When I look at a diet my first thought is, "can we gain strength and muscle on a diet like this?" This thought is based on my philosophy on aging, I consider aging to be mostly the loss of strength and muscle, both the big working muscles and the internal organs. As we age we must eat in a manner that promotes strength and muscle gains or we age quicker than a person eating in a different manner. You could probably gain some strength on a high-carbohydrate diet but only while you had your "beginners body" which will grow on almost any diet. Once we get past the beginner stage of strength training, which I believe could be 1-3 years depending on the person, then we must eat in a manner that promotes slow gradual strength and muscle gains. Our bodies primary energy source is fat and the only macronutrient that causes muscle growth is protein. When we eat carbs as our main fuel source we send the body a signal of stress and it reacts appropriately, mainly through our insulin response. I look at any amount of carbohydrates over about 400-600 calories a day as a vice, something done for pleasure, not health. Sure, you may have the right hormonal profile to eat a high-carb diet and not gain bodyfat (it helps if you moderate total daily calories) and look lean muscular and feel great but the scientific fact is that carbohydrates, especially beyond a certain amount, speed up the aging process and that is something I think we can all agree is not a good thing.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:56:03 +0000
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