I was looking again at the details of the recent Paleo diet study. I was curious as to see how many carbohydrates the subjects ended up consuming.
The participants were allowed to eat as much fruits and vegetables as they wanted, but were limited to two smaller potatoes per day. Along with just a bit of nuts, these were the only sources of carbohydrates in the diet.
Most nutritionists believe that a person needs 130 grams of carbohydrates/glucose for the brain and nervous system function. And lo and behold, the participants in the Paleo study consumed 134 grams of carbohydrate per day on average.
The body can get glucose via a number of ways: 1) directly, through consuming carbs, 2) from protein (gluconeogenesis), or 3) from fat (ketosis). The most efficient of the three paths is direct carb consuption, as the other two systems seem to be more "backup" systems.
Some people believe that carbs need to be radically decreased to lose weight. But in this study, the subjects following the Paleo diet lost weight at a good clip, 8 pounds over 12 weeks. So why would they want to consume any less carbs?
What this study shows is that when carbs are consumed in their natural, unprocessed form (fruits and vegetables), a person will self-select the optimal amount of carbs they need to directly fuel brain function, without having to rely on any backup systems.
