The Carb Story

It seems to me that most people have no understanding of carbohydrates and fats whatsoever. People have told me that they believe fat is harmless and carbohydrates are harmful. Anyone who fell for the Atkins, or a similar diet, is harming himself or herself. Atkins was a moron. I’m sure someone will want to debate that.

As far as debate goes, only opinions can be debated. Not facts. Facts are true and proven items and are not available for debate. Facts need to be backed by references to solid research and studies.

Here are some facts.

There are two types of carbs, simple and complex. A human body requires both. Simple carbs are most widely represented by fruit. These are easily digested sugars, which provide the energy your cells require. Vegetables mostly represent complex carbs. A human CANNOT digest these carbs. They pass through your digestive system in a necessary cleansing operation. You CANNOT retain any complex carbohydrates in your body. It would be impossible.

Too many carbs, as with anything else, would not be good for you. Too little and the body suffers because it needs carbs for cleansing and cellular energy. Sugar is good for you and required. I put that in bold because I know many of you don't believe it.

But wait, let me explain.

You are putting natural sugar and refined sugar in the same group. They are NOT alike. Raw sugar, sugar found in whole fruit and the like do not damage your system, but instead help it by providing the cellular energy that no other food can provide. Again, moderation is the key.

Refined sugar is POISON! Avoid it completely if you value your health. This includes white table sugar, soda pop, candy bars, (here is a tough one) ice cream, cakes, pies and the like. They are all deadly, deadly deadly!

But you don't have to live like a monk. Raw sugar is available for use in coffee, tea and baking. It's the only thing I use. Baked goods can be consumed so long as they use a raw sugar instead of that refined crap. Refining sugar makes it more concentrated. So much so that it overloads the human digestion system. And severe over consumption of this refined sugar very likely can result in conditions that are detrimental to your health.

On a different note, I spoke with three of the top doctors in the world concerning fat and carbs. Here is what they had to say.

Dr Moideen Moopen, from India, a world leading physician in cardiovascular health and maintenance, responded with astonishment that someone would believe fat is safe to eat. He indicated that 100 percent of strokes and heart attacks are directly related to the artery clogging fats in American diets. He spoke of the love of fat in America as the sole cause in America leading the world in heart attacks and strokes. He said no other substance we consume becomes deposited in the arteries, only fat.

Dr. Panjikaren, a top cardiovascular surgeon, also from India, said he agreed completely with Dr. Moopen and said that 100 percent of the surgery he performs to install shunts in the main neck arteries are as much as 95 percent clogged with nothing but consumed fat. He said he maintains a low fat diet as he sees the damage fat can do firsthand every day. When I mentioned that a friend consumes pure fat in the belief that it is harmless, he clearly became shocked and then recommended that that person find a good cardiovascular surgeon, as he will need it.

Finally, I spoke with Dr. Joseph, a leading urologist, again from India (does this country make doctors anymore?), who is concerned with digestive health. I asked him about carbs and fats. He stated that both are required for a healthy digestive tract. I asked him what would be the effect of cutting one or the other completely out of your diet. He responded that vegetarians and vegans maintain a reasonable health in the digestive tract but do not get the nourishment the body requires. He said a person couldn’t consume enough vegetables to replace the body's protein requirements. At the other end of this scale, he said someone who chooses a carb free diet has a ticking time bomb in place of a digestive tract. The human digestive tract requires fiber to function normally. Fiber comes from carbohydrates. Eliminate them, he said, and your colon WILL kill you.

So there you have it. Your heart, brain and ass are conspiring against you. These doctors work with these body parts and functions every day. I tend to want to believe that they know what they are talking about. And what they say jives with the research I have done. I have concluded, mainly through the diet of the American Indian, that both are required and good for you. The American Indian's diet was high in carbs (mostly corn), and they were healthier than us and lived longer than us.

Of course, and as always, I believe the key lies in moderation. And moderation sucks. So do taxes. And gas prices, well trained hookers, and... No I'm going off topic here, I'll stop now.

As far as Atkins or any of the other low carb or no carb diets go, I find them insane. How else could you describe eliminating a necessity from your diet? To me, it sounds the same as someone saying, "Stop breathing the air, it's bad for you." True, the air is dirty and probably bad for you, but it is required, and eliminating it will be worse for you. Just like carbs.

As far as fat goes, the doctors I interviewed were not giving me a debatable opinion, they were stating facts. When the good doctor cuts open your carotid artery and scrapes the fat out of it, there is no room for debate. It is FAT coming out of that artery. And that person consumed that fat. It did not just grow there. I have seen this surgery being performed. That stuff in the artery, my friend, was FAT. I have seen a nurse take a blood sample from a grossly obese person and she showed me particles of FAT in the blood. The blood looked like a semi congealed liquid. As we both looked at this disgusting excuse for blood, we agreed that it left no room for debate. That person consumed that fat. And chunky style blood cannot be a good thing.

As far as fat being good for you, I will never agree with that, and neither would you if you ever saw blood like this or observed a surgeon cleaning out the main artery in someone's neck because it was clogged with fat.

Let me leave you with a simple explanation of carbs from the Harvard School of Public Health.

"We've come a long way from the days when one of the knee-jerk answers to the question "What should I eat?" was "Get a lot of carbohydrates." We now know that the staple of most diets, carbohydrates, aren't all good or all bad. Some kinds promote health while others, when eaten often and in large quantities, actually increase the risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease. The resurgence of the Atkins diet and the rise of the South Beach and other low-carbohydrate diets have put the focus on the carbohydrates. While it may be true that easily digested carbohydrates from white bread, white rice, pastries, and other highly processed foods may contribute to weight gain and interfere with weight loss, that doesn't mean all carbohydrates are suspect. Regardless of what you've read or heard about the dangers of carbohydrates, they are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function. The best sources of carbohydrates - fruits, vegetables, and whole grains - deliver essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients."

And of course, after preaching about the importance of references, here are mine.

Harvard School of Public Health
The Medical Library

By posting my references, I hope to show you that this information is not debatable. You cannot argue with facts. Facts have valid research to back them up. These are not opinions, as they are proven through intelligent research and studies.