You need to be eating carbohydrates for optimal health
Your brain alone needs 100+ grams of glucose a day. Then your gut, thyroid, adrenals, gonads, muscles, hair all require it too
Making this glucose from protein increases stress, slows metabolism & ages you faster
Your brain alone needs 100+ grams of glucose a day. Then your gut, thyroid, adrenals, gonads, muscles, hair all require it too
Making this glucose from protein increases stress, slows metabolism & ages you faster
You can survive without carbs, but you cannot thrive.
Carbs help lower stress, increase metabolism, improve gut health, increase testosterone levels, balance hormones, fuel hair growth and may even increase longevity.
Carbs help lower stress, increase metabolism, improve gut health, increase testosterone levels, balance hormones, fuel hair growth and may even increase longevity.
Some people do benefit from keto and cutting out carbs, but I think it's for reasons OTHER than cutting out carbs...keto diets:
- remove gut irritants
- are low in seed oils
- high in nutrient dense foods
- increase protein
- reduce caloric intake
- reduce endotoxins
- remove gut irritants
- are low in seed oils
- high in nutrient dense foods
- increase protein
- reduce caloric intake
- reduce endotoxins
It's very easy to scapegoat carbs because many high carb foods tend to cause health issues: foods like bread and pasta are loaded with additives, pesticides and gluten and tend to irritate the gut.
But that's not an indictment against all carbs.
But that's not an indictment against all carbs.
This is why after 6-12 months on keto, everyone's blood sugar starts to rise again, their thyroid levels fall, testosterone declines, sleep suffers...
And if you're skeptical, don't worry, i once was too. I once thought tropicana killed more people than Genghis khan.
And if you're skeptical, don't worry, i once was too. I once thought tropicana killed more people than Genghis khan.
How could carbs possibly be healthy if we evolved without them you may say...
Well new evidence, however, suggested that we evolved on carbs like honey.
Well new evidence, however, suggested that we evolved on carbs like honey.
Keto, on the other hand, is extremely unnatural. There's never been a thriving keto society.
The inuit, who are famous for eating a carnivore ish diet have an adaptation blocking extended ketosis
The inuit, who are famous for eating a carnivore ish diet have an adaptation blocking extended ketosis
Now onto the good stuff
here are all the amazing benefits of eating carbs
here are all the amazing benefits of eating carbs
#1 Lowering stress
Because carbs are CRITICAL for your brain, your body will literally eat itself alive to produce them.
When you restrict carbs your body thinks you're in a famine -- not that you're doing a trendy keto diet -- and your body releases stress hormones to respond
Because carbs are CRITICAL for your brain, your body will literally eat itself alive to produce them.
When you restrict carbs your body thinks you're in a famine -- not that you're doing a trendy keto diet -- and your body releases stress hormones to respond
The stress hormones help to catabolize protein, skin, thymus, fat tissue to turn them into glucose and also to down regulate non essential metabolic functions.
This is why people on keto tend to have high cortisol.
Your body habituates itself to this state and keto ultimately upregulates the enzyme critical for producing coritsol.
Meaning that overtime this will increase ambient cortisol levels AND make it harder to lower them
Your body habituates itself to this state and keto ultimately upregulates the enzyme critical for producing coritsol.
Meaning that overtime this will increase ambient cortisol levels AND make it harder to lower them
Cortisol is associated with almost every health issue. The short term "benefits" you think you're getting from low carb are coming at a very high long term cost.
In fact, you can pretty much replicate aging by excessive amounts of cortisol.
In fact, you can pretty much replicate aging by excessive amounts of cortisol.
Whereas on the flip side, carbs are more than just a nutrient they're also a signaling molecule that your environment is replete with nutrition and your body can lower stress, increase metabolic rate and thyroid function.
This study shows carbohydrates help lower stress.
This study shows carbohydrates help lower stress.
#2 Gonads & hormones
Testes are another tissue that require glucose to function optimally.
Given fertility is nonessential, it's one of the first to go when your body needs to reallocate carbs during a shortage.
Testes are another tissue that require glucose to function optimally.
Given fertility is nonessential, it's one of the first to go when your body needs to reallocate carbs during a shortage.
This is part of the reason why you see low testosterone and lower fertility in men on keto.
Whereas this study showed that men's sperm quality and fertility responded posiitively and rapidly to 1lb of sugar a week
in ladies, the corpus luteum is rapidly growing gland requiring tremendous amounts of fuel. it also requires glucose to funciton optimally
according to dom d'agostino, women on keto are 5x as likely to experience amenorrhea
according to dom d'agostino, women on keto are 5x as likely to experience amenorrhea
#3 Thyroid
Thyroid is the central conductor of all energy metabolism. Anything that increases stress will slow thyroid function. And anything that slows thyroid function will reduce energy production of all your cells.
Unsurprisingly keto is associated with low thyroid
Thyroid is the central conductor of all energy metabolism. Anything that increases stress will slow thyroid function. And anything that slows thyroid function will reduce energy production of all your cells.
Unsurprisingly keto is associated with low thyroid
Additionally, the liver requires glycogen to convert t4 to t3.
#4 Hair
Like many other cells, those with the highest metabolic needs require glucose to thrive.
Like many other cells, those with the highest metabolic needs require glucose to thrive.
Hair cannot survive on fatty acids and ketones
Many people on keto lose their hair for this reason
Many people on keto lose their hair for this reason
#5 CO2 PRODUCTION
Burning glucose produces more CO2 than burning ketones.
Via the bohr effect, co2 increases the delivery of oxygen, further enhancing metabolic rate.
Burning glucose produces more CO2 than burning ketones.
Via the bohr effect, co2 increases the delivery of oxygen, further enhancing metabolic rate.
Co2 has many beneficial effects such as:
- increasing oxygenation
- relaxing
- activating paraysympathetic nervous sytem
- activating vit k2
- increasing oxygenation
- relaxing
- activating paraysympathetic nervous sytem
- activating vit k2
#6 Lower NAD and Cancerous metabolism
NAD+ is one of the most important cofactors for ATP production.
It is being studied as a longevity superdrug. Low NAD levels are associated wiht alzheimers disease and cancer. Keeping nad levels and ATP high is crucial to health.
NAD+ is one of the most important cofactors for ATP production.
It is being studied as a longevity superdrug. Low NAD levels are associated wiht alzheimers disease and cancer. Keeping nad levels and ATP high is crucial to health.
Turns out excessive burning of fatty acids lowers NAD, this increases hypoxia and can push the cell into the cancerous state.
According to researchers, this is a fatty acid oxidation trap that gets harder and harder to escape over time.
According to researchers, this is a fatty acid oxidation trap that gets harder and harder to escape over time.
#8 Liver damage
A number of studies below show that despite increasing total body insulin insensitivity and leading to weight loss, the ketogenic diet may cause fatty liver.
A number of studies below show that despite increasing total body insulin insensitivity and leading to weight loss, the ketogenic diet may cause fatty liver.
The liver is responsible for processing the fuel coming into your body and the fuel you shed during weight loss. Because a keto diet is high fat and your body is also swithcing to releasing and burning fatty acids, the liver is overburdened with fatty acids.
At the same time, it has to produce glucose for the cells that require it.
So not only is the cell burdened with loads of fatty acid intermediaries, it has to upregulate glucose production.
So not only is the cell burdened with loads of fatty acid intermediaries, it has to upregulate glucose production.
Over time, the liver becomes more insulin resistant as it adapts to provide more glucose while also storing any excessive fatty acids as liver fat.
I've seen a number of people on keto develop elevated liver enzymes over time.
I've seen a number of people on keto develop elevated liver enzymes over time.
#9 longevity
Big reason you want to eat and burn carbs: pyruvate, a product of glucose metabolism, is incredibly beneficial and pro longevity
Studies show it increases NAD, lowers inflammation, acts as an antioxidant, repairs DNA damage
Easily digestible carbs are a superfood
Big reason you want to eat and burn carbs: pyruvate, a product of glucose metabolism, is incredibly beneficial and pro longevity
Studies show it increases NAD, lowers inflammation, acts as an antioxidant, repairs DNA damage
Easily digestible carbs are a superfood
Thyroid and lowering stress are also critical for longevity, two things high carb diets help with.
#10 Cholesterol
While I do not think the maisntream story about cholesteorl is true, I do believe excessively high cholesterol is a sign something is off metabolically
without fail, almost everyone i see on a ketogenic diet has elevated LDL cholesterol
While I do not think the maisntream story about cholesteorl is true, I do believe excessively high cholesterol is a sign something is off metabolically
without fail, almost everyone i see on a ketogenic diet has elevated LDL cholesterol
I think a big reason for this is the low thyroid function -- thyroid is necessary to convert cholesterol into downstream metabolites like progesterone and testosterone.
When I switched to a higher carb diet my cholesterol fell and testosterone increased
When I switched to a higher carb diet my cholesterol fell and testosterone increased
WHAT CARBS TO EAT?
This isn't a license to consume any high carb foods. The key to benefiting from carbohydrates is consuming ones you can easily digest. Below are my favorites:
- fruit
- fruit juice
- milk
- honey
- maple syrup
- coco water
- well cooked white rice & potatoes
This isn't a license to consume any high carb foods. The key to benefiting from carbohydrates is consuming ones you can easily digest. Below are my favorites:
- fruit
- fruit juice
- milk
- honey
- maple syrup
- coco water
- well cooked white rice & potatoes
The optimal diet for humans is MEATS & SWEETS
Lots of animal products & lots of sweet carbs to balance them out.
Try it for just 30 days. You will not regret it.
Lots of animal products & lots of sweet carbs to balance them out.
Try it for just 30 days. You will not regret it.
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