Are carbohydrates necessary? Some people have a thought pattern that they are. I disagree with that thought pattern
I was influenced in writing today’s post after reading a very comprehensive article from the Harvard School of Public Health. You can read that article here.
How Carbs Work
There is a common confusion among humans on how carbohydrates work.
Our bloodstream needs a certain supply of sugar at given times to feed our cells. These sugars provide us with the energy that allows us to perform normal, and extreme activities. But, we have become a population who has over extended our sugar intake. Much of that is from carbohydrate intake.
When we eat carbohydrates, the ones that can be digested are broken down into sugars. They enter our bloodstream and provide the cells with energy. If sugar levels get too high, our pancreas makes insulin regulate the sugar. If sugar levels get low, the pancreas makes glucagon which forces our livers to release stored sugars.
This process is complicated, but it works fine as long as our pancreas is working properly. If it doesn’t work properly, people often develop what is known as diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is when the body cannot make enough insulin to properly manage the sugars in our bodies. Type 1 diabetes is when the glucagon does not tell the liver to release sugars.
It has been discovered that carbohydrates can actually be a leading cause of type 2 diabetes.
What A Low Carb Diet Can Do For You
Besides lowering your chances of getting diabetes, there are other benefits that low carb diets have.
Faster and larger weight loss
It has been shown that low carbohydrate diets force our bodies to drop excess water and excess sodium which are 2 components to obesity. Plus the low carb diets knock our appetites down so we eat less.
Triglyceride reduction
Triglycerides in our blood have been linked to heart disease. It has been documented that low carb diets lower triglyceride levels.
Lower blood pressure levels
Low carb diets have shown lower blood pressure levels in humans.
Good for the brain
It has been shown that low carb diets, especially the ketogenic diet, is a therapy for several brain disorders. I believe it very well could help memory and overall brain functions.
No Carbs = Ketosis
Carbohydrates turn into sugar in our bodies. Since our bodies need fuel, without the carbs, our bodies will enter the ketosis stage. This is when the body resorts to using ketones for the fuel we need.
Where do these ketones come from?
Fat holds the answer. The body burns the fat and creates fuel for our system. So by eating a very low carbohydrate and high fat diet, we can force our bodies into ketosis which burns the fat stored and helps us maintain the proper weight balance our bodies were designed for.
Studies have also shown that ketosis is a supporter of brain functions. So it just makes good sense to maintain this type of diet. Yes, you will still ingest some carbs, but by keeping the level low, and eating high fat, you can get anywhere from 80-90% of your calories from that fat.
There are those who claim that fat is bad but remember you burn the fat away whereas the carbohydrates do not completely leave our bodies. I believe that much of it is derived from the word fat because we associate fat with obesity.
Keep this in mind and do yourself a huge favor with your weight loss: eat low carbs and high fat.
Final Thoughts
I hope this post enlightened you somewhat to how the carbohydrate system works with your body, and how a low-carb and high-fat diet can be a huge benefit.
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Let me know if this post helped you understand carbs more. If you have anything to add or any questions, please post them below.
Best Regards,
Tara Christopher
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