Photo Credit: Hannele Hyppa look here to see her gallery of beautiful images
The brain is the most complex and energy demanding organ in the body, requiring almost twice as much energy as any other organ. This is because the brain is rich in neurons, or nerve cells. These cells expend energy to create specialized enzymes and proteins in order to function.
The primary function of all neurons is to generate electrical signals for communication with other neurons in the brain, so neurons in your muscles, for example, communicate with the brain and vice-versa, to initiate movement of your body.
Did you know that generating and transmitting these electrical signals uses nearly 10 percent of our body’s total energy supply?
I mention this to you, because, so often, I hear other women discussing how they need to stop eating carbs, but let me tell you what happens when you stop eating carbs–your body goes into ketosis. The body can manage Ketosis, short term. Historically, during times of famine, the body would adapt by utilizing energy stored by the body. While most people naively assume that by eating no carbohydrates their bodies will take from their fat reserves, the body actually has a different mechanism it uses. Instead of drawing from our fat stores first, our bodies draw from our muscle mass instead! So what actually happens when you don’t eat carbohydrates, your body metabolizes muscle!
Carbohydrates aren’t just found in breads, cookies and cakes though. Carbohydrates are found in all fruits, vegetables and grains. We need carbohydrates because our brains need glucose! In fact, the brain is the only organ in your body that functions solely on glucose. Without the necessary glucose your brain needs to function, the brain begins to slow in function. Ask anyone who’s ever competed onstage what “peak week” feels like and they’ll almost always refer to the dullness or “slowness” they experience. I actually took a video of myself during my first competition and it was frightening to see how even talking took extraordinary effort. I felt like I was drugged!
Glucose is chemically classified as a carbohydrate and carbohydrates are broken down by our body into sugars. As a sugar, glucose is the primary source of energy for every cell in your body.
Without Carbohydrates to supply our bodies with energy, we not only feel sluggish, we feel hungry! Ever wonder why you get cravings? Sometimes, when we don’t feed our bodies a healthy balance of nutrient-rich foods, we develop cravings. Cravings are our body’s way of trying to increase our supply of readily available “energy”. In fact, you can think of cravings as Mother Nature’s way of taking a “short cut”–a way to get sugar in fast. Why?
Your brain can’t function without glucose.
Our bodies convert glucose, from the carbohydrates we eat, in the intestines, using enzymes and other chemicals. Glucose is then absorbed through the intestines and enters the bloodstream for use in the brain and other tissues.
Remember, the key role of glucose in the body is fuel for energy. In fact, the brain is our only organ that depends solely and completely on glucose to operate normally. Brain functions such as thinking, learning and memory are closely tied to glucose levels and how effectively the brain utilizes glucose. If glucose is lacking, neurotransmitters are not synthesized and communication between neurons breaks down.
Age also plays a role in glucose utilization since an older brain uses more glucose than a younger one to perform the same learning and memory tasks. Consider that the next time you decide to “eat paleo” or decide a low-carbohydrate diet is the only way to lose weight.
Glucose is so crucial, in fact, that studies have shown that memory function can be improved in elderly individuals with relatively poor memories only one hour after eating a carbohydrate rich meal!
Carbohydrates aren’t evil, fat-causing villains. They’re essential for both a healthy functioning brain and a healthy functioning body.
Photo Credit: Hannele Hyppa look here to see her gallery of beautiful images