Carbohydrates

Let's talk about something that seems to get everyone scared- carbohydrates. Sugars, starches, oats, potatoes, pasta & fruit are all carbs and are the primary energy source for our bodies, brains & central nervous system. The liver breaks down carbohydrates into glucose for your body to use as energy. Your liver can hold approximately 100 grams of carbohydrates. Your muscles can hold up to 600 grams of carbohydrates depending on the muscle size. The carbohydrates that are stored in your liver supplies your whole body with energy. The carbohydrates that are stored in your muscles supply that muscle with energy. Any excess carbohydrates that you take in cannot be stored by your liver or your muscles they will get stored as body fat. Now the key to this is that the liver can store any kind of carbs by turning it into glucose. Your muscles will only store the starchy carbs & will store the simple sugars in your muscle cells. Depending on your training intensity it can take as little as 20 minutes to deplete your liver of all the glycogen stores that you have. Then your body will start looking to the store glycogen in the muscle for energy. Providing adequate carbs in your diet will prevent your body from using protein as an energy source. So without an adequate amount of carbohydrates in your diet your body will actively convert your protein for energy. Proteins are required for many other essential bodily functions not just building muscle. Not having adequate amount of carbohydrates in your diet can affect your ability to grow muscle just like not having the adequate amount of protein in your diet. A balanced diet is the best way to grow muscle. A properly functioning liver is key to removing glucose from your  body. If you're living with elevated glucose levels you should not only be looking at your diet but also looking at your liver function in your body's ability to absorb insulin. Insulin is what helps drives the glucose into the muscle cells.

If your body is insulin resistant it means it's lacking the ability to store glucose in the muscle cells therefore your carbohydrates are going to be stored as body fat. Diet, exercise & hormone balance are effective ways at increasing your body is insulin sensitivity.

This subject can go on for a while we can also discuss how alcohol affects the liver and what your body does while consuming it along with other carbohydrates. For the most part your liver is concerned with removing the alcohol from your body. So the majority of any other carbohydrates you consume are more likely to store as body fat. Alcohol is more of a fat burning suppressant & has more of an affect on our body then just the calories we take in.