

He's helped dozens of veterans and parents with disabilities achieve a work/life balance perfect for them and their families! He may not be a father himself, at least not yet, but he has helped numerous parents achieve their perfect work/life balance and spend more time with their families without having to worry about money and getting stuck in an infinite loop!

He's been featured on a number of podcasts including The Elite where he was offered a media contract but turned it down to continue his work with veterans and parents with disabilities.