The "Carbs Aren't Essential" Myth

[Westside PUFAs]

"How many times have you heard the following statement? “Science has proven that we don’t need carbohydrates at all.” This is always stated as if it was some kind of revelation and of course justification for a very low carb diet. If you don’t need to eat carbs, that must prove that they are useless, and therefore we shouldn’t eat them, right?

Of course the statement is nothing more than a shortsighted misrepresentation of physiology. The statement that you don’t need to eat carbohydrates is based on the well-known principle of gluconeogenesis, the method by which your body can make glucose from non-carbohydrate sources, primarily amino acids. There’s a reason for this. Glucose is so critical to your health that the body has a simple mechanism for ensuring its concentration in blood for the times when you unfortunately can’t get carbohydrates into your diet. It’s a safeguard against a natural or self-imposed tragedy. It prevents you from slipping into a coma and dying due to lack of sufficient blood sugar. This is not an argument for a low-carb diet or for the uselessness of carbohydrates. It is in fact proof positive of how critical carbohydrates are to your life and health.

If carbohydrates were useless as some low-carb enthusiasts want to believe, we would be able to convert fatty acids into glucose instead of using precious amino acids. It’s time to put away this childish argument."

Simple.

"But I'll just eat nothing but fat and protein and I'll convert all of the glucose I need from the protein I eat, not my own tissue..."

K.

We don’t need carbs?

 

[Peatish Ninja]

Yea, the intrinsic relationship with glucose and the brain in regards to autonomy is pretty astounding.

 

[ecstatichamster]

fat is unnecessary. You can synthesize it and many cultures live with very low fat.

OTOH, if I don't eat enough fat I feel really, really bad. When I was on low carb I felt really bad.

 

[Milkmeateggs]

It is embarrassing but I bought into this crap - Ron Rosedale, Mercola, Mark Hyman all still push this idea as far as I know, for millions of their visitors. I remember David Getof pushing the idea in his over 5 hour lecture, using Weston A. Price as a starting point, than going forward to say potatoes and corn, are two of the most unhealthiest foods on the planet.

Of course one of the biggest reason why people are told PUFA is good, is because it is essential. Yeah, avoiding all carbs and eating a lot of nuts and seeds for them essential fats is great for anyone to improve their health

I am still horrified if I think of the state I was in when I followed this advice. Borderline anorexic, zero muscle mass, chronic infections, horrible metabolism, zero energy. Of course it should be obvious for anyone who thinks for a minute, that pretty much everything that is "essential" for us, is needed in tiny amounts, while non essential things, such as glucose, saturated fat, glycine etc. are way more important, even though they aren't essential.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

we would be able to convert fatty acids into glucose instead of using precious amino acids.?

We are able to do that. I think I posted a stody showing it happening. It's still metabolically costly and eating low carb is stupid as ****. Caffeine and sunlight are not technically speaking essential, but I'll be damned if I ever give them up.

 

[Westside PUFAs]

We are able to do that. I think I posted a stody showing it happening. It's still metabolically costly and eating low carb is stupid as ****. Caffeine and sunlight are not technically speaking essential, but I'll be damned if I ever give them up.

Are you talking about the glycerol part of triglycerides? That's not converting fat into sugar. Its already is sugar. And that woudln't be a good source of daily sugar.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Are you talking about the glycerol part of triglycerides? That's not converting fat into sugar. Its already is sugar. And that woudln't be a good source of daily sugar.

gluconeogenesis