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Quote by amberstone
Whats the whole issue with Carbs? I get that carbs turn to sugar so limit it. But thats about my overall understanding. Anyone have a general, basic explanation or point me in the right direction. I did google but didn't get a very clear picture ... but then maybe that's just because I'm tired!! And hungry....
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This is the deal with carbs.
Carbs are not actually needed at all in the human body, so they are not ESSENTIAL, the body can produce all the glucose it needs from a variety of sources.
Carbs, whatever the type, eventually end up as glucose. Fructose from fruit, still becomes glucose, but it has to be processed directly in the liver, it can't just be stored in muscle tissue like glucose from starchy carbs ca.
Glucose is preferentially used by the body to fuel energy needs, in fact, the brain, heart, and some other functions can ONLY use glucose.
There are a couple of ways glucose from dietary carbs can be stored. In the muscles and liver as a storage for future activities (intense activity requires glucose for energy, lower intensity aerobic exercise can utilise fat for fuel). The stored glucose is called glycogen.
The reason carbs (it does not matter whether simple of complex carbs) can be stored as fat is that once the muscle and liver stores are filled (around 500g total capacity for most people), the body will convert carbs into fat storage to help maintain safe blood sugar levels.
Most sedentary people eat far too many carbs for their activity levels. A good starting point for the relatively non-active is 10-150g of carbohydrate per day.
Re slow release carbs. Yes, eating carbs with fibre will slow down release from the gut, but if you eat fat with your meal (as most people do) this also slows down gut emptying.
I think it is fair to say that if you are after fat loss, keep the carbs in check 100g a day to start, get pretty much all of that from veg and a little fruit. If you want to eat white rice and starchy carbs, then eat them in moderation, or get involved in high intensity activity and eat them afterwards, when the body will more readily shuttle them into muscle glycogen repletion.
Unfortunately, most people think that because so many carb sources are available, it is our god given right to eat them, not advisable if you want a good body composition.
Steve