The Truth About Carbs and Glucose

"Diabetics Need Carbs And Sugar To Survive."

You'll see a lot of people on the internet and in your daily lives pass around misinformation about carbs and sugar, or glucose.  The fact of the matter is, carbohydrates and glucose are related, but not entirely one and the same.

Glucose is a single chain sugar molecule with the molecular formula C6H12O6. 

Carbohydrates are a multi-chain complex molecule made up of several glucose molecules.

So in essence, carbohydrates are just lots of sugar molecules all stuck together to make one big molecule.  This means one entire carbohydrate molecule must be broken down into each of the individual glucose molecules in order for it to be absorbed and used by the body.

Our bodies need approximately 83 mg/dl of glucose in our blood to perform at an optimal level.  Below 60 mg/dl is considered hypoglycemic (low blood sugar).  Above 120 mg/dl is considered hyperglycemic (high blood sugar).  

Modern doctors want their patients to maintain blood sugar levels anywhere from 70 - 200+ mg/dl.  The problem with this is that they view carbohydrates (specifically from pasta, cereals, bread, desserts, pizza, candy, you name it) not as a bad thing, but as a good and needed thing.   

In reality, diabetics are carbohydrate intolerant.  

You read that right.  

Carbohydrate Intolerant.  

Our bodies do not produce the insulin we need to effectively lower blood sugar levels after eating high carbohydrate-filled meals.  We have and inject synthetic insulin, yes, but those insulins do not work quickly enough and are often given without the precision of which our bodies are capable of administering.  Therefore, we can not metabolize carbohydrates and are intolerant of them.  

So if diabetics are carbohydrate intolerant, how do they keep their blood sugars from going too low?  Don't they need sugar to keep that from happening?  Yes, they do, but they can get all the glucose they need from protein, vegetables (gluconeogenesis), and fats (ketosis).   Gluconeogenesis and ketosis are how the human race not only survived but in fact thrived before medical experts and agricultural advances started forcing UNNECESSARY complex carbohydrates down our throats.

Many people will also try to say that diabetics should eat carbs and sugar in moderation.  I would first point them to this article:  http://www.dietdoctor.com/why-everything-in-moderation-is-terrible-diet-advice

I would then say that eating a healthy diet comprised of low carb foods is the only way for a diabetic to achieve normal blood sugars and live a long and healthy life.  Moderation is a big fat lie.  

Poison eaten in moderation is still poison.

Our country’s living proof of it.