Carbohydrates
By
Brandon Braner
Carbohydrates is a word that strikes fear in many dieters in America. We’ve all
heard of Atkins:
“When you eat too many carbohydrates (carbs), your body burns some of those
carbs for energy and stores the excess carbs as fat.”—Atkins website
This is a true fact. If you eat too many carbs, your body will store them as
fat. Why? For energy when it needs it later. So what do you do? Well, of course
you completely cut carbs out of your diet. I mean really, who needs energy? The
simple fact is the body needs carbs to sustain energy. But which carbs do you
need?
First off, what is a carb? A carbohydrate is simply a sugar—“any of a group of
organic compounds that includes sugars, starches, celluloses, and gums and
serves as a major energy source in the diet of animals. These compounds are
produced by photosynthetic plants and contain only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen,
usually in the ratio 1:2:1” (from
Anwsers.com). So if carbs are made by plants, why are they so bad for you?
Simply put, carbs are great for you. You will need them every day.
There are two different kinds—simple and complex. Simple carbs are carbs that
are already broken down into the lowest possible form, thus they’re absorbed
into the bloodstream quickly for that quick burst of energy. These are generally
known as the bad carbs because what happens with simple carbs is once your body
recognizes this surge of sugar, it releases insulin to regulate the blood sugar
levels. Once the insulin hits the blood, it will take the sugars to your liver
and muscles and then guess where? Fat storage for later use. Also, your insulin
will bring down your blood sugar, resulting in possible low blood sugar.
Next up are the complex carbs. These carbs are in a chain. This means when
your body tries to absorb them, you will need to break them down first. This
causes a slow release of the carbs so you get a slower, steadier stream of
energy. How do I know if I’m eating a complex carb or a simple carb? This is
where the glycemic index (GI) comes into play.
Originally designed for diabetics, in sports nutrition, it can help you to know
which carbs you need. The GI measures how quickly a carb is made into glucose
and enters the body. It was developed by feeding different carbohydrates to
people in 50-gram portions of available carbs. They then monitored their blood
sugar levels over the next few hours and put the responses on a curve. The more
glucose that reached the blood in the first three hours, the higher the GI
number for that carb. We can now classify a carb as a high glycemic carb or a
low glycemic carb.
Low GI foods give you a longer, more sustainable amount of energy because
they’re absorbed more slowly. Because they absorb slowly, they also reduce
hunger, helping with your appetite control. Lower GI foods can help store
glucose in muscle and keep it from being stored as fat. If you’re dieting, these
low GI foods are the way to go. Eating low GI foods before a workout will make
sure you have plenty of energy so that you don’t drop in the middle of it.
High GI foods shouldn’t be consumed before training because the insulin will
cause your blood sugar to lower, and you’ll crash in the middle of your workout.
I don’t know about you, but I push myself to the edge in every workout. If my
edge is only 50 percent of my normal, what a waste of my time.
High GI Foods can also cause fat release during your workout, thus you won’t
burn as much fat during your workout. However, high GI foods after training have
their benefits. Eating foods with a high GI within 15 minutes to two hours after
training can start replacing diminished levels of glucose in the blood. Taking
these high GI carbs after a workout will raise your insulin levels and help
carry the necessary carbs and protein to your muscles faster. Have yourself a
nice juice after a workout to help with the absorption of protein and creatine.
Wow, that was a lot to take in. Just remember—try to eat your simple carbs/high
GI level foods right after a workout to help speed up recovery time. Visit your
local supplement shop and pick up some glutamine to help. If you take a protein
after you train, make sure it’s low in fat. High fat foods cause GI levels to
lower because they need to liquefy before they can be digested. Every other meal
should contain complex/low GI carbs. In addition, always combine your carbs with
protein.
Glycemic index of common foods
Breads
Mixed grain bread, 28
Oat Bran bread, 48
Pita bread, white, 57
Wheat bread, whole meal, 69
White bread, 71
Bagel, white, 71
Cereal grains
Barley, pearled, 25
Rice, instant, boiled 1 minute, 46
Rice, brown, 55
Rice, white, 55
Couscous, 65
Rice, instant, boiled 6 minutes, 90
Breakfast cereals
Rice Bran, 19
All Bran, 42
Oatmeal, 49
Special K, 54
Muesli, 56
Life, 66
Grapenuts, 67
Cream of Wheat, 70
Cheerios, 74
Total, 76
Cornflakes, 83
Team, 82
Crispix, 87
Dairy foods
Yogurt, low fat, artificially sweet, 14
Milk, skim, 32
Legumes
Lentils, red, 25
Kidney beans, 29
Butter beans, 31
Pinto beans, 39
Baked beans, canned, 48
Kidney Beans, canned , 52
Pasta
Spaghetti, protein enriched, 27
Fettuccini, 27
Vermicelli, 35
Spaghetti, white, 41
Macaroni, 45
Linguine, 46
Tortellini, cheese, 50
Fruit and fruit products
Pear, fresh, 37
Apple, 38
Orange, 44
Grapes, 46
Banana, 54
Raisins , 64
Watermelon, 72
Dates, 103
Soups
Tomato Soup, 38
Split pea soup, 60
Black bean soup, 64
Snack food
Peanuts, 15
Popcorn, 55
Pretzels, 81
Vegetables
Carrots, cooked, 39
Yam, 51
Sweet potato, 54
Sweet corn, 55
Potato, white, boiled, 56
Potato, new, 57
Beets, 64
Potato, mashed, 70
Potato, baked, 85
Sugars
Fructose, 22
Honey, 58
Sucrose, 64
Glucose, 100
Maltodextrin, 105
Maltose, 105
Good training and good food = big weight!
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
