Plant-based/whole foods(grains, fruit, vegetables, and beans) have fiber in them, which slows the rate of glucose entering your bloodstream. Fiber also promotes a sense of fullness and is good for your digestive system. Animal-based foods and processed/refined carbohydrates contain no fiber. This causes your glucose levels to spike, and then shortly after, your blood sugar crashes. This ultimately makes you feel hungrier sooner, even if you recently consumed an abundance of these calories.
Carbohydrates, or carbs for short, can be divided into two groups: “simple” and “complex” or “whole” and “refined.” Whole carbs are in foods that are not highly processed and contain natural fiber, while refined carbs have been processed more and have had their natural fiber removed or altered.
Although bread, rice, pasta, and cereal are all carbs, they are not all the same when it comes to nutrition. Processed carbs like white bread, white rice, cookies, and soft drinks are often consumed in large amounts in the United States. However, these foods have been blamed for causing health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and type II diabetes.
Eating too many simple sugars and refined flour products can lead to these health problems. It’s important to be aware of the differences between whole and refined carbs and to choose whole carbs whenever possible to maintain good health.
Carbohydrates are not the problem. Too much glucose is. This is why we monitor glucose rather than carbohydrates.
Does the human body need carbohydrates to survive? No, however, it’s important to note that the conversion of proteins into glucose is not the body’s preferred method of producing energy. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy, and when there is an adequate supply of carbohydrates in the diet, the body does not need to use proteins for energy.
Yes, proteins can be converted into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis, but this process only occurs in the liver and only when the body needs glucose for energy. Gluconeogenesis is an extremely costly and complex process that involves breaking down amino acids from proteins and converting them into glucose molecules that can be used by the body for energy.
The primary use of proteins is and should remain for the building and repairing of tissues, making hormones and enzymes, and maintaining a healthy immune system.
Our body can do amazing things in sub-optimal conditions, like turning proteins into glucose. But why waste the energy and effort when we could simply give our body carbohydrates, its preferred form of glucose?