According to Erica Goldstein, Registered dietitian and nutritionist via Mayo Clinic, it's important to understand what a carbohydrate is. “Carbohydrates are stored in the body in the form of glycogen, which is basically links of glucose – or sugar – stored in large amounts. Glycogen can be broken down during continual exercise to provide energy for muscle contraction,” she explains. Anything that contains fructose, glucose and sucrose are considered a carbohydrate and these can be found in a variety of foods include: fruits, like bananas, raisins and dates; and starch, like potatoes, pasta and rice.
The biggest question that is most often asked is how much carbs do we need?
When you exercise your body can handle more carbs and need more carbs for high endurance exercise, but if you aren't exercising then you should watch you carb intake. "The body can only store so much glycogen, so it is essential to consume carbohydrates during prolonged exercise, usually greater than an hour, to continue to provide energy to working muscles, otherwise you may compromise your ability to finish your training," Goldstein says.
Goldstein recommends consuming carbohydrates based on the intensity and duration of training.
- 30 g after the first 60 minutes is enough for training lasting 60-90 minutes
- 60 g per hour after the first 2-2.5 hours
- 90 g per hour after 3 hours, dependent on high-intensity exercise (~75% of maximal effort)
It's important to remember there are good carbs and bad carbs, so choose your carbs wisely. Here are my tips for choosing the right carbs:
- Brown Over White. Opt for whole grain bread instead of white bread, and brown rice instead of white rice.
- Choose High-Fibre Fruits & Vegetables. Typically the darker the vegetable the higher the fibre such as spinach, beats and broccoli.
- The Year of the Pulses. In case you missed my post on pulses, 2016 has been named the year of the pulses by the UN and pulses (such as chickpeas, beans and lentils) carry a lot of health benefits.
- Snack on Nuts, Seeds and Popcorn. We may all prefer a chocolate bar, jujubes and ice cream (which you should always treat yourself once in a while!) but it's better to snack on nuts, seeds and popcorn because of the higher fibre content and nutritional value.
- Read the Label. That means checking the nutritional facts and ingredients. See Eat Right Ontario's guide to reading a nutritional label.
