Without fail, we see a new diet appear each year. These diets can cover the spectrum in the eating lifestyles they demand of their participants (or victims, in some cases).
They range from only carbs to no carbs; only protein to mostly fats; from only liquid proteins to only liquid vegetables; from mostly soluble fibers…to everything else in between.
This special book by Dr. Jeff Golini takes a serious look at some of the more popular diets of our time. Specifically, those that attack one specific macronutrient: Carbohydrates.
In it, he uncovers the real facts behind how our body recognizes and uses the fuel locked up in the foods we eat. Then, based on these facts, he reveals the optimal approach for anyone who wants to look and perform at their very best.
I would like to address something that has made its way to the forefront of the diet group—the ketogenic diet as a solution for what I call, ‘Carb Phobia’. More specifically, I’m going to give you a very serious look at something I find really off-the-wall as part of any eating lifestyle—it’s the so-called, ‘eliminate carbs to cure cancer and be healthy’ mantra that has been wrapping itself deceptively around the unsuspecting and
uninformed individual. Also, preying on the unsuspecting, are the promoters of ‘ketogenic snacks’ as a way to get healthy and avoid dieting altogether. More about those issues later. First, let’s take a look at how
our body recognizes and uses the fuel locked up in the foods we eat.
Ok, let’s all stop the madness. Carbohydrates are not the enemy, they are not going to cause cancer, bring on a heart attack, cause diabetes, or anything else you may have heard. As you have read, carbohydrates are essential to life and the generation of cellular energy.
Glucose is a monosaccharide that our body manufactures from carbohydrates with its primary role being to fuel our body’s cells. In order for these cells to function properly, we need a constant supply of glycogen. If our stores of glycogen are depleted and not replenished, our body can convert muscle and fat to energy, but this process is a complex one and it steals important nutrients that our body needs for other functions. As a matter of fact, our body loves to burn muscle before it will burn fat without carbohydrates present.
If you try to go keto, low-carbs, Atkins, South Beach Diet (or whatever the favorite name is for this week), you will find it is counterproductive for an athlete. Without carbs, you are tired, weak, lethargic, and I guarantee your performance will be sub-power.
