They tell us that Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body.
There are actually two avenues of energy in the body. One is carbohydrates and the other are fats. These are very different ways to fuel our bodies. And we will get into the differences in these avenues later in this post.
These are not the carbs that our ancestors ate.
Carbohydrates that our ancestors ate were much smaller, full of more fiber, and a lot less sweet than today’s counterparts. Modern agriculture has created the biggest and sweetest fruits, vegetables, and grains of all of human history. Human intervention has created a time where we can eat anything we want as much as we want anytime we want.
Carbohydrates are not available in nature during all seasons.
Due to the manipulation of nature by preserving, refrigeration, freezing, and modern transportation, we are able to eat these carbohydrate rich foods all year round.
Our bodies have not evolved to eat carbohydrate heavy diets all the time.
Carbohydrates are designed by evolution to do one thing and do it well.
And It Is Not Just The Added Sugars.
Carbohydrates are designed to do one thing and that is to make us fat.
In nature Carbs are only available in summer and fall, making us get fat to survive the time when there are not enough resources to survive. After fall most plants and trees die back to wait for the coming spring. During the winter for the most part there are only animals available for food. Deer, Fish, Antelopes, Birds, etc. This gives us Protein and Fat for energy. And if there is not enough food then our bodies have stored the required energy, vitamins, and minerals that we need to survive the winter in our body.
All carbs tell your body to store fat whether it comes from added sugars or the complex carbohydrates. Bear, Deer, and other animals do not get fat from added sugars, they get fat from the smaller less sweet carbohydrates available in nature and only during the right seasons.
Our bodies have evolved to seek out the carbs that will get us the required fat stores for winter.
When you think of addictions you usually think of smoking or drugs.
But the addiction to Carbs is stronger than smoking or drugs. Even though they release the same dopamine response.
The addiction to carbs is very deep down in our genetics making us seek out the carbs when they are available. And to eat as much as we can to store as much fat as we can to ensure that we survive the winter.
And you do not have to store as much fat as we do to survive the winter. There are no obese animals in nature. The only animals on the planet that are obese are the ones that humans feed carbohydrate diets continuously. The wild animals store much less fat than people and most survive the winter just fine.
Now For The Details.
Carbohydrates:
- Carbs are not a required macronutrient.
- They are very addictive.
- They make us eat more of all foods, but especially carbs.
- They make us gain weight.
- They are a short-lived energy source that needs to be replenished regularly. So, we have to eat all day long.
- They release the hormone insulin, which is the mechanism to store fat.
- Insulin stops the burning of fat for fuel.
- Insulin stops the mechanisms of our body to heal ourselves.
- Over consumption of carbs causes inflammation in the body.
- Continuous inflammation becomes chronic inflammation.
- Chronic Inflammation causes most autoimmune diseases.
- Are not plentiful in nature or available all year long.
- Examples: Sugar, Honey, Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Bread, Pasta, Processed Foods, and all kinds of chemical concoctions that the food industry has come up with.
Protein:
- Proteins are a required macronutrient.
- Satiates hunger.
- Without carbs they do not make us gain weight.
- Provides building blocks for repairing the body.
- Does not raise insulin for the most part.
- Provides the necessary glucose that the body requires through a process called glucogenesis by the liver.
- Are plentiful in nature by the consumption of animals and animal products.
- Examples: Meat, Eggs, Fish etc.
Fat:
- Fats are a required macronutrient.
- Satiates Hunger.
- Without carbs they do not make us gain weight.
- Burning ketones from fat is a long-lasting energy.
- They do not require us to eat constantly.
- Our body naturally stores fat to survive when carbs are plentiful.
- Examples: Tallow, Lard, Butter, cheese, and some natural oils like olive and avocado and of course the fat that our body stores.
The Advantages To Not Eating Carbs All The Time.
There are many good advantages to not eating carbs all the time.
- You are not constantly having to eat because you are not constantly hungry.
- You are not gaining weight.
- Your body is releasing needed nutrients and vitamins with the burning of fat.
- If you want or need to fast either intermittent or for longer it is easier to start and maintain if you have already transitioned from burning glucose for energy to fat for energy.
- You become more sensitive to insulin when it is released.
- Inflammation in the body disappears.
- Insulin is not released when you are not eating carbs and when you fast there are mechanisms in the body that start to heal and repair your body.
- Autophagy, Apoptosis, Human Growth Hormone release, and Stem Cell Release are some of the healing mechanisms that can only be accomplished when insulin is not present and for the most part when you are fasting.
In Conclusion:
I am not saying that going low carb is easy because it definitely is not. The addiction is definitely something that is hard to overcome. I have my struggles every day to try to maintain some sort of balance.
Ideally, we should vary our diet with the seasons. Eating the foods that are naturally available. Cycling between burning glucose and burning fat. This will make you metabolically flexible.
If carbs were meant to be our prime source of energy, then they would be found abundantly in nature.
We should eat the foods that have been available for eons, including fat. And if fat is so bad for you, why does our body store it so easily. Evolution would have weeded out the ones that stored fat.
With so many people going carnivore and low carb on the internet posting their stories on Tik Tok, Instagram, and You Tube, there is plenty of valuable insight of the benefits for going low carb or carnivore.
There are plenty of stories of people healing themselves from all kinds of diseases and health issues.
My own story is why I have started this website. It all started with Arthritis. And it really made me mad that the answer was so simple, but the doctors don’t know or are not able to tell you. The system just wants you to take their pills and shut up. I for one have found a better answer than just hiding the symptoms of disease and actually to get to the cause.