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Carbohydrates are foods that are converted to glucose (sugar) in the body. Grain, pasta, rice, beans, bread, cereal, table sugar, juice and fruit are all examples of carbohydrates. Basically anything that is not meat, eggs or cheese is a carbohydrate. There are two types of carbohydrates (carbs), simple and complex. The main difference between the two is that complex carbs convert to glucose at a slightly slower rate.

We have been taught that carbohydrates are an essential nutrient for energy and maintaining good nutrition. Is this true? No. We actually don't need any dietary carbohydrates.¹ Though it is true we can get energy from carbs, they are not the best source of energy. We get a quick burst of energy from carbs, but soon the energy is gone and is replaced by a low or tired feeling. Energy from protein and natural fat provides a steady, consistent energy that does not have highs and lows. The quick burst of energy comes from the carbs being converted to sugar (glucose) during digestion. This happens very quickly, giving us a quick energy boost, but then along comes insulin. Insulin is a hormone often referred to as the fat storage hormone.²  It is used by the body to maintain constant blood sugar levels. When our sugar levels go up, insulin is produced and a chemical reaction converts the sugar in the blood into less harmful substances, which ultimately get stored as fat. This rapid reduction of the sugar in the blood creates a low, or fatigued, feeling. Since carbs are digested very quickly they don’t sustain your hunger for very long. This usually leads to eating more carbs and repeating the cycle. If you are someone who eats and craves more food all day long and is regularly fatigued, now you know why this is happening!

Overloading on sugar can damage our bodies. Most all carbohydrates are converted to glucose (sugar) during digestion. Whether you eat a piece of fruit or piece of cake; it all becomes the same sugar in the body. Fruits may contain vitamins that cake doesn't, but in terms of sugar, it's the same thing. Five grams of carbohydrates are equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. A typical piece of fruit has 5 to 8 teaspoons of sugar in it. Imagine what eating the recommended servings of fruit, grain, and starch adds up to! The average person consumes 60 teaspoons of sugar per day without even realizing it!   We recommend staying below 60 to 70 grams of carbohydrates each day.

Large amounts of sugar can overwhelm your pancreas.  High insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance, which increases your risk of diabetes.³  Insulin takes the sugar and stores as fat around your body. Too much sugar contributes to excess fat storage and obesity! The body only maintains about 1 teaspoon of sugar in the bloodstream at any given time. Any excess carbs that are not immediately used for energy are stored as fat.⁴ In addition to the carbs being stored as fat, the insulin released in response to carbs actually prevents the body from burning fat.⁵ Overloading on carbs is double trouble: they produce fat and keep you from burning it too!

High insulin levels also can cause to much cholesterol to be produced by your body.⁶

Many carbohydrates that we eat are processed. Grains go bad very quickly and food processing increases the shelf life of foods. Whole raw grains contain healthy essential oils (EFAs) that we will talk about later. These oils, when exposed to air, oxidize very quickly and become rancid. Processing removes or destroys the essential oils so the foods won't spoil as quickly. This creates two problems: our foods are left without essential nutrients that our bodies need and harmful transfats are produced during processing. When the oils are destroyed during processing, they are altered into a transfat. Transfats have been shown to be harmful to the body.

Another problem with carbohydrates is that unlike proteins and natural fats, the more carbs you eat, the more you want. You can’t eat just one, right? Carbs don't fulfill the body’s appetite like proteins and fats do.

By cutting down on carbs you will put less stress on your pancreas, which won’t need to produce as much insulin. Eating less carbs means less damaging sugar in the bloodstream and lower insulin levels, which will reduce your risk of diabetes⁷ and help you keep those excess pounds off!

Problems associated with carb overload

• Fat production and weight gain
• High blood sugar / insulin levels
• Stimulates production of cholesterol
• Increases blood pressure
• Raises triglycerides
• Affects hormone balance
• Leads to insulin resistance
• Insulin resistance increases your risk for diabetes
• Heartburn / acid reflux
• Headaches
• Many of these problems increase the risk of heart disease

1. Richard MacKarness, Eat Fat and Grow Slim (London: HarvillPress, 1958).
Jonny Bowden, Living the Low Carb Life (Philadelphia: Sterling Publishing, 2004).
Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and John G. Hall Ph.D., Textbook of Medical Physiology (New York: W B Saunders Company, Ninth Edition, 1996).
Dawn B. Marks, Ph.D., Allan D. Marks, MD, and Colleen M. Smith, Ph.D., Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996).
2. Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and John G. Hall Ph.D., Textbook of Medical Physiology (New York: W B Saunders Company, Ninth Edition, 1996).

3. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, “Findings and Recomendations on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome” (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Washington, D.C., 25-26 August 2002).
4. Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and John G. Hall Ph.D., Textbook of Medical Physiology (New York: W B Saunders Company, Ninth Edition, 1996).

5. Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and John G. Hall Ph.D., Textbook of Medical Physiology (New York: W B Saunders Company, Ninth Edition, 1996).
Dawn B. Marks, Ph.D., Allan D. Marks, MD, and Colleen M. Smith, Ph.D., Basic Medical Biochemistry A Clinical Approach (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996).
Jonny Bowden, Living the Low Carb Life (Philadelphia: Sterling Publishing, 2004).

6. Jonny Bowden, Living the Low Carb Life (Philadelphia: Sterling Publishing, 2004).

7. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, “Findings and Recomendations on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome” (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Washington, D.C., 25-26 August 2002).

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