As a child, I remember my mother and older sister devouring cans of tuna and hard-boiled eggs while refusing pasta, breads and fruits. Fad diets cycle in and out of popular culture, as do fashions. High protein diets seem to be this year's rage among those attempting to lose weight and even among athletes seeking optimal performance. In order to evaluate dietary recommendations, we must first understand how the body works. Calories, or energy are the body's fuels, like gasoline in your car.
Food calories come in the form of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source. Every cell in the body, particularly the brain, uses carbohydrates as fuel. Your body has the capacity to store some carbohydrates in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is often called the 'storage form' of carbohydrates. This glycogen is broken down and used by the muscles and the brain when energy is needed between meals.