Energy: what is the best source?

The debate between eating carbs, protein, and fat will never ever die. There are simply too many vested interests pushing one or the other.

So if you are an average joe, what should you do?

For starters, let us agree you eat all three to efficiently supply energy.

The debate, if any, is in the variance in the efficiency and abundance of supply.

Let us take protein out already. Your body uses it under duress and not very efficiently at that. You would have to break down muscles to use protein. That is your last resort if any.

So that leaves us with fat and carbohydrates as stored energy.

Let the great debate begin.

Your body stores about five grams of carbs in the blood, seventy in the liver and the rest in your muscles. It is about 3000 calories' worth.

Your body stores about 150,000 calories of energy as fat for the average person. Fat is much more abundant.

But there is a catch.

Fat is not as efficient in producing energy per breath of oxygen. If you need to move quickly, like escaping from a tiger, your body would rather use carbs.

It takes training for your body to use fat as well. Switch from the instant energy it gets from sugar, so to speak. In fact, the ability to use fat even when you are doing low intensity exericse to carbohydrates is a hallmark of metabolic flexibity.

So what does all this mean for you and me?

For starters, don’t listen to a random person telling you that you need to go low carb, low fat, low protein or low anything.

Your body needs balance. Balance as a function of your circumstances, lifestyle and goals.

For most of us who have not made sprinting away from tigers or, for that matter, running a marathon every day our chosen careers, eating protein, carb and fat is fine.

Watch your body fat percentage.

At the risk of repetition, less than 15-20% for men and about 25% for women.

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