The Truth About Carbs

We all know the controversy on low carbs, high carbs, med carbs, all carbs, no carbs, etc, etc.

You get the picture.

There is all kinds of debate on whether carbs are good for us and what are good carbs and bad carbs.

Here are the facts.

We do need carbs to live efficiently. Depending on what type of body type we have as well as what we do for daily activity determines what types of carbs we should be eating.

The consensus is that we need to avoid processed and refined carbohydrates. These foods are not very healthy for us and we are able to get more nutrient dense carbohydrates sources that provide a better benefit.

Now what types of carbs should someone be eating?

Well, we used to use these two types-- Complex and simple carbs. The problem with this is that complex carbs can still have a high glycemic response and for some this isn't ideal.

Now the terminology has shifted more to fibrous carbs and non-fibrous carbs.

The reason being is that fibrous carbs tend to have a lower glycemic response due to a higher fiber content, which allows the body to not release as much insulin.

This in turn prevents the excess storage of fat.

Some believe that you should only eat fibrous carbs, but this just isn't true.

Depending on your daily activity level as well as if you exercise or not your amout of non-fibrous carbs will vary.

If you are about to start a high intense exercise (like BootCamp) or sport that is going to last a while then your body needs non-fibrous carbs that will digest and absorb quickly.

These are the types of carbs to eat when you need energy quickly. Another time when you should eat fast digesting carbs is after workouts to promote recovery.

The final time is first thing in the morning. Research has shown that eating non-fibrous carbs (faster digesting) first thing in the morning is when your body is better at utilizing these calories and less likely to store them as fat.

You also have fasted for many hours at this point and your body is ready to replenish its glucose and glycogen stores so that you can efficiently start your daily activities and mentally be alert.

To summarize an individuals carb intake. 60-75% of someones carb intake should be fibrous(non-starchy) carb choices (green leafy veggies such as spinach, broccoli, salad leaves etc) and 25-40% non-fibrous(starchy) carbs (potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, cereals, oats etc).

The 25-40% should be at breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout.