Carbs! What are they and why do we need them?
I would like to start out by saying THANK YOU to everyone who showed up to my Instagram Live event on Thursday, May 25 and let me walk you through a lot of nutritional basics on carbs. I will be going Live on IG every Thursday at 1 PM PST, so tune in next week if you missed my first week to hear about misconceptions of fat loss!
As promised, I am breaking down exactly what we talked about in the IG Live so you have a place and a frame of reference to go to the next time someone tells you to not eat that baked potato! Remember, all recommendations are for the average person. If you have a medical condition like diabetes or have been told in the past to see a dietician or medical professional for help, this information may not be the recommendation you are receiving from your doctor, and you should always follow that first!
Carbohydrates: What are they?
Carbohydrate is a scary word for a lot of people, especially if you are someone who has not had the best relationship with food throughout your life. It is important to break down misconceptions, especially regarding nutrition, so that we can be better, feel better, and teach our future generations better.
Carbohydrates (or, Carbs) are one of three--some may say four, if you count alcohol--macronutrients that your body needs to survive. Another name you may have heard associated to carbs is glucose or glycogen. All carbohydrates contain Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen atoms, for my science nerds out there. If you're talking about a carb, it has these three elements in it.
Carbs can be categorized into a few groups:
Simple Sugar--this is what most people refer to when they are talking about carbs. These are not the healthiest carbs to eat, but there is a place for them in some of our diets.
Complex Carbs--these are what many people consider "good" carbs, although there cannot be a good or bad carb, they are just carbs. These types of carbs are slower to break down in your stomach, so you are getting more of a steady-state fuel from these foods than a "sugar rush" you would find with simple sugar carbs.
Glycogen--this is especially important when it comes to exercise. Glycogen is the storage form of carbs and is found in your liver. When you are exercising for long periods of time and your body is running out of fuel, it pulls glycogen from your liver to continue to keep your body moving.
Fiber--yes! The stuff that helps you poop!
Complex carbs is something I get asked a lot about when it comes to clients' nutrition goals. We want to eat mainly complex carbs to not only help us feel full for longer but not have our blood glucose level bounce up and down like a yoyo constantly. Complex carbs can be out into a few categories: starches in whole grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, and other types of vegetables. Long story short, we like you, complex carbs! We will go over specific complex carbs later.
Carbs: Why do we need them?
Carbs are your body's go-to form of energy. If you are striving to lose 20 lbs or make the Varsity baseball team, you need to be consuming carbs. Without carbs, our bodies have a hard time with day to day function, let alone meeting the demands we ask of it during an intense workout. Protein is the main macronutrient that is talked about in the fitness industry right now, but we do not need to discount the positive effects carbs have on our bodies as well. If you are working out at all, running, weight lifting, dancing, martial arts, sports etc., you need to be consuming an appropriate amount of carbohydrates to keep your body fueled so you can show up with your best foot forward at every training and every race/workout/recital/match/game. Carbs ARE your body's main source of energy, so do not discount how much your body is relying on you to fuel it properly to meet what we are asking it to do for us.
Activity & Recommended Carbs
Light exercise (a walk, weightlifting at light intensity, yoga for stretching, mobility work):
3-5 g carbohydrates/kg of bodyweight
Moderate Intense (1-2 hours per day of moderately intense activity, 5-6 days per week)
5-7 g carbohydrates/kg of bodyweight
Moderate-High Intense for Muscle Endurance (1-3 hours per day of moderately high intense activity, 5-6 days per week)
6-10 g carbohydrates/kg of bodyweight
Moderate to High Intensity (>3 hours per day of high intense activity, 2 sessions per day, 5-6 days per week)
8-12 g carbohydrates/kg of bodyweight
Above, you will find the NASM recommended grams of carbs to kg of bodyweight for your activity level. You will find lightly active people (don't necessarily go to the gym or go on runs, but do a lot of walking at low intensity rates) at the top of the chart and collegiate, professional, or internationally ranked athletes at the bottom of the chart. Most people probably fall between rows two and three, depending on how intense your workouts get (ie: your heart rate response). Working with an accredited trainer to help you narrow down the exact amount of carbs to eat can drastically change the way your body responds to food, workouts, and your overall activity level.
Carbs as food!
Below you will find the four main sources of carbohydrates broken down into food ideas for you! These are just a few foods that are very high in complex carbs that fit into each category, and if you don't find something you like on this list, my recommendation is to go out and try new forms of food that you've found are rich in complex carbs, and if you like them, reach out to me so I can add those foods to my list!
Legumes
Beans!
Vegetables
Peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, pumpkins
Fruit
Bananas, apples, berries, mangoes, grapes, oranges, melons
Whole Grains
Brown rice, barley
Thank you for reading through my IG Live breakdown, and I hope you found something in here that stuck with you, just like your potatoes stick with you during your workout ;)
In the comments, write down your favorite food that is a carb! Mine HAS to be... POTATOES!