I’m not a dietician or nutritionist.
Yet I am a fan of ways to boost the metabolic rate and energy production.
From there we can feel good, have great immunity, great energy, feel more powerful and vibrant, and generally remain healthy. How we eat, how we move, how we breathe – are big players in this.
This research into a more “energetic” approach to diet started after a “crash and burn” from 6-8 years of low carbohydrate/low sugar diets: paleo/primal diets, fasting, keto diet, all with a range of exercise modalities (endurance, strength and even walking only).
As I re-introduced sugar (and reduced polyunsaturated fats) and learned to balance my meals and meal timing, things improved dramatically, and quickly.
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The preferred source of fuel for the brain is sugar (glucose). For someone my size (85kg), my daily energy requirements, in glucose, to fuel just the brain, is around 137g.* At rest, the large skeletal muscles can burn fat, but the brain likes glucose. (*Mergenthaler et al, 2013)
“Since glucose is the main fuel for the brain, and since the human brain is the factor that elevates man above other animals, mother nature took special precautions against a lack of glucose in the bloodstream at all times.” -Dr. Broda Barnes & Charlotte Barnes
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The right kinds of sugar are metabolic – they help the metabolism Sugars from ripe fruits, honey, maple syrup or even white sugar if needed, although this is lower in other nutrients. The liver stores sugar, but it needs to get it, to store it..
“The liver provides about 70% of our active thyroid hormone, by converting thyroxine to T3, but it can provide this active hormone only when it has adequate glucose.” – Dr. Ray Peat, PhD
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Sugar provides energy to fuel your cells. Glucose is used in cellular energy production and helps us to meet the demands on our system. When the intake is insufficient (dieting, low carb diets, keto diets, fasting etc..), you begin to convert fat and protein to fuel. But this is inefficient and puts stress on the system. Down-regulation of the stress hormones is one of my underlying intentions with food and breath strategy…
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Sugar can down-regulate the stress hormones (reduce stress).
“In monkeys living in the wild, when their diet is mainly fruit, their cortisol is low, and it rises when they eat a diet with less sugar (Behie, et al., 2010). – Ray Peat, PhD
“Sucrose consumption lowers ACTH, the main pituitary stress hormone (Klement, et al., 2009; Ulrich-Lai, et al., 2007), and stress promotes increased sugar and fat consumption (Pecoraro, et al., 2004). If animals’ adrenal glands are removed, so that they lack the adrenal steroids, they choose to consume more sucrose (Laugero, et al., 2001). Stress seems to be perceived as a need for sugar. In the absence of sucrose, satisfying this need with starch and fat is more likely to lead to obesity.” – Ray Peat, PhD
(these are some points on sugar, which I see demonised heavily. Note, this is not dietary “advice” or prescription from me, as each individual will have different needs)
