TIL 3 Harvard scientists were paid US$50,000 in the 1960s to promote sugar use and paint fat as the bad guy

Obviously it's impossible to eliminate carbs from your diet, considering fruits and vegetables are a good source of carbs. And obviously it's impossible to get your body to produce glucose from only fat and protein. But you definitely want your body putting in the extra work to turn fat into sugar as much as possible. That's pretty important if you plan on losing weight. That fat has to be turned into energy, somehow... The body can survive on nothing but body fat. No extra carb intake required. It's not the healthiest thing to do, but it's pretty clear that carbs are not as important as people claim they are, and a little goes a very long way. 60 grams of carbs is about all you need in a day. Roughly 60 paperclips worth of carbs. You easily can get that from fruits and vegetables, alone. Adding breads and pastas to the equation is not going to help you, it will only make gaining weight easier. Be careful with potatoes, too. Lots of carbs in them, unfortunately.

/r/todayilearned Thread Parent Link - theguardian.com