Is Dietary Carbohydrates Necessary for Human Nutrition? page

[Troglodyte]

Is dietary carbohydrate essential for human nutrition?

[@lex]

Interesting article.Sadly,people tend to have a flawed way of thinking,and inevitably there will be people that hear carbs aren't essential and then make the conclusion that because they aren't essential they're bad.I'm sure my body could get by on less than 50 grams of carbs a day,but I'd be miserable and my workouts and favorite activities would suffer,so while they may not be essential for me, it's my belief that healthy carbs are very beneficial to my lifestyle.

[tim_1522]

I think the last paragraph is spot on.

[jimhensen]

Necessary, no. Is it optimal to not eat carbs? No, definitely not.

[iniQuity]

Many societies, most notably those living in the Arctic (Eskimos, etc) survive without carbs, because they simply don't have them around. Though now there are more places where they can go get them and stuff.

There's a pretty interesting read called "adventures in diet" (google it) about the above, written in the early 1900s which to me makes it more interesting.

[Troglodyte]

Vilhjalmur Stefansson: Adventures in Diet - presented by Dr. Bass

[otzi]

Vilhjalmur Stefansson: Adventures in Diet - presented by Dr. Bass

This should be a 'must-read' for paleo folk. In it they describe a meat-only diet, eaten to satiety, and thriving. When examined, it turned out to be 35% protein/65% fat. Experiments with 100% protein sickened them within days. It's hard to believe that you could get a ratio of 35:65 eating only fish, but the fish they ate in the arctic must have had a high oil content. Very, very good reading!

[@lex]

This should be a 'must-read' for paleo folk. In it they describe a meat-only diet, eaten to satiety, and thriving. When examined, it turned out to be 35% protein/65% fat. Experiments with 100% protein sickened them within days. It's hard to believe that you could get a ratio of 35:65 eating only fish, but the fish they ate in the arctic must have had a high oil content. Very, very good reading!

Yet there was a time when the paleo diet vilified fatty meats, it's great how this diet changes when new information presents itself.

[MamaGrok]

There's no doubt the human animal can survive, and even thrive, on a huge variety of macronutrient ratios, so long as the food is completely unprocessed and the internal mechanisms of the body aren't screwed up from years of eating the SAD.

See, @lex, a bunch more camp C'ers!

I love reading about Steffanson & the Inuit. Just fascinating stuff. And totally agree, high protein without enough fat AND organ meats is a recipe for disaster.

[@lex]

There's no doubt the human animal can survive, and even thrive, on a huge variety of macronutrient ratios, so long as the food is completely unprocessed and the internal mechanisms of the body aren't screwed up from years of eating the SAD.

See, @lex, a bunch more camp C'ers!

I love reading about Steffanson & the Inuit. Just fascinating stuff. And totally agree, high protein without enough fat AND organ meats is a recipe for disaster.

Rational thinking based on science and individual goals and needs? Yay!