Carbohydrates and how to choose what is best
There are a few different forms of carbohydrates and they all have a use for your diet.
I’ll go through a list of carbohydrates below and how they can be used in a normal diet.
The list will go from low glycemic, low carbohydrate, high fibre forms to high glycemic, high carbohydrate low or no fibre forms.
1. High fibre, low carbohydrate vegetable carbohydrates;
With carbohydrate sources, the more fibre, the slower the digestion, the lesser the amount of carbohydrates and the lesser the glycemic index and Glycemic load.
Glycemic load is glycemic index multiplied by the amount of carbohydrates and indicates how much and how quickly you will receive the carbohydrates you just ate.
Foods like cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens are low carbohydrate, high fibre sources that tend to have a lot of volume and offer fullness while not offering a lot of carbohydrates.
These forms can be beneficial for ensuring fullness without a huge amount of carbohydrates and are good for a low calorie weight loss diet.
They don’t benefit athletes around workouts that need a lot of carbohydrates. If too many of these are eaten when Training intensely it may be difficult to eat enough food so they may need to be reduced in favor of high carbohydrate sources.
2. Moderate fibre, moderate carbohydrate fruit sources.
Fruit sources have more carbohydrates than vegetable sources and in most cases not quite as much fibre. It also depends on the source.
These sources can be used to fuel a workout or replace some carbohydrates after a workout when you are on a diet.
You have to be careful how much you consume as they can give some gastrointestinal upset if too much is consumed.
My preferred fruit source is banana as it has the best balance of carbohydrates and fibre. Some people may prefer pineapple, or apple.
The other consideration is that fruit sources have glucose and fructose sugars. Fructose cannot be used directly by the muscles and need to be processed in the liver to create glucose which is your bodies preferred sugar and is the only source that muscles can use.
This also alters the glycemic index and glycemic load.
I would eat fruit sources an hour before a workout to get the carbohydrates I need and to avoid an upset stomach.
Or they can be consumed with a protein powder for recovery.
3. Moderate to high carbohydrate grain or root sources with low to moderate fibre content.
These are your grains like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, quinoa and any other similar grains.
This could also include beans and other legumes.
These are the sources you would use in your main meals as a way to get carbohydrates into your diet during the day.
Depending on the source they can surround your workouts within an hour or two on either side of your workouts.
Which one you use will depend on how well you digest it and whether you become bloated.
If the sources are whole grain or mostly unprocessed sources they generally have a lower glycemic index and load and May not be suitable close to a workout.
This would include brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain seed breads etc.
I would consume mostly white rice and white bread or potatoes and sweet potatoes around the workout.
The other grains would be consumed away from the workouts where activity will not affect digestion.
I definitely would be careful of eating legumes like beans or lentils around a workout as the bloating can come an hour to three hours after a workout.
4. Highly processed carbohydrates or sugar sources with very little or no fibre.
These are your carbohydrate drinks like Powerade and Gatorade or maybe reconstituted fruit juices.
There’s also the carbohydrate powders that are sold in supplement shops and May contain minerals to prevent cramping.
These are carbohydrates that can be consumed right before or during a workout.
These are quickly digested and absorbed carbohydrates and with a high glycemic index and glycemic load.
They can be used to increase calories without causing bloat and especially around workouts when absorption within the muscles is more likely.
These are definitely not a great carbohydrate away from workouts as they will raise blood sugar quite high and are too easily consumed and may lead to increased appetite and overeating.
Conclusion;
The way we use these types of carbohydrates will depend on goals.
In a fat loss situation we would eat more high fibre, low carbohydrate and low calorie sources with moderate carbohydrate sources around workouts.
If we are looking to gain weight or increase athletic performance we would use high carbohydrate, low or no fibre sources with a high glycemic index and load sources around workouts.
This is a situation that can be adjusted as needed when goals change or when a diet needs to be either tightened to improve fat loss. Or adjusted to allow more calories and prevent bloating from fibre.
Every person is different and every situation is different. In my experience I adjust these sources regularly with people as their goals change and with feedback from people on how they are digesting foods.
The types of carbohydrates also can depend on the protein sources as well as protein digestibility.
The combination of protein and carbohydrates can make a massive difference to glucose digestion and absorption.
That’s another post coming up soon.....
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