Anyone who at least has glanced at nutritional science should know that carbohydrates are non-essential. Carbohydrates are nothing more than an alternative emergency energy source. As humans, we are designed to function at peak efficiency without them. We are obligate hyper carnivores and we thrive on animal fats.
Unfortunately, the misconception that carbohydrates are our ‘preferred’ fuel has been so ingrained in most of us, that we believe it to be a universal truth – even among dieticians and nutritional professionals.
The reason this misconception gained momentum, and has been accepted as truth, is because of some early observations about the way the body handles each macronutrient when all three of them are available after a meal. When all three macronutrients are available, the first thing to get metabolized are carbohydrates. From that, early pioneers in nutritional science made a pretty big leap in logic; they assumed that since the body burned glucose first, it must prefer carbohydrates over the other macronutrients.
To understand this simple mechanic of metabolic priority, we only have to look at alcohol. A lot of scientists within the nutritional field actually call alcohol the fourth macronutrient, as it is metabolized differently from carbohydrates, protein, or fats.
If you provide the body with all four substances at once (alcohol, carbohydrates, protein and fat), it will metabolize the alcohol first, then the carbohydrates, and then the fat and protein. So, does this mean that our body prefers alcohol as an energy source? Of course not. Our body metabolizes alcohol first because it has to handle the most toxic substance first to limit the potential damage.
So, the next question is, does our body metabolize carbohydrates before protein and fat because it’s preferred or because it’s harmful? Well, considering that fats and protein are essential, while carbohydrates are not, the answer should be pretty obvious.
And if we look further, at how our body metabolizes carbohydrates, we see that this process produces toxic oxygen radicals which must be decomposed immediately, as they would otherwise cause damage to cells. To lessen the impact of these free radicals, our need for antioxidants increases (especially vitamin C.) However, even if you consume foods rich in antioxidants, the bioavailability is very low, so most of it will not be utilized in the body. Instead, vitamin C will act as an antinutrient and some of it will turn into oxalate, which calcifies our blood vessels, our joints, and our kidneys (forming kidney stones) – as seen with oxalates from plant-based foods. Actually, supplementing them is even worse. Most studies on the vast majority of antioxidant supplements have only shown promise in test tubes, not when administered to people – simply because the bioavailability is miniscule. There is no ‘food synergy’ and therefore synthetic isolated antioxidants end up hurting us instead. In other words, if you consume carbohydrates several times a day, it’s almost impossible to fight the onslaught of oxygen radicals and your cells will take damage that will accumulate over time, probably resulting in cancer as your body has no other option than to mutate cells in order to withstand the toxicity a little bit longer.
Another problem with carbohydrates is the production of triglycerides, especially from fructose. As you probably know, triglycerides will form plaque in the arteries, contributing to cardiovascular disease. They will also cause pancreatitis and liver disease.
However, the largest problem is the unnatural rise of blood glucose, as all forms of carbohydrates turn into glucose in the body. High blood sugar/glucose levels will immediately damage soft tissues such as the kidneys, skin, nerves, eyes, and blood vessels, which is why our body obsessively tries to control the amount of glucose it allows in our blood. Actually, in a healthy human, only one tenth of one percent of the carbohydrates we can store as glycogen are allowed in the bloodstream at one time. Compare that to the huge amounts of fats and amino acids in your blood and you should clearly see that carbohydrates are not our body’s preferred fuel source, but instead a potential poison that has to be carefully managed not to cause damage.
And with that said, we humans already have a metabolic process through ‘gluconeogenesis’ where we produce all the glucose we need from converting fats, amino acids, lactate, and glycerol into glucose. In other words, there is absolutely no reason to consume carbohydrates ever, as we already produce our own glucose. And that is also why it’s so toxic, as it raises blood glucose above normal levels, which will damage our soft tissues.
This is why our body has to prioritize any excessive amount of glucose in the blood before it can return to its normal metabolism. Glucose must be kept low because it is harmful.
Actually, we produce glucose quicker than we can consume carbohydrates and break it down, making carbohydrates totally useless for endurance activities as a fat adapted athlete running on fats will perform much better.
And even better, as fat-adapted, you have access to enormous amounts of fuel in the form of your body fat to keep you going for way longer than anyone on a carbohydrate metabolism. Claiming that you need carbohydrates for energy or to ‘function’ is simply one of the most ignorant statements one can do – and only shows a total lack of understanding of physiology.
Just because we have the ability to metabolize carbohydrates for extra energy as a way of survival when we can’t acquire enough animal foods, does not mean that it is good and healthy – especially not long term. Consuming a little bit of carbohydrates a couple of times a week is not a big deal if your dietary foundation is based on quality animal foods. And especially not if you train hard and only take them before and/or after a training session. However, consuming carbohydrates daily – and especially several times a day and/or together with toxic vegetable oils – is a sure recipe for premature aging, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, many modern diseases, and a reduced lifespan.