Danton Awan
Are carbohydrates bad?
Certainly not! Carbohydrates are one of God’s creations, and I don’t believe carbohydrates are bad.
In my opinion, carbohydrates are a category of food that can help us gain weight, just like other food groups can help us lose weight. There’s nothing wrong with gaining or losing weight. What’s wrong is the perception and the misuse of it!
I believe that everything in this world has its limits. Carbohydrates also have safe and beneficial limits for consumption. Similarly, green tea can help with weight loss, but it also has safe and beneficial limits for consumption.
What are some examples of carbohydrates or foods rich in carbohydrates found in nature? They include wheat, grains, corn, potatoes, tubers, sugarcane, honey, and sweet fruits. Cow’s milk also contains more carbohydrates than protein.
All of God’s creations are good, and God isn’t capricious or drunk to accidentally create something bad. Everything is created with a purpose and intention.
People in the Past Consumed Many Carbohydrates Without Counting Calories
200 years ago, people from various cultures and nations consumed carbohydrates freely, and they never counted calories. They weren’t raw foodists, nor did they follow ketogenic guidelines. Despite consuming many carbohydrates, they didn’t become overweight!
The question now is: “How was that possible?”
The answer is simple. It’s because:
(1) The carbohydrates they consumed were different from the carbohydrates we eat.
(2) They were physically active.
(3) The other foods they consumed alongside carbohydrates were different from what we eat today.
Carbohydrates in the Past Were Different from Today
Yes, they were very different. Carbohydrates in the past were still pure and whole. There was no genetic engineering, no chemical contamination, no refining, and not as much processing by machines and heat.
Do you like sweet foods? People in the past did too. But it’s important to emphasize that the sweeteners used in the past were different from today’s sweeteners.
In the past, all food was organic and healthy. Everything was suitable for consumption. Because it was organic and healthy, the body could digest it well and quickly. Healthy food is easily digested and eliminated when consumed. You eat a lot, and a lot comes out; the key is not being greedy.
In the past, people who were overweight were those who overindulged, not those who simply ate a lot. So, in the past, the issue wasn’t the food itself but rather greediness.
It’s very different when compared to modern food. Modern food is already “foreign” to our bodies, making it harder to digest. This includes carbohydrates; they are different now. Many have been genetically modified, contaminated with chemicals, refined, and heavily processed by industrial machinery.
Now we must be wiser in consuming modern carbohydrates. We can’t eat them as freely as people did in the past.
In the past, people rarely suffered from obesity and degenerative diseases. Those who suffered from such conditions were usually the wealthy and gluttonous. It’s regrettable that the era claiming to be more advanced and sophisticated is plagued by an “epidemic” of obesity and degenerative diseases. People from all walks of life are affected by this “epidemic.”
Effects When Carbohydrates Are Altered and Processed
If the natural sugars found in fruits and honey were truly bad, God would surely have prohibited humans from eating them. But history doesn’t record any such prohibition, does it?
Indeed, fructose (the natural sugar found in fruits and honey) has been deemed harmful in many studies and can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. However, it’s important to emphasize that these studies specifically focus on one element: fructose, not the other components that accompany fruits and honey. When we consume whole fruits and honey, we’re not just ingesting fructose; we’re also getting fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals.
The combination of all these elements, especially fiber, helps metabolize fructose effectively, eliminating its negative effects. Fiber also makes you feel full quickly, preventing you from wanting to eat more and more. This means everything is controlled because of the completeness of this food.
Remember this principle: God is not foolish. His creations are whole and complex, not monotonous, so each element complements the others. Integrity aligns with the motto of “The Musketeers”: “All for one, one for all.”
It’s humans who have tampered with His creation, deviating from the original plan, resulting in their own problems.
This is why the condition of humans centuries ago was vastly different from today when they consumed fruits, grains, honey, and other carbohydrates. It’s because the carbohydrates of centuries ago were different from today’s carbohydrates. Back then, they were organic, in harmony with God’s plan, while today’s carbohydrates align with human design.
In the past, what made people overweight and sick was not the carbohydrates themselves but their greed. Now, even without greed, you can still become overweight and ill. Why is that? Because today’s carbohydrates, proteins, and fats have been altered by humans, making them different from what they used to be. So the solution isn’t just to go back to nature but to go beyond that, back to God’s design.
Be Wise About the Contradictions of Your Health Problems
Sweet fruits, grains, honey, and other whole, natural, and organic carbohydrates are indeed safe to consume in fairly large quantities, but not for individuals who already have certain illnesses.
God designed all these sweet and delicious things for healthy humans because His original plan was for abundance to bring happiness to His creation. That was God’s initial plan for us humans, but our sins made us want to enjoy things as we pleased, causing us to live outside the happiness that God intended.
When we replace God’s original food with food that we engineer ourselves, it can lead to degenerative diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver, and cancer a few years later.
These conditions make it impossible for us to enjoy carbohydrates as we used to when we were healthy. These diseases force us to reduce carbohydrate intake to below 10% because carbohydrates have contraindications with these three conditions (diabetes, fatty liver, cancer). For example, carbohydrates can cause uncontrolled glucose levels in diabetic patients, increase fat accumulation in fatty liver patients, and provide food for cancer cells to thrive.
Remember the principle of going back to God’s design: God is not foolish. He designed carbohydrates to be whole, complete, and without side effects. Our own foolishness is what prevents us from enjoying the earthly paradise. We are the ones who put ourselves to the test and punish ourselves.
So, is it clear now about carbohydrates? In reality, carbohydrates as originally created by God are whole, nutritionally complete, and healthy. Carbohydrates become unhealthy because of our greed and foolishness. If you want to continue enjoying carbohydrates, you need to increase your knowledge and wisdom.
