Carbohydrates are misunderstood and needlessly made confusing by so many self assuming experts. Carbohydrates are often viewed as the enemy and consuming them is a fate worse the death! Well not that bad, but why are so many people scared of Carbs?

 
Some people are more scared of Carbs than death!

It comes down to understanding. Understanding carbohydrates can be confusing because there are many different ways to categorize carbohydrates and (systems used to measure carbs). Here in lies the problem. So my solution is to give you a schooling in carbs, lets begin.

The eight main different types of carbohydrate are (with examples):

• Low G.I Carbs (Sweet Potato)
• Hi G.I (White potato)
• Fibrous Carbs (Green Vegetables)
• Starchy Carbs (Rice, Potato)
• Refined Carbs (Processed sugar, white sugar or Soft Drink)
• Natural Carbs (Fruit, Fructose)
• Simple Carbs/Sugars (Glucose, Lollies)
• Complex Carbs (broken down into 2 categories, fibrous and starchy)

Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars.
Types of Simple Carbohydrates (sugars) are:

-Monosaccharides:
• Glucose (blood Sugar)
• Fructose (fruit Sugar)
• Galactose (found in Milk, makes up half the sugar Lactose)

-Disaccharides:
• Sucrose (table sugar)
• Lactose (dairy sugar)
• Maltose (malt sugar)

From the list of eight carbohydrates (above), it’s easy to understand why some people can get confused. To add to these terms, the labels ‘good carbs’ and ‘bad carbs’ are often given to different types of carbohydrates.

 

Good Carbs and Bad Carbs

What exactly are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are the body’s primary and premium fuel source. As carbohydrates digest they turn into glycogen. An excessive carbohydrate intake will result in “storage” in fat cells.

Exercise burns muscle glycogen and if the muscle stores of glycogen are not replaced the body’s system just slows down, lethargy sets in and this is not a desired state if you are concern with getting stronger and building muscle.
 
Severely depleted carbohydrate stores will ultimately result in a reduction of the body’s protein stores and lean tissue mass, obviously not the intent of any trainer.

So it’s a catch 22, we don’t want to consume so many carbohydrates that they are stored as fat and we don’t want to consume too little carbohydrates so that our glycogen supply causes muscle wastage and no energy during workouts thereby making building muscle and getting stronger nearly impossible. 

 SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES 

Simple carbohydrates have a ‘simple’ molecular structure which allows them to be digested very quickly, producing a rapid rise in blood sugar.

Simple carbohydrates can be both natural (good) or refined (bad).  Natural simple carbohydrates include fruit (fructose) and Lactose (found in dairy products). People can have problems digesting Lactose (Lactose intolerant). The term Hi GI carbs is often (but not always) another way of talking about simple carbohydrates.

Avoiding all simple carbs in natural foods (such as fruit) is not necessary but it is highly advisable to avoid simple-refined carbohydrates namely any products that contain white processed sugar. These are poison.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES (Polysaccharides)

Complex Carbohydrates are made from thousands of sugar molecules linked together in long chains. As a result, these chains take longer to break down and digest compared with simple carbohydrates. The term Low GI is often used to describe complex carbohydrate digestion. There are two categories of complex carbohydrates:

• Starchy Carbs
• Fibrous Carbs

Starchy Carbohydrate sources:

Oats or Oatmeal
White Rice
Basmati or brown rice
White potato
Sweet potato
Rice cakes (make sure its 100% brown puffed rice and not maize or corn)

NOTE: Starchy carbs are higher in calories than fibrous carbs.

Fibrous Carbohydrate sources:

Broccoli
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Asparagus
Green Beans
Squash
Cucumber
Spinach

*Most Green Vegetables fit into this category

LOW CARB?

To decrease body fat, carbs are often the first macro nutrient to be restricted, next to saturated fats. A low carb strategy undeniably works to shed body fat. However, fibrous carbs should always be included in any nutritional plan.

Low Carb plans require Starchy Carbs to be reduced and optimally placed in the diet. This is important to understand as many people will restrict fibrous carbs which is often unnecessary. It must be understood before we proceed, there is a major deference between Fibrous Carbs (green vegetables) and Starchy Carbs. It may sound like I am repeating myself (I want to make it clear), don’t restrict Fibrous Carbs.

Fibrous Carbs contain very few calories and are loaded with vitamins and minerals and have much less impact on Insulin. Starchy carbs are higher in calories and have a greater impact on Insulin, thus why they need t be controlled.

For the majority of people, there are optimal times for starchy carb intake, they are:

• Breakfast
• Before training
• After training

Depending upon your goal, a trainer may need to choose from simple and complex carbs at these times. Trainers wanting to lose weight will gain benefits from sticking to a simple approach and keeping all carbs sources at the above outlined times to complex sources.

Trainers who are leaner, and are wanting to gain more weight (in general) will gain benefits from including both simple and complex carbs at these times. They may also want to include a malto-dextrin or glucose drink during training sessions or a post workout supplement such as Evolves Reload for enhanced muscle recovery. In introducing pre, post or during workout shakes it’s recommended that the trainers’ body-fat does not exceed 15%. Leaner trainers have a better Insulin response therefore can merit the consumption of glucose around training.

The three times of the day as outlined above are not absolutes. However they are a great starting place. Sometimes in extreme phases of dieting (such as before a bodybuilding show) carbs may have to be cut from one or more of these times. For most of you who just want to get in great shape, consume a starchy carb source at all times as outlined above to get bigger, stronger and leaner.

When on low carbs, be on low carbs, don’t mess it up by eating spoons of sugar. Sugar is often the critical error in most people’s diet.

Stay tuned for part two were we discuss “The Bad Carbohydrates”

Till then, eat well,