They\u2019re one of the most demonized food groups in America.<\/p>\n
For decades, carbohydrates have been blamed for everything from expanding waistlines and diabetes to heart disease and digestive problems.<\/p>\n
But according to Dave Asprey<\/a>, the founder of the biohacking movement, carbs shouldn\u2019t be public enemy No. 1. In fact, the longevity enthusiast eats plenty of them \u2014 with a few rules.<\/p>\n Dave Asprey is the founder of biohacking, a practice that involves making strategic lifestyle changes to improve health and longevity. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI am 6.5% to 7% body fat, I look better than I ever have, and I do not limit my carbs,\u201d Asprey told The Post. The real problem, he said, is how most people eat them.<\/p>\n The anti-carb movement took off in the 1970s after American physician and cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins popularized the idea that restricting carbohydrates could push the body into ketosis \u2014 a metabolic state in which the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose, helping to promote weight loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n The philosophy roared back in the 1990s and remained a staple well into the new millennium, with Asprey himself championing a high-fat, low-carb style of eating he dubbed the \u201cBulletproof diet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI wrote the first book about intermittent fasting and cyclical ketosis for performance and weight loss, and it helped to kick off the keto movement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But these days, Asprey said he \u201cdoes not advocate a keto diet<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this gross oversimplification: \u2018If you ever eat carbs again, you\u2019re a bad person. Sugar is poison,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cSugar is not poisonous. It\u2019s the primary source of energy in your body. Excessive sugar is very bad for you \u2014 you shouldn\u2019t do that and you shouldn\u2019t get addicted to it \u2014 but it\u2019s normal for people to have some.\u201d<\/p>\n An unending keto diet, Asprey said, can wreck havoc on your gut, hormones and sleep. <\/p>\n In one study<\/a>, researchers found that the eating style elevated cholesterol levels, increased apolipoprotein B, which can cause plaque buildup in arteries, and decreased\u00a0Bifidobacteria, carb-loving bacteria that help digest fiber, absorb nutrients and boost immunity.<\/p>\n Carbohydrates are your body\u2019s main source of energy, and are found in grains, starches, fruits and some vegetables. morissfoto \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n While some research suggests the keto diet can benefit certain groups \u2014 including those with drug-resistant epilepsy<\/a> \u2014 Asprey said most people are better off including at least some carbs in their diet.<\/p>\n \u201cI eat white rice almost every day,\u201d he admitted. \u201cThe keto crowd would lose it if they heard that. But when you\u2019ve built real metabolic flexibility, your body knows what to do with carbohydrates.\u201d<\/p>\n Eager to learn more, The Post asked Asprey how to eat carbs like a biohacker while avoiding the weight gain, fatigue, blood sugar spikes and other health problems often associated with the food group. <\/p>\n Rule #1: Choose your carbs carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem was never carbs. The problem is toxic carbs,\u201d Asprey said.<\/p>\n \u201cWheat comes with gluten and lectins that punch holes in your gut lining,\u201d he explained. \u201cExcess fructose hammers your liver. Ultra-processed grains spike your blood sugar and leave you crashing an hour later.\u201d<\/p>\n But low-toxin carbs are a different story.<\/p>\n \u201cWhite rice, low fructose fruits like blueberries, and occasionally a real homemade sourdough<\/a> made from European soft wheat with proper fermentation,\u201d Asprey recommended. \u201cThose are carbs your body can actually use.\u201d<\/p>\n Without the fibrous outer layer, white rice is much gentler on your digestive tract than brown rice. Nishihama \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n #2: Prepare them correctly.<\/p>\n According to Asprey, certain cooking methods may help maximize the benefits of carbohydrates while minimizing some of their drawbacks. <\/p>\n Take white rice, for example: \u201cCook your rice and then cool it before eating<\/a> and you\u2019ll convert some of it to resistant starch<\/a>, which feeds your gut bacteria instead of spiking your blood sugar,\u201d he advised.<\/p>\n #3: Pick smart pairings.<\/p>\n \u201cC8 MCT oil<\/a> converts to ketones quickly,\u201d Asprey said. \u201cWhen I eat carbs, sometimes I take MCT oil alongside them so my brain has access to ketone fuel at the same time it\u2019s processing glucose.\u201d<\/p>\n C8 MCT oil oil is a supplement made from medium-chain triglycerides, a type of fat that is metabolized differently than most dietary fats. <\/p>\n Because the molecules are smaller, they bypass much of the normal digestive process and are transported directly to the liver, where they can be rapidly converted into energy.<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent cells in your brain run better on different fuels,\u201d Asprey said. \u201cWhen you have both available you\u2019re covering everything. You get noticeable improvements in energy and performance.\u201d<\/p>\n For an optimal diet, Asprey also recommends getting at least 1 gram of high quality animal protein per pound of ideal body weight per day. <\/p>\n #4: Take care of the rest of your health.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, your overall health is the sum of everything you do \u2014 not a single diet choice. Asprey recommends exercise, bloodwork and monitoring stress.<\/p>\n \u201cDo resistance training<\/a> and maybe some high intensity interval training<\/a>, but not too much,\u201d he said. \u201cAlso, get your hormones checked, including your thyroid hormones. Those can impact the way you process carbs.\u201d<\/p>\n In general, Asprey said it\u2019s also wise to keep your stress levels in check. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen you do these things, you magically have a metabolism that works way better and is able to handle carbs,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They\u2019re one of the most demonized food groups in America. For decades, carbohydrates have been blamed for everything…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":528355,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[277],"tags":[47559,5012,18,7520,4500,18997,135,19,17,508,9331,86516],"class_list":["post-528354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-biohacking","tag-diets","tag-eire","tag-energy","tag-exclusive","tag-food-drink","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition","tag-sugar","tag-whole-foods"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116726783474773566","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}