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Here we go again. Yet another nutritional “scientist” claiming that carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for the body and a required macronutrient. Sigh.
In this incredibly frustrating and full-of-baloney video, we hear scientist Bridget Benelam say, right from the get go:
I’m going to talk about carbohydrate and why it is an important nutrient for our bodies.
Important? Really? Are you sure there Bridget?
Let’s take a look at what the DRI’s (dietary reference intake devised by the National Institute of Health) have to say about carbohydrate:
This is a very biased and convoluted statement.
But before I explain that, we can see carbohydrate is NOT an important nutrient since we don’t need any of it at all.
It would on the other hand be correct to say that fat and protein are important nutrients since we need a certain amount of both to live. But how can carbohydrate be an important nutrient when we can do without it? Important = required. Unimportant = not required. Am I wrong?
As I mentioned, the statement is deeply biased to begin with. Since adequate amounts of protein and fat must be consumed to survive and thrive, in their absence a boat load of carbs won’t do you much good. You still need the fat and protein. So why say “provided that…”?
The next sentence reads:
However, the amount of dietary carbohydrate that provides for optimal health in humans is unknown.
It is also unknown what “optimal health” is in the first place. The bias in favor of carbs appears to be everywhere.
I posted a comment on the You Tube page of the video (as did a few other well-educated folks that I know) and they have yet to post them. They won’t of course. It’s not nice to ruin pretty stock-notions with cruel and ugly facts.
OK I can hear what your thinking – there are exceptions to this Fred! Some people need dietary carbs. Yes, it appears that athletes who deplete their stores of muscular glycogen very rapidly and deeply (high intensity efforts like sprinting, mixed martial arts, etc. can do this) require some dietary carbs in order to rapidly replenish their intramuscular glycogen stores so that they can continue to train like maniacs.
Most of these athletes are, in my opinion, wildly over training. But far be it from me to tell them or their coaches how to train (ahem). BTAIM (be that as it may), for the vast majority of people who are performing high intensity resistance training and other sports to improve their strength and health, there is no need to worry about too low muscle glycogen levels. Nuh uh.
Rather than focusing on carb intake as the USDA and other organizations would have you do, focus instead on getting in your protein requirements which can be found here. Always add a nice array of green, leafy, non-starchy vegetables and/or seasonal fruits to your proteins. Eat like this and you’ll be lean, strong, energetic and you’ll sing good too!
I've been involved in exercise ever since I became a member of The Charles Atlas Club when I was 10 years old. In 1998, I founded and established Serious Strength on the Upper West Side of NYC. My clients include kids, seniors (and everyone in between), top CEOs, celebrities, bestselling authors, journalists and TV personalities.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
” Important = required. Unimportant = not required. Am I wrong?”
Yes, you’re wrong. “Essential” may be the word you’re looking for. Obviously it isn’t essential/required to tell your wife you love her for a successful marriage — it will survive — but it is important. That’s where the “optimal health” statement comes into view. Just as a marriage achieves optimal health when verbal affection is expressed in amounts for maximum happiness, so to can carbs be incorporated into a diet at a level fitting for the person. This is probably much less than commonly thought, but probably zero. Therefore, it seems that it is true that they are not required/essential, but still important. While this lady may be mouthing the current party line, I don’t think the opposite dismissal of carbs out of hand achieves the answer. They’re important, but now we need to find out *how* important.
“but probably zero”
correction: “but probably not zero”
“Always add a nice array of green, leafy, non-starchy vegetables and/or seasonal fruits to your proteins.”
But Fred, you just said you don’t need carbohydrates – now you are saying you do.
Sumoman–those green, leafy, non-starchy vegetables have important minerals and phytonutrients. They just happen to fall under the carb umbrella. Your body makes glucose from excess protein, no?
Liz, you forgot to mention the sugary fruits which Fred recommends for optimum health.
Fred has also said that an all meat diet is best, yet he then mentions that actually one needs vegetables – but only the non-carb portion of the vegetables, as though vegetables should be part eaten.
Your body makes excess urea from excess protein, no?
These “wildly over training” people build more muscle and perform better than any of your trainees.
You can survive without carbs, but it’s hardly optimal. The fact that you come up with such simplistic “answers” should be enough of a warning for your remaining readers.
You can survive without carbs, but it’s hardly optimal. The fact that you come up with such simplistic “answers” should be enough of a warning for your remaining readers.
Or maybe most world class performers who are lean on carbs are wrong and we should all embrace low carb. You know, to emulate lean world class performers like Lustig, Jimmy Moore or Cordain:-)
Fred, I came across this; http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/04/feeding-our-gut-bacteria-meat-may-enhance-heart-disease-risks/
It suggests you will die from your all meat diet.