Carbohydrate consumption is a hot topic. The words “bad” and “unhealthy” can often be heard when discussing carbohydrates. However, our body needs carbohydrates to run efficiently. Specifically, if you are someone who partakes in exercise, carbohydrates are needed to fuel the body.
I’ll be one to admit that I have tried to decrease my carbohydrate consumption. You know what I noticed? My exercise capacity decreased. I couldn’t move my body for as long as I wanted to and I couldn’t move my body at the intensity I wanted to. I find this topic fascinating and want to help others understand the importance of consuming carbohydrates. Because of this, today’s blog post will walk you through:
What are carbohydrates
The 6 common mistakes we make regarding carbohydrate consumption and exercise
Carbohydrates: What are they?
Carbohydrates are our bodies main source of energy. They are one of the three macronutrients our bodies need to operate (alongside fat and protein).
Your main sources of carbohydrates will come from the following food items:
Grains: whole grains, refined grains and items made with flour
Starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas, corn)
Legumes
Fruit
Milk and yogurt
Sugar and other processed foods
Let’s give you a little bit of a background before diving into the juicy stuff…
Carbohydrates are made up of multiple sugar molecules. When they are digested, they break down into smaller molecules and this causes our blood sugar to rise.
There are two major classes of carbohydrates: Simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates
Monosaccharides (1 sugar unit)
Glucose, fructose, galactose
Disaccharides (2 sugar units)
Sucrose, lactose, maltose
In laymen terms, simple carbohydrates would be known as “refined carbohydrates.” These include items such as white flour, candy and juice/soda.
Complex carbohydrates
Oligosaccharides
Polysaccharides
These include items such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
Simple carbohydrates cause our blood sugar to increase rapidly as they do not need as much time to digest, whereas complex carbohydrates raise our blood sugar at a slower rate. For overall health and wellness, we want to limit our simple carbohydrate consumption and choose more complex carbohydrates. However, with activity, we may want to ingest some simple carbohydrates (continue reading to know why!)
A little more science for you…
As mentioned above, when we eat carbohydrates, they break down into smaller molecules called glucose (which is what causes our blood sugar to rise). Glucose is what our body uses for energy (did you know that this is our brains main source of energy?!). Glucose can then be turned into glycogen, which is the major form of stored carbohydrate in animal tissues. This is located primarily in the liver and skeletal muscle. Muscle glycogen is mainly used for exercise. Have you ever felt like you “hit the wall” during a workout? This is most likely due to decreased muscle glycogen stores.
Now that we have the basics out of the way, what are the common mistakes people make with carbohydrate consumption and exercise?
1.) Not eating enough carbohydrates before activity
If carbohydrates are not consumed prior to activity, the body will tire more easily.
For peak performance consume
2 gm/kg of carbohydrates 2 hours before moderate to intense exercise
OR
1 gm/kg of carbohydrates 1 hour before moderate to intense exercise
When partaking in activity, at a minimum consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates (low in fiber and fat) 1 hour prior
Examples: Fruit+ granola bar, Peanut butter banana toast, granola and berries
Eat a balanced meal 3-4 hours before activity or a smaller meal/larger snack 2 hours before
Increased carbohydrate consumption can lead to increased performance outcomes
If you have been unable to consume adequate carbohydrates, consider doing a less intense workout
2.) Not eating enough carbohydrates during activity
A limited amount of glycogen can be stored in our bodies. If exercising longer than an hour, these stores are going to deplete. It is important to replenish them.
Consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates each hour if exercise is moderate to intense and lasts > 1 hour
Consume foods that have a mixture of carbohydrates (examples include starch, fructose, glucose, maltodextrin)
Inadequate carbohydrate consumption can lead to decreased endurance and strength as training session progresses
If activity is < 45 minutes, no additional fuel is needed
3.) Not eating enough carbohydrates after activity
It is important to replenish glycogen stores after activity.
After an intense session, consume 0.75-1.5 grams/kg of body weight of carbohydrates (along with some protein) within one hour
Example: For a 150 pound (68.2 kg) individual this would be 51 – 102 grams of carbohydrates. Here are a few options that would fall into that range:
Peanut butter sandwich with an apple, Potato with cottage cheese + 2 T raisins, Greek yogurt with berries and granola
If training was light, consume a meal within a couple hours
Replenishing glycogen stores will help your body repair for the next day’s training session
4.) Not fueling for your specific activity
The intensity and duration of your activity dictates the fueling strategies you should follow. A football player will have different fueling needs than an individual training for a triathlon.
One main point here: When you consume carbohydrates, you can make your training sessions longer.
5.) Not consuming enough carbohydrates on rest days
People may think on rest days they should not eat as much as they do on training days. This could not be farther from the truth. On rest days we want our bodies to recover, and to recover, we need to fuel efficiently. It takes glycogen 24-48 hours to be replaced in our bodies. If we don’t consume adequate carbohydrates on our rest days, it will take longer for these stores to be replenished.
6.) Not consuming enough carbohydrates in general
Nutrition is very individualized, which is why working with a dietitian is the gold standard when trying to hit performance goals. However, here is a basic breakdown for carbohydrate intake for different individuals:
Conclusion
Fueling strategies can “make or break” your training session. Fueling for one person will not be the same for another, however the above can provide you with a solid foundation.
Bottom line: Carbohydrate consumption can improve exercise capacity and performance.
What is your favorite food to fuel your body with around exercise? Let us know in the comments below!
References:
SCAN. (2013). Fueling During Exercise. Retrieved from www.scandpg.org
SCAN. (2013). Fueling for Recovery. Retrieved from www.scandpg.org
Asche, Angie. Fuel Your Body: How to Cook and Eat for Peak Performance. Angie Asche, 2021
Clark, Nancy. Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Human Kinetics, 2020.
Nichols, Lily. Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition. Lily Nichols, 2018.
Rachel Miklya, RDN, LD, CPT
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