Are you carbohydrate-dependent? If you are like most people in the world, the answer is likely YES! And this is an ISSUE. Processed foods, carbohydrates, and sugars are more readily available than they have ever been in human existence, so we don’t blame you - and they are damaging your health. Up until this past year, I had a carbohydrate dependency as well, which stemmed from the fallacy that as an athlete or regular American, you need to fuel your body with carbohydrates every few hours. I grew up on carbohydrates as I am sure you did as well, which is a tricky addiction to break.

Our nutritionist nudged me to try a low carb diet last year and within about 3 months of switching from a high carb high protein to a high-fat, high protein diet, I have noticed higher levels of energy, more stable blood sugar,  and higher performance than previously enjoyed. Low carb diets like keto have all the buzz, but is it really worth it? Let’s dive into it.

Quick History Lesson 

Back in the good old days when we were chasing animals around with spears and we didn’t have access to refrigerators and pantries with endless fuel (or complete garbage depending on what you buy), our bodies were genetically adapted and wired to a concept called metabolic flexibility.

Metabolic flexibility is the ability for your body to fuel its energy needs from the food you eat (carbs or fats) or the energy stored on your body (fat from hips, thighs, butt, etc.). This adaptation that we once had was HIGHLY important because it allows you to use energy from your body (or fats) in times of food scarcity. 

Today, however, food is not scarce, and most people are constantly filling up their energy stores with carbohydrates every few hours. Why is this a problem??? 

Our food choices from very early on have led us to carbohydrate dependency. Because we are constantly telling our bodies we will feed them shortly with quick and cheap energy, we never create the engines and batteries inside our bodies that know how to burn fat. As a result, we have crappy energy systems and our health SUFFERS. We are insulin resistant, diabetic, addicted to carbs, and our health at a cellular level is inefficient and damaged.

I have illustrated this concept in the picture below. 

Most of you reading this are likely energy inflexible, or metabolically inflexible (as I have certainly been in the past). Because you feed your body carbohydrates all the time, it has no idea how to burn fat for energy. Your body’s engine, much like a car, can only utilize one fuel (gas) source efficiently. Carbs are great for quick energy, but your long-term sustained energy may definitely be lacking - and will likely negatively impact your body's engine and health in the long term.

When you are metabolically flexible, your body’s engine like a hybrid can go back and forth between fat and carbohydrates (gas and electric) depending on the task or day. You can perform at high intensity and low intensity efficiently. Your body feels great and is no longer riding an energy and sugar roller coaster all day. This creates the most health for your body at a cellular level (which I won’t go into the details about today). 

So, where does the low-carb approach come into play?

Here is a rough 5 step process for what can happen when you cut the carbs.

1. Cut the carbs in your diet which reduces the glucose your body uses for energy

2. This signals to your body that it better build a more efficient engine for your body that can burn fat from food or your body fat stores (because it ain’t gettin’ those carbs no moooore)

3. This improves cellular (or your engine’s) efficiency = you can generate energy all day long whether or not you eat because we all have fat on our bodies

4. As a result of having energy all the time, hunger dissipates

5. You can do work using stored body fat and you become metabolically flexible

So folks. Your carb and sugar addiction is not your friend and is robbing you of developing an efficient, flexible, and long-lasting energy system or body engine. 

Is low-carb or keto the way to live for the rest of your life? I personally don’t think so. It is not realistic nor optimal for most. However, utilizing a low-carb diet is certainly a tool to introduce into your life if you are looking to become more metabolically flexible (or in the instance of the car, learning how to use an additional electric battery) - and as a result, improve blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity, improve energy and metabolic health, become a better athlete, etc. I mean, who doesn’t want a more versatile bodily engine?

I would invite you to explore this possibility of breaking your carbohydrate dependency and see what is on the other side. 

If you are interested in learning more about nutrition and how to optimize your body’s energy systems, we go over all of this in our online program, Limitless.

-Cam at Whealth

PS. It has been a year since I wrote this article. I am now back to eating higher levels of carbohydrates around my workouts and throughout the day. What did I learn from doing low-carb for a few months?

1. The body will adapt to your fuel sources. When I first started low carb, my body was confused; I felt tired and groggy initially without carbs. That quickly changed and I enjoyed the steady energy from mostly fat and protein.

2. Doing low-carb for long durations of time (aka forever) isn’t sustainable for most people. After about 6 months of low-carb, I decided to re-implement some of my favorite carb sources. I have since introduced fruit, rice, and potatoes into my day and I workout very intensely about 6x/week. I personally enjoy eating more carbohydrates today, but all the while understand that my body is more metabolically flexible because of the low-carb stint I put it through.

3. It is about balance. I used low-carb or keto as a tool to improve my metabolic flexibility. That does not mean you must LIVE like that forever if you do not want to.