When carbohydrates are fattening?

Carbohydrates – How much do we need?

Carbohydrates are the nutrients that are the most important source of energy for the performance of activities.
Simply, carbohydrates are fattening when we eat them too much, as well as other nutrients.
The carbohydrates are some kind of fuel for our body and should be consumed as much as our body can burn it.


Unfortunately, many people still thinking that there is a certain foods because of that gain weight and food due to thin. Precisely, because of this false perception, carbohydrates have already a number of years a bad reputation as one of the nutrients for which we struggle with excess weight. So many diets require partial or, sometimes, complete disposal of carbohydrates from the diet. But, does carbohydrates are really the perpetrators for growing fat, and how many of them actually we need to eat?

What are carbohydrates?

A Carbohydrates are the nutrients that are the most important source of energy to perform activities. Their deficiency causes a reduced concentration and ability in the conduct of activities, extreme tiredness and insufficient recovery activities. For carbohydrates, we can say that they are a kind of fuel for our body. There are three basic types of carbohydrates, which are: monosaccharides (simple carbohydrates), disaccharides (compounds monosaccharides), polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates). All entered carbohydrates are degraded in the digestive system to the monosaccharide glucose, which later goes through the blood into the cells of all tissues of the body and gives them energy. Carbohydrates in the form of glycogen stored in the liver, and must maintain an adequate amount of glucose in the blood and in the muscles that use it as a source of energy to perform any kind of work.

Theoretically speaking, carbohydrates are not really essential nutrients, because they can be produced in our body, or the body itself is capable from other nutrients get that amount of glucose necessary for the basic functioning of the brain and other tissues in need. So, this would mean that the body would not have enough energy for any activity greater intensity, but from the point of view of survival, the body could survive without a single gram of carbohydrates.



Simply, there are no proper answers to that question, but can be said that carbohydrates are fattening when we intake them too much in our body, as well as other nutrients. The excess of unused calories, our body stores in fat cells as an energy supply in the case of lack of food. So, carbohydrates as itself do not get fat, but what makes you fat is a constant intake of excessive amounts of calories. When we eat too many carbohydrates, the body they actually can very efficiently spend, but then not using fat for energy which is stored in fat cells. When we eat more carbohydrates, we consume more carbohydrates and less fat, eating less carbs, we consume more fat, and this is the reason why most diets are based on a low intake of carbohydrates, but that does not mean that it is always correct.



How much do we need carbohydrates?

This question has no simple and concrete answers. Daily requires carbohydrate intake depends on many factors, such as the amount and type of activity of the day, individual differences (insulin sensitivity of the individual), the objectives of the individual with regard to training, and the objectives with regard to body weight (increase or decrease in body weight). The carbohydrates can be seen as a kind of fuel for our body should be consumed as much as our body can burn it.
If you’re running a fairly sedentary lifestyle, you certainly no need for large quantities, while on the other hand athletes or very active recreational must take into account the adequate intake of carbohydrate greater food as the main source of energy for the proper recovery after training.

Here are some guidelines by which you can determine roughly how much you need carbs, but keep in mind that when planning a diet, should take into account the adequate intake of all nutrients.

The minimum that will prevent the breakdown of muscle – 50 grams (1,8 Oz)
Daily average for people with little activity – 2-3 g (0,1 Oz)
Daily average for people with a moderate amount of activity – 4-5 g (0,17 Oz)
Daily average for people with a lot of activities – 6-8 g (0,25 Oz)

These figures may be far from the actual value due to the composition of the body. A person with a large proportion of muscle mass consume more energy even while doing nothing, while a person with a big fat have much less need for carbohydrates. Carbs should not be demonized as a nutrient that makes you fat, but we need to learn how to dose this “fuel “, as a certain amount of energy we need with regard to our way of life.

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