Carbohydrates are probably the most misunderstood area of nutrition, and I still find people totally confused on the subject. To make things simple, here’s everything you need to know about carbs!
Carb Types – They are classified into two main types: sugars and complex carbs (or starches). The difference simply is the number of molecules bonded together, where Sugars have just a few, complex carbs can have thousands connected together.
Role of Carbs – Carbohydrates provide an energy source for the body alongside the vitamins & minerals found in the carb containing foods. At rest they provide 15-30% of your energy needs while during intense exercise can provide 90% or more.
Carb Foods – Most foods contain carbohydrates, except for animal protein and oils. Carbs can be present in very small amounts, like in green vegetables, or in nearly pure forms, like table sugar. Foods with more than 20% carbohydrate content are often labeled as “carbs”—think pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread. However, a lot of junk foods are called carbs even though they may have more fat calories in them than actual carbs, e.g. chocolate, crossiants.
Common carb sources include fruits, vegetables, bread products, grains, legumes, dairy (like milk and yogurt), and more.
Carbs In The Body – All carbs are broken down into simple sugars to be taken in by the digestive system. Once in the body they travel through the blood to either provide immediate energy where they are needed, e.g. an exercising muscle, the brain, or they are stored away for future use in the muscles or your liver. Excess carbohydrates that are not needed here can be converted to become body fat for future energy use.
A normal person can store around 500g of carbs (1 lb) with more available to be stored as you gain extra muscle. For each gram of carbs stored as glycogen it will also store 2 to 3 grams of water. So, your carb storage weight may be 1-2kg+. This is why low carb diets produce such fast initial weight changes.
Carbs & Blood Sugar – Different carb sources, combinations of foods and amounts eaten can greatly affect how your blood sugar changes after eating. Your blood sugar should sit between 5-6 mmol/L (90-100 mg/dL) at rest. After eating, it will go up, the speed and magnitude vary as well as the level it returns to after the sugar has been cleared.
Carbs & Diabetes – This refers to a condition to when the body cannot bring the blood sugar levels back down to a normal range due to insulin inefficiency. The high blood sugar causes various problems over time. A fasting blood sugar score of over 7 mmol/L (126 mg/dL) is generally regarded as being type 2 diabetic.
Carbs & Low Blood Sugar – Most focus around blood sugar is centered on diabetes and the problems of high levels. A not so often mentioned issue is low blood sugar & adrenaline being used to sustain ideal levels. Either through inadequate metabolism, undereating or a lack of carb intake it is common for blood sugar to drop below the ideal ranges. In response, this forces the body to pump adrenaline which liberates carbs into the blood. This is problematic as it means you are in a stressed state, even if you are just relaxing at home. This is a significant cause to sleep problems and can lead to fatigue
Carb Individuality – There are general guidelines on carb intake based on lots of sport performance research. There is also a large amount of individuality within your carb needs. Some people do very well on low amounts of carbs, while others on high amounts. This is based on your genetic background to some degree but it is also influenced by your behaviours. While traditionally artic and cold weather populations lived off very low carb amounts e.g. intuit Indians in the artic circle had just 20% of energy from carbs. They also probably never signed up for a run club or tried to do a marathon. So, your actions can greatly influence your needs.
Carb Intake & Sports Performance – The general guidelines from sports research are below. The biggest cause for carb needs is cardio. Weight training uses much less.
Population Carbs (g) / Kg Daily amount for 70kg person
No Exercise 1-3g/kg 70-210g
Light Exercise 3-5g/kg 210-350g
Moderate Exercise 5-7g/kg 350-490g
High Exercise 7-10g/kg 490-700g
Extreme Exercise 10-12g/kg 700-840g
Note – Extreme exercise would be something like competing in the Tour de France or running an ultra-marathon. It is not doing a double Pilates session on a Sunday afternoon.
Carbs & Weight Loss – Carbs don’t make you fat, eating too much food and thus overeating does. The key to managing weight with carbs is finding the right balance that provides enough fuel while reducing food intake. Low-carb diets can work because for some people they reduce hunger while eating less. However, they aren’t the magic solution for everyone as some people get much hungrier and end up eating too much.
I always laugh when people aggressively claim only low carbs create fat loss. I have done 5 bodybuilding shows and never had less than a 1000 calories (250g / day ) in my plan. Everyone knows someone who went vegan and lost weight and kept it off, all vegan diets are carb dominant.
Carbs & Health – Carbs often get a bad rap for health but that is a bit unfair as all the high sugar, high processed and total junk foods come under the carb banner. This does not mean all carbs are bad. Carbs are also in vegetables, fruits and whole foods.
Another issue with carbs is many forms of them are sensitive towards people’s bodies. Dairy, wheat, gluten based grains are often highly irritable to an individual. These carb sources therefore accentuate health issues and are partly responsible for the blanket “carbs are bad” many proclaim.
There does seem to be some health issues that respond well to low or no carb type diets. This is why it is so important to tailor your food intake to your own body.
However, I would be opened minded on running some experiments to see what works best for your body. As a trainer I continually see people try to follow low carb plans to lose fat yet their body gives every indication that it is not happy with it. When we add more carbs in they then get much better results. The key is to find out what works best for you.
Photo – Some common carbs and me at my lowest body fat which I attained while eating carbs up until show day.
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