Carbs needed for brain activity?

[FRINGOLINGO]

For many years I wasthinking that carbs are necessary for mental activity, but I an notsure if this is like that. Does anyone here know if carbs arenecessary for mental activity? Everyday I have to do some mentalwork, and I am looking for some energy sources for this activity.Thanks

 

[stevesmi]

i fucking love this topic!

if you asked me this a year ago i would have said absolutely!! however i have changed my opinion on this totally and here is why. it is the same reason why people who smoke can't think without a cig, or people who are coffee drinkers can't function without their starbucks

it is an ADDICTION

the brain runs on sugar/caffeine/nicotine/other drugs vs. running on ketones.

this is why addicts commit crimes to get their vice drug.

99.9% of people posting on here have never experienced true ketone thinking. the way you experience this is doing a water fast. by day 3 you will no longer be functioning on glycogen but you will be on ketones. you will be THINKING so fucking clear it will blow your mind. I experienced this doing a 5 day fast a couple months ago

the whole keto diet is complete BS btw. you will not truly go into ketosis by eating food, and if anyone disagrees with me PROVE IT. you can't ! true ketosis would require no food for a minimum of 3 days. now i'm not saying the keto diet is bad or it doesn't work, i'm saying it doesn't put you into true ketosis.. you gotta do a fast to actually experience it

 

[muskate]

Glucose is your brains primary energy source.

Your brain can also use ketones but it's a less efficient energy source. Ever hear someone talk about how they feel 'brain fog' when on a low carb diet? Bingo.

Are carbs essential from brain function? No. Do they help? You betcha.

I personally am not a fan of the keto diet. Theoretically you don't need carbs to live but I feel that for optimal health and well being, following a carb based diet makes the most sense.

 

[Lev Butlerov]

From what we were taught in college I can say the following - the brain will only use as its primary source of energy glucose, which has not transformed yet into triglycerides. Therefore, the brain will only consume fresh carbs that have not been converted into fat yet. Therefore, you should take a moderate amount of carbs for mental activity, in order to make sure that all of them will get into the brain without converting into fat.

 

[MasonicBodybuilder]

If you are going to go to low or no carb then you will have to ride it out for a bit. There will definitely be a few days where your brain is foggy. This does get better though but you have to get through it.

 

[SteveMobsterG]

It's the reason why, under the right circumstances, protein can be turned into glucose by gluconeogenesis. Our bodies didn't get this far in evolutionary terms,without being able to adapt.