Carbs Are Not The Enemy

Carbs Are Not The Enemy

"Carbs are going to be the thing that if you use them well and in the right way are going to help you maximise your performance, maximise your recovery and ultimately maximise your potential."

I would like to start off by saying two very important things:

1. Over consumption of any food or macronutrient isn't healthy so when I say the words 'Carbs are not the enemy', a statement I whole heartedly believe but appreciate to some might be controversial, over consumption, in general is something that needs to be managed.

2. In general, demonising any food or food group is a real slippery slope to destroying your relationship with food in. Are some foods better for you than others? Of course, but that's not the point. The point is that the second we start talking about foods as if they are the enemy is the second we lose balance, lose realism and potentially drift into unsustainable habits. Often what I find when people talk about diets that have worked for them in them in the past there is one common factor leading to them feeling better… they have reduced the amount of ultra processed foods in their diet and replaced them with whole foods.

When we talk about Carbohydrates it's important to understand the Glycaemic Index (or GI), at a high level

The Glycaemic Index (GI) rates food on a scale of 0-100 based on how they raise the bodies blood sugar levels. Foods with 55 or less are seen as being low, 56 – 69 seen as medium and 70+ as high. Foods usually high on the GI scale are typically high in refined carbohydrates and sugars which are digested quickly. There are other factors that influence the GI rating though such as Nutrient composition, cooking method and ripeness. Foods high in protein, fat or fibre typically have a low GI rating. Depending on your specific goals will depend on what your recommend balance is - spoiler alert, for athletes there is 100% a place for high GI carbohydrates!

That last sentence, 'depending on your specific goals will depend on your recommended balance' is critically important and brings us to the subject of this blog post….

CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY

So often I hear people say that you shouldn't eat carbs, that protein is king and the only way to perform in the gym is to go Keto. And whilst I am not here to argue with people's thoughts and feelings, I appreciate that people will have their own views and as I have always said, every person is unique and there is no one size fit's all approach…. But of course I have my personal views!

For athletes or those who exercise regularly understanding that carbohydrates are our bodies primary source of fuel is critically important but even more important is getting the timing of those carbs right.

Generally it's a bit of a seesaw, the closer you get to training or an event the less you want to consume but the higher the GI of the carb should be. So if you are 4 hours before training you should loading up on slower releasing carbs (Low GI) to sustain you for longer without giving you that large spike in blood sugar. And this is where it becomes interesting because in general, for your average non-active, non-gym going person, we would recommend that they stay away from High GI carbs. When it comes to fuel right before, during and immediately after exercise, especially high intensity exercise though, these high GI carbs are not only good but arguably critical to provide the body with fast energy, topping up glycogen stores and right after training literally giving the body fuel to kick start recovery.

To summarise what I am trying to say Carbs are going to be the thing that if you use them well and in the right way are going to help you maximise your performance, maximise your recovery and ultimately maximise your potential. BUT there are of course risks, poor timing, poor volume, poor choice of carb can all have a detrimental impact to performance. That's why we always recommend working with someone to help you get the best results and maximum benefit from the hard work you put in.

Why not download our Free Nutrition intro Pack to get you started and learn a bit more… Or if you want to chat about your carb intake around training. Drop me a DM and let's see how we can help.

*Disclaimer - This blog is not nutritional advice, the right level of carbohydrates to consume will be personal to you, your body, likes, dislikes, goals, etc.