Do you need Carbs???
Carbs or no Carbs?!?! A debate that is as old as the internet! Some people eat them all, some people treat them like the kin of Satan. What is the truth and science behind Carbs and whether we should be eating them or not? Let’s take a look at a few facts !
The place I think we should begin is with the body…. Are we Herbivores or are we Carnivores? Well, we are a little bit of both, humans are Omnivores and are pretty well adapted to both protein (meat/animal stuff) and carbohydrate (fruits and grains) consumption for optimal function and wellbeing. Some people might argue this point with me and say that some obscure tribe in Alaska thrives only off of seal blubber. My response to this is that this is an exception and not the rule, also we are talking about OPTIMAL performance not survival.
Why then do we need both of these nutrients?
Protein is the building block for muscle in the body, while carbohydrate is like the gas to the engine that makes the machine move. Simply put, if you have all carbs and no protein you will have a hard time recovering, not maintain muscle mass and likely have some other serious health issues. On the other hand if you have protein and fat and no carbohydrates you will have very little energy, recover poorly, decrease testosterone if you’re a man among other things.
So, what should we do?
Simply put, we need both nutrients in the correct proportions. Everybody is a little different so this is not a hard set rule but it is a good starting point.
If you’re an athlete or somebody who stays pretty active or really just a human it is recommended that you have a 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat (based on your total calorie intake for a day). This will provide energy for physical activity as well as the building blocks for muscle recovery and hormonal balance.
In comparison you have the Ketogenic diet which is 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbohydrate. This was originally developed to control epilepsy and never was intended to be a weight loss diet. In the keto macro breakdown there is little fuel for energy and recovery, and relatively low protein for muscle gain. This ends with people having no energy and losing muscle typically. This in turn slows down their metabolism because they don’t have as much muscle burning calories anymore. The carnivore diet is really just a rebranding of the Keto diet with a more manly name and promotes pretty much the same percentages.
Ultimately when wanting to loose weight it’s most important to find yourself in a caloric deficit, the percentages will really be secondary. THAT BEING SAID, you will have more energy to stay active and be happier eating more carbohydrate. You can eat too many calories in fat just as well as in carbs, and honestly it’s easier to eat more calories in fat than carbs.
At the end of the day I recommend that you get a bead on how many calories your taking in day to day and then balance out your macronutrients and quit keto or carnivore unless you have epilepsy (I joke of course). Stop, drinking sugary drinks, watch the sauces and butter/oil content of your food and eat an apple because it will make you happy and has a few vitamins in it that you need as well!
If you guys need more information. Contact me at my email or on brofittraining.com.
I hope this was helpful and as always remember we still live in America and you can eat whatever you want.
Stay Strong Y’all!
Ben
Elite Chiropractic 