Dangerous carbs

Sidesteal

75% of your brain's fuel can come from ketones, the rest can come from protein through gluconeogenesis. There is no requirement for carbs, even though carbs are the preferred fuel when available.

Ever since the beginning of time we have consumed carb in some form or other... a prime example is grains (complex carb) or fruits (fast acting carbs)... even tomatoes have carbs... I think many don't realize that fatty acids come from whole grain foods (complex carb), some nuts (some have carb).... So yes we do need carb.... without fatty acids we don't produce ketones....

I am not saying its easy to eat a diet without carbs because they are in almost everything, but its certainly possible to do so and survive just fine. You can get plenty of fat from meat without the carbs anyways.

The fat from meat is not healthy for you, it raises your cholesterol .Meats contain high levels of the amino acid L-lysine, which increases insulin production, prompting the liver to release fat and cholesterol into the bloodstream. its best to eat lean meats and preferably soy protein. I don't wish to lecture because I'm certain you already knew that about meat protein. And also consuming too much meat can also age your digestive system much faster because it's one of the hardest things for your stomach to digest..

As much as I normally don't agree with grinch, I believe he's right about this. Gluconeogenesis pretty much has you covered if you want to low carb it, and there's an ample body of research that suggests that dietary cholesterol does not lead to increased serum cholesterol levels.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a low carber and I certainly believe in moderation as you do, but I think it's a viable dietary choice and there's no real physiological harm provided that you can make your ends meet from a micronutrient standpoint.

dinosnopro

I eat lots of carbs, even bread and sugar, and not only have I not gained weight, but I have actually lost! Crazy, I know, but it's true, you can eat whatever you want and lose weight.

Not entirely true there......We all became fat after eating what we wanted! lol

we became fat eating TOO MUCH of what we wanted.

AntWrig

Well.... like everything in life moderation is the key.

Without carbs your brain function would diminish because it doesn't have the essential energy and nutrients to function normally (which causes early onset of dementia) ... and that isn't even covering what your body needs to use for energy. We all need carbs it's what helps balance blood sugar levels and prevents a person from crashing and binge eating because their blood sugar levels are low (yes this happens in everyone not just diabetics).... this is what happens when a person tries one of those no carb fad diets... and then they gain double their weight back.... I've been a type 1 diabetic for 30 years.... I know food to a tee.

What you forgot to mention is complex carbs (the ones that take longer to digest and feed your body energy over a longer period of time and make you feel full longer)... that is the stuff everyone should be eating ie; brown bread, brown pasta, brown rice etc.

We really don't need carbs because protein and ketones can step in when needed, but thanks for the lesson in nutrition. Actually people gain double their weight back because of leptin deficiency that causes them to cave in to excess hunger and revert back to their old eating habits, which usually involves excessive carbs.

We really do need carbs.... ketones and fatty acids can not feed every cell or organ in our bodies... fatty acids cannot be used as a source of fuel for brain function, our brain function depends on glucose or ketones... However ketones are only produced by broken down fatty acids and when the body cannot obtain enough 'carbohydrates' that's when your liver or kidneys produce it.... I know it takes the liver and kidney a significant amount of time to produce ketones. So when you deprive your body of carbs your blood sugar levels drop.... then you go into a very mild form of hypoglycemia... when that happens your body's natural reaction is to get something inside you to restore your blood sugar levels.... and that most times happens to be carbs (that is where weight gain comes in). Eating carbs works alot faster than your body stepping in and producing ketones when you need it.. It can take your liver up to 12 hours to produce ketones and most times you need it quicker than that.

75% of your brain's fuel can come from ketones, the rest can come from protein through gluconeogenesis. There is no requirement for carbs, even though carbs are the preferred fuel when available.

Wow a Grinch post I agree with.

As many have said, for the most part, people consume too many carbs. I also agree body types play an important role in insulin management. For example, my body is endormorphic in nature. So, I function better on less carbs, higher fats, and proteins. Does that mean I go no carb or even reach ketosis? No, but my intake is lower than an ecto or meso.

Feathil

MFP suggests I eat 165g carbs and I'm starting to consistently fall 50g short, but I'm just gonna see how I do... I'm eating my calories but maybe I'm getting them from the other columns and going slightly over on them, but not to the same extent...

prettygirlhoward

bump*

SalishSea

To the OP thank you for posting this. I am happy your family found something that works for them.

I agree, that for some, a lower carb diet works. I try to not eat too many carbs/day. I would say 65 g of carbs a day is perfect for me. Of course I cannot stick to that everyday. For instance, my birthday is coming up and I am going to have some birthday cake! Twice!

Also, I personally notice I have less cravings when I eat carbs in moderation. If I eat a higher protein diet my cravings are almost zero. Not quite zero! But almost.

As far as being snarked upon that is exactly why I have never posted a topic. I have commented on many threads, but never post a topic. Someone is likely to ridicule and I'd rather not subject myself to the meanies out there.