1 gram = 4 calories

As far as I am concerned, the type and amount of carbohydrates you consume can affect you diet dramatically. They offer both advantages and disadvantages, sometimes you need to consume lots and other times as little as possible. Carbohydrates are probably one of the most misunderstood of the macronutrients and are often eaten without regard as a low fat healthy food choice. The overeating of carbohydrates has helped lead to the increase in both obesity and diabetes, more so than dietary fat.

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of fuel. All tissues in the body have the capacity to use glucose for energy. Some tissues, however, (notably the heart) prefer to use fats under normal dietary conditions. There are no “essential” carbohydrates, this means that the body can function normally in their absence. This is done by converting proteins and fats to glucose in the absence of carbohydrates in our diet.

Carbohydrates can be classified three ways:

• Monosaccharides:

  Simple sugars like glucose and fructose, these simple sugars can be found in honey and fruits

• Disaccharides:

  Sugars like table sugar (sucrose) and lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in milk

• Polysaccharides:

  Sugars often referred to as complex carbohydrates or glucose polymers. These include starches (dextrose, cellulose, pectin, and glycogen). These can be found in whole grain, vegetables, nuts, some fruits and legumes

When carbohydrates are consumed, your digestive system converts them to blood sugar (glucose). The glucose is then stored as glycogen in your muscle cells and liver. When training at a high intensity, glycogen stored in your muscles is used to provide energy for muscle contractions. When intensity is low, your blood sugar is used as an energy source.

If you replenish carbohydrate stores (ingesting carbohydrates) prematurely while still having adequate levels of glucose in your blood, the remaining carbohydrates will be stored as fat. There is a reciprocal relationship between carbohydrates and fat oxidation (burning of fat). When carbohydrate burning goes up, fat burning goes down. Basically what this means is, when you consume carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, your ability to burn fat is shut off until you use up the ingested carbohydrates.

Fibres are indigestible complex carbohydrates (Polysaccharides) and they provide no energy to speak of. They do, however, play an important role in our diet. This indigestible bulk helps promote efficient intestinal function and helps regulate absorption of sugars into the blood stream.

Fibre is found together with both simple and complex carbohydrates in various plant foods. These foods include, fruit, leaves, stalk, and the outer coverings of grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. High fibre foods help keep you regular and help promote fullness, so you can eat less and be satisfied. Studies estimate the recommended daily fibre requirement should be between 40-60 grams. This can easily be achieved with the aid of a fibre supplement if need be.

To determine the best carbohydrate choices for our diet, we turn to the Glycemic Index (GI). The Glycemic Index is a rating system that was developed to tell us what carbohydrate sources provide the best energy over a prolonged period of time. It also tells us how fast various carbohydrates and other foods elicit an insulin response. Simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates can fall anywhere on the list depending on how refined the carbohydrates are. Sugar or glucose (a simple carb) for example have a score of 100, however instance rice (a complex carb) is 128.

Below is a list of various foods and how they rate according to the glycemic index, for a more complete list you can find various sources online.

GI FOOD

HIGH

109+ Instant rice, baked potato, Cornflakes, Rice Krispies
100-109 Glucose, watermelon, white bagel, Cream of Wheat, maltodextrine
80-99 Nutrigrain bar, carrots, parsnips, potatoes (instant mashed), white rice, honey
70-79 Bread (white), Oat bran, Brown Rice, Weetabix cereal, broad beans (fresh), potatoes (new), Special K, Chocolate

MODERATE

60-69 bread (whole grain), rice (brown), Muesli, green peas, Banana, All Bran cereal, grapes, peach, raisins
50-59 buckwheat, pasta (bleached), sweet corn, digestive biscuits, oatmeal biscuits
40-49 Pasta (whole wheat), oatmeal, Beans (canned, Navy), orange, peas (dried), barley, yams, parboiled rice

LOW

30-39 butter beans, black eyed peas, milk (skim), milk (whole), apples and juice, kidney beans
20-29 lentils, yogurt, tomato, fructose
10-19 soybeans, peanuts

You want to choose mainly moderate to low GI carbohydrate sources to provide a more stabilized blood sugar level. This will help provide sustained energy instead of having peaks of energy then crashing shortly after. There are times when you want to ingest a high GI carbohydrate, this would apply to your post workout meal.

After you workout, you want to release insulin as it is a potent anabolic. Insulin also increases the total quantity of protein in the body by increasing the flow of amino acids into cells. So it stands to reason that a meal of high GI simple carbohydrates and an easily absorbed protein is ideal post workout.

You can manipulate the GI rating of a carbohydrate by ingesting a protein or fat at the same time as the carbohydrate. Basically, foods that are high in protein or fat have a lower GI rating, when you combine these foods you lower the over all GI rating.

I feel that controlling your insulin levels while trying to lose fat or gain muscle is very important. You want to take advantage of the anabolic properties of insulin at the right time of the day and keep your insulin levels low for the rest. You should always be thinking about this fact when constructing your diet, do you need to be in an anabolic environment at this time or a fat burning one? Your carbohydrate source is going to be based on this answer.

The following is a list of food choices that are moderate to lower GI complex carbohydrates, these foods will help maintain blood sugar levels and give you a steady supply of energy.

• Old Fashioned Oatmeal –

  I am not talking about the oatmeal that comes in a little pouch and tastes like apples and cinnamon. I am talking about the stuff that you could plaster a wall with. Only buy oatmeal that is 100% rolled oats, there should be nothing else in the ingredients. Oatmeal should be a staple of your diet, I have all my clients start their day with it. Ideally you do not want to add any sugar, if you need to add something throw a few berries in instead.

• Yams/sweet potatoes –

  Choose yams over your average white potatoes. They are both complex carbohydrates but the yam has a lower GI. You still get the comfort factor of a potato texture without the insulin release.

• Whole wheat foods –

  If you are going to eat bread and pasta, stick with the mixed grain or whole wheat varieties. Whole wheat pasta is higher in fibre as well as having a lower GI than regular pasta. With whole wheat breads, make sure you read the ingredients on the bag, often bread will appear to be whole wheat but the first and main ingredient is actually white flour. The first and main ingredient should be whole wheat flour. Remember the more refined a flour is the higher the GI.

• Rice –

  Your best choice with rice is to choose long grain brown rice from a nutrition standpoint. It’s a little more effort to cook but it is also more flavourful and better for you. The cooking time isn’t an issue since you are preparing all your foods ahead of time anyway, right? If we are just looking at food from a GI standpoint and fat loss stand point your typical long grain white parboiled rice is actually lower GI than the brown rice so it is definitely an option.

• Beans –

  There are various types of beans (kidney, Lima, black eyed peas and chick peas to name a few) that are low GI and can fit into many types of meals. They are a great way to get a hearty starch into your diet to help provide energy without worrying about the insulin spike caused by many starchy foods. You can buy your beans dried or in canned form, personally I like the convenience of the canned beans, as they are ready to go after a rinse. The canned variety does however have a higher GI rating due to the high temperatures the beans are processed at prior to canning.

• Fruit & Vegetables –

  Fruit provides vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Eat some fruit but avoid fruit juices! Fruit juice is an easy way to over consume calories and increase body fat. I am talking mainly about fruit juice from concentrate. The processing reduces the fibre and nutrients and whole fruit is more filling. If you must drink fruit juice you are better off making it yourself.

Vegetables speak for themselves. We have been told they are good for us from day one, and they are. Like fruit, they also provide vitamins, minerals, and fibre. The general rule of thumb with vegetables is the darker the colour, the more nutrients they have. They are also a great way to add bulk to your meals if you are reducing your calories. Just keep in mind that you want to stay away from the root vegetables as they are higher in calories and glycemic rating.

Carbohydrate Summary:

• Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel choice by the body
• There are however no “essential” carbohydrates
• All carbohydrate sources are converted to glucose
• Carbohydrates include, simple sugars (simple carbohydrates), starches (complex carbohydrates), and fibre
• Glycemic Index was developed to rate carbohydrate sources to see which provide the best energy over a prolonged period of time
• Ingesting carbohydrates especially high GI sources raises insulin levels and prevents fat oxidization (fat burning)
• Best food choices, mainly lower GI complex carbohydrates
• Excess carbs stored as BF