Why we need carbs.

My father is on dialysis and my brother was diagnosed last year. I was heading down that same road - why I did my research. Not because it runs in my family, though, but because of the crap I was eating. We are all predisposed to diabetes. Genetics can play a very small factor. But our external environment and what we put in our bodies will play a much bigger factor. My brother's doctor is still pushing high-carb on him only in the form of whole grains and he thinks he will be taking a pill the rest of his life. No, he won't. Eventually those whole grains (which are broken down into simple sugars in our body) won't help him and he will have to start shots. Eventually the shots won't help him and his kidneys will start to shut down and he will end up on dialysis just like my father. It runs in my family (both sides) but I won't get it. Because I have stopped eating the things that would eventually cause it. Doctors don't heal (not all of them), they treat the symptom without trying to figure out the underlying cause. They would rather give you a pill and send you on your way.

And eating low-carb boxed processed foods is not going low-carb. And those low-carb processed foods will cause depression and hair loss and gut issues. They won't heal you. To actually heal your body you have to go back to the basics. You have to eat foods your body knows and recognizes. Real food. Even Mrs. Atkins doesn't promote Atkins anymore because they now push low-carb processed, chemical laden boxed crap on people and call it healthy low-carb options. Those sugar alcohols will spike the blood sugar in a diabetic.

And I don't think all carbs are evil. Vegetables can be important - mainly the dark leafy greens (but they aren't needed because you can get every essential nutrient from meat and fat - and the nutrients from whole grains are pointless if the body doesn't break them down - which they don't - ingestion does not equal digestion or absorption). And some fruit on occasion. I had dealt with anxiety disorder for about 20 years. I had dealt with depression my entire life. I have dealt with IBS, constant gas and bloating, sharp stabbing pains in my gut, hiatal hernia, acid reflux, indigestion, nervous stomach, bad sleep cycles. I have dealt with sciatica and low-back pain. My monthly cycle pain had been absolutely unbearable to the point it would wake me up at night and I wished I could just die so the pain would stop. I have dealt with Fibromyalgia - of course they wanted to give me a pill which I refused to take.

I find it interesting how every single one of these issues went away when I went Primal (I eat a lot less fiber than I used to yet I am more regular than I have ever been). All of them. My gut is still healing but I know that will take time. I read success stories every week on Mark's Daily Apple. People are reversing PCOS, infertility, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity (of course). I've read stories of parents that have brought their child out of autism by removing grains from the diet.

I wish I would've known this 25 years ago. It would've made my adulthood a lot less painful. But at least I now that I won't spend the rest of my life collecting medications and hurting.

I love carbs, they taste sensational, plus they give your brain an energy source, which is also good.. and they taste good (I think I already said that). And they don't make you fat, energy in > energy out makes you fat, the body is amazing, it can make fat out of everything, carbs not so much, it can happen, but there are terrible byproducts that are associated with some severe crapulance.

now who wants some fairy bread..

Oh and just because of my ignorance, or perhaps different terms for stuff, but here a medical degree makes you a doctor, ie a bachelor of medicine, and nothing else, does this mean you are a doctor azackery?

Personally, I don't believe anyone that says that they don't eat carbs or that they are not good for them. I can only assume that they mean grains and not carbs, since carbs are found in pretty much every food.

The thing that does bother me a bit is people telling others that whole grains are bad for them. And if you read enough of the thread it almost always turns out to be someone with a disease - diabetes, celiac disease, insulin resistance, gluten allergy, etc. And I wonder why are they saying something is bad for everyone when they must know it's bad for them because of the disease? Misery loves company??

There are some people on this site that are clueless about nutrition and giving them information about disease control as if it is good information for those without the disease is irresponsible and kind of mean.

Most people are eating low carb, not "no carb." I'm not sure where you're getting that. And by low carb, we mean low carb, not no grains. Most low carbers limit or avoid sugar, starchy veggies, and some fruits, in addition to grains (and flour). Some limit beans as well - depending on the person.

That still leaves plenty of room for healthy, real food: meat, fish, eggs, veggies, nuts, seeds, and some dairy.

Just because you don't like hearing that grains are bad for you doesn't make it true. I wish that pasta, bagels, and bread was good for us too, but there is plenty of scientific research that says that those foods wreak havoc on your insulin levels, whether you're diabetic or not. I've not diabetic, I don't have celiac, and there's no gluten allergy that I know of. But I have lost 60 lbs. by going low carb, and my bloodwork is excellent (and much improved from my low fat, high carb days).

I have a master's in molecular biology, and have read a LOT of books, articles, and scientific studies about nutrition. I'm no expert, but I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what goes on internally, on a cellular and molecular level especially. Again - just because you don't "feel" like the information is good, doesn't mean that you're right! Read the journals and studies. Do your own research.

There's no way of eating that's going to fit every person out there. Some people (raising hand!) are very sensitive to carbs. Some people aren't. I do best on a low carb, whole foods diet. When I eat low fat / high carb, I am constantly hungry and want to binge on my low fat puddings, cereal, cookies, and jello. With low carb, those things will go bad in the fridge or pantry - I'm just not interested. Birthday and holiday parties are a breeze - a bite of cake is more than enough. My energy levels are through the roof. I don't believe moderation is the key at all, not for me at least.

Personally, I don't believe anyone that says that they don't eat carbs or that they are not good for them. I can only assume that they mean grains and not carbs, since carbs are found in pretty much every food.

The thing that does bother me a bit is people telling others that whole grains are bad for them. And if you read enough of the thread it almost always turns out to be someone with a disease - diabetes, celiac disease, insulin resistance, gluten allergy, etc. And I wonder why are they saying something is bad for everyone when they must know it's bad for them because of the disease? Misery loves company??

There are some people on this site that are clueless about nutrition and giving them information about disease control as if it is good information for those without the disease is irresponsible and kind of mean.

Most people are eating low carb, not "no carb." I'm not sure where you're getting that. And by low carb, we mean low carb, not no grains. Most low carbers limit or avoid sugar, starchy veggies, and some fruits, in addition to grains (and flour). Some limit beans as well - depending on the person.

That still leaves plenty of room for healthy, real food: meat, fish, eggs, veggies, nuts, seeds, and some dairy.

Just because you don't like hearing that grains are bad for you doesn't make it true. I wish that pasta, bagels, and bread was good for us too, but there is plenty of scientific research that says that those foods wreak havoc on your insulin levels, whether you're diabetic or not. I've not diabetic, I don't have celiac, and there's no gluten allergy that I know of. But I have lost 60 lbs. by going low carb, and my bloodwork is excellent (and much improved from my low fat, high carb days).

I have a master's in molecular biology, and have read a LOT of books, articles, and scientific studies about nutrition. I'm no expert, but I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what goes on internally, on a cellular and molecular level especially. Again - just because you don't "feel" like the information is good, doesn't mean that you're right! Read the journals and studies. Do your own research.

There's no way of eating that's going to fit every person out there. Some people (raising hand!) are very sensitive to carbs. Some people aren't. I do best on a low carb, whole foods diet. When I eat low fat / high carb, I am constantly hungry and want to binge on my low fat puddings, cereal, cookies, and jello. With low carb, those things will go bad in the fridge or pantry - I'm just not interested. Birthday and holiday parties are a breeze - a bite of cake is more than enough. My energy levels are through the roof. I don't believe moderation is the key at all, not for me at least.

In saying that, I've just enjoyed 3 eggs scrambled with a little butter!!

Do you know what I mean though? I look at carb foods in the fridge and cupboard and think "Oh, I'll miss you so much!" Is that normal to start with?

Personally, I don't believe anyone that says that they don't eat carbs or that they are not good for them. I can only assume that they mean grains and not carbs, since carbs are found in pretty much every food.

The thing that does bother me a bit is people telling others that whole grains are bad for them. And if you read enough of the thread it almost always turns out to be someone with a disease - diabetes, celiac disease, insulin resistance, gluten allergy, etc. And I wonder why are they saying something is bad for everyone when they must know it's bad for them because of the disease? Misery loves company??

There are some people on this site that are clueless about nutrition and giving them information about disease control as if it is good information for those without the disease is irresponsible and kind of mean.

Most people are eating low carb, not "no carb." I'm not sure where you're getting that. And by low carb, we mean low carb, not no grains. Most low carbers limit or avoid sugar, starchy veggies, and some fruits, in addition to grains (and flour). Some limit beans as well - depending on the person.

That still leaves plenty of room for healthy, real food: meat, fish, eggs, veggies, nuts, seeds, and some dairy.

Just because you don't like hearing that grains are bad for you doesn't make it true. I wish that pasta, bagels, and bread was good for us too, but there is plenty of scientific research that says that those foods wreak havoc on your insulin levels, whether you're diabetic or not. I've not diabetic, I don't have celiac, and there's no gluten allergy that I know of. But I have lost 60 lbs. by going low carb, and my bloodwork is excellent (and much improved from my low fat, high carb days).

I have a master's in molecular biology, and have read a LOT of books, articles, and scientific studies about nutrition. I'm no expert, but I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what goes on internally, on a cellular and molecular level especially. Again - just because you don't "feel" like the information is good, doesn't mean that you're right! Read the journals and studies. Do your own research.

There's no way of eating that's going to fit every person out there. Some people (raising hand!) are very sensitive to carbs. Some people aren't. I do best on a low carb, whole foods diet. When I eat low fat / high carb, I am constantly hungry and want to binge on my low fat puddings, cereal, cookies, and jello. With low carb, those things will go bad in the fridge or pantry - I'm just not interested. Birthday and holiday parties are a breeze - a bite of cake is more than enough. My energy levels are through the roof. I don't believe moderation is the key at all, not for me at least.

@bcattoes: I'm not picking a fight, but could you please let me know where you stand on the low-carb thing? I've seen your comments on a number of post regarding low-carb and Atkins dieting, and I can't get a firm grasp on what you believe. It seems like you go back and forth, maybe you're trying to decide if low-carbing is the way to go, and you need the low-carbers to play devil's advocate? If you have an idea that you would like to try low-carbing as a diet, I would suggest you read up on it, watch some studies and show on YouTube on the topic--there's plenty, people post links all the time. Thanks!

I do think being about to eat no carbs would be sad, and probably impossible, and that eating nothing but bacon would be sad (and extremely unhealthy).

People on low carb diets eat more than just bacon. In fact, they eat just a lot of the "healthy" stuff most other people eat like fish, lean meats, chicken, and a lot of veggies. I don't understand why some people imagine low carbers gorging on piles of bacon and cheese while washing it down with cups of butter and bacon fat.

I love bacon, and I eat it whenever I can because it tastes so good, but that's usually on the weekends.

just read the primal blueprint then you will understand what grains do to your body. all carbs are not bad, but all grain are. you can quite easily and happily get all the carbs you need from vegetables. you will probably find that most people eating primally have a more varied and healthy diet than those who eat grains. because primal eaters have an abundance of vegetables in there diet its not just meat and eggs. research the facts, and experiment with it yourself before criticising it. once you have gone primal for a month then say your opinion.

I have found that very low carbs actually make people depressed.

But research has shown that women who eat grains have better overall health than those that don't.

Link to study please. :glasses: