In a previous article I said that it can be useful to think in terms of evolution? Let’s take a look at how weight gain occurs.
When we consume carbohydrates, we produce a hormone called insulin. Insulin has a couple of roles, and one of them is to shuttle blood sugar out of our cells to be burned because our body recognises that constant high blood sugar is not a cool thing (this is what leads to Type 2 diabetes). Insulin is also a storage hormone. Our body is a very efficient energy storing machine.
Think about life a few thousand years ago. Food was not in abundance, and if we ate it, we may have had to catch it or eat foods that were in season. We didn’t have the luxury of eating regularly, and we didn’t know when the next famine may occur. As a result, we evolved to store energy. When we had the chance to feast our body thought it should store the excess energy as fat which would keep us going through lean times. This genetic survival mechanism doesn’t serve us so well with a 7-Eleven in every suburb, and service stations, and fast food stores so readily available.
Combine this with the fact that hardwired into our DNA is the desire to seek the highest calorie foods and you can see why it’s a challenge to walk out of a supermarket without making impulse purchases.
Summary: Consuming more carbs than we need results in weight gain, and we don’t need many carbs. Sugar is a carbohydrate and it is in every processed food. If you are not sure what a processed food is, if it comes in a packet or with a barcode it’s processed.