Has anyone else begun to fear carbs? It seems all the popular new diets villianize carbohydrates and warn to avoid them. Zero and low carb diets promise that without carbs in our body, our system will use fat storage for energy. True enough, but we will also use muscle storage for fuel, specifically carbohydrates stored in muscle, which will leave us with less lean muscle mass. Unless I am missing something (and please tell me if I am), there is no way the zero carb approach can target fat storage without targeting lean muscle mass too.
The fear stems from the idea that carbs turn into fat, which in theory is true. But only unused or excess carbs turn into fat. Most carbs are used as fuel. So where do most of us pick up these excess carbs? Added sugars. Yes. If there is a true villain in our diets it is too much added sugars. And the majority of our added sugars come from one source– beverages: sodas, energy drinks, coffee drinks, beer, wine, juice. Juice? Yes, juice. Our body sees all sugar the same, so juice adds pretty much the same amount of sugar to our body as a soda.
I am going to make an effort to overcome my fear of carbs. In fact, I am having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, 27 grams of carbohydrates.
FitAfter50 