Today I'm bringing you some wisdom from Registered Dietitian, Maleah Grace. Read onward for a wealth of information about carbohydrate needs for weight loss!
Carbohydrate: “A large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. …typically can be broken down to release energy in the animal body.” It is the basic building block of life for humans in the sense that we need it for EVERYTHING. Like Leah talked about at the beginning of the month, our bodies break down a carbohydrate into glucose (sugar), then break glucose down to make ATP. By doing this we create small units of energy that our cells use to keep us alive, to grow muscles, digest food, and do the things we love in our lives. Interesting fact? Our brain roles solely off glucose! It can make due with other compounds in states of starvation, but it really doesn’t like to. So why do “carbs” have such a bad rap?? Because companies can make a lot of money telling you to follow a fad diet. These companies took research showing that too many carbohydrates equals weight gain and ran with it. (They ignored the fact that if you eat too much of anything you will gain weight) They chose carbs as a pariah and it worked! The body needs all the macro nutrients!