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As we delve into the intricacies of nutrition and its profound impact on our health, I wanted to take a moment to shine a spotlight on carbohydrates – a fundamental yet often misunderstood component of our diet. Carbohydrates, often vilified in popular discourse, play a crucial role in fueling our bodies and supporting various physiological functions. However, not all carbs are created equal. The quality and quantity of carbohydrates we consume can profoundly influence our health outcomes, from energy levels to long-term well-being. In our journey toward optimal health, it's imperative to explore how we can harness the power of carbohydrates intelligently. By understanding the nuances of carb quality and consumption, we can make informed choices that nourish our bodies, enhance our vitality, and promote overall wellness. What are carbohydrates and why do we need them? Carbohydrates are a quick fuel source for all the cells in our body. The carbs we consume in the form of fruits, vegetables, and grains are broken down into glucose to be used as fuel. In comparison to fat, glucose is a quick burn that is used primarily for intense exercise bouts. It is interesting to note that carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient for human survival. Humans and other omnivorous animals can create glucose from the breakdown of protein and fats in the liver via a process called gluconeogenesis (the creation of glucose). This mechanism allows our body to maintain blood glucose levels during times of the year when vegetation is environmentally limited (winter/spring). For most of human history, hunter-gatherers would rely heavily on animal products during the winter months when carbohydrates we only seasonally available. In modern society, we have an abundance of carbohydrates due to innovations in agriculture and supply chains. The food supply abundance has led to an overconsumption of carbohydrates in our diet with little to no times of reduced consumption. Specifically, the increase in processed foods that are high in simple sugars and processed fats has been the biggest detriment to our health. When consumed in an appropriate volume (dependent on your goals & lifestyle) and with high-quality sourcing carbohydrates have the following benefits:
What should our daily carbohydrate intake be? As with everything, it depends… The context of each individual will determine the volume and types of carbohydrates that will assist you in reaching your goals. Below are 3 different client avatars that demonstrate the differences in macronutrient consumption. Sarah is a 45-year-old woman who has the goal of losing weight to optimize their body composition and minimize symptoms of/prevent chronic diseases. She has started to strength train 3 times a week, however, her profession leaves them sitting most of the day. Katie has a goal of optimizing her body composition but they don’t have much body fat to lose. They work out 5 days per week and are very focused on optimizing their health to prevent disease and maintain their current level of fitness. Jordan is a younger human who strength-trains 4 days a week and plays competitive sports year-round. Athletic Performance and building muscle mass are their main priority. For all of these clients, we will first optimize their protein and fat consumption based on the information we discussed in previous weeks. Sarah is going to keep their carbohydrates to 20% of their total daily calories. For someone eating 2,000 calories a day, this would be 100g or less. Katie will land their carbohydrate intake into the 20- 30% range. Based on 2,000 calories this would put them in the 100-150g range per day. Jordan will have the most room for carbs in their diet making up 30-40% of their daily intake of 150-200g. These are simply estimates based on a 2,000-calorie/day diet. Everyone is going to be slightly different due to their goals and current body composition. A general rule of thumb is that those looking to lose a larger amount of weight (body fat) should aim for 100g or less per day, those who are in a maintenance stage or have less weight to lose will be somewhere between 100-150g, and athletes or humans who spend a large amount of time exercising can be in the 150-200g range. These are the key contextual factors that influence the number of carbohydrates I suggest to my clients:
High Quality vs. Low-Quality Carbohydrates Regardless of your goals the type of carbs you are consuming matters. For years we have been fed the governmental food pyramid which suggests that we should consume 6 servings of whole grains daily. I hope that with the information I have provided today and over the past few weeks you can see where this is not going to promote optimal human performance. If you are confused, sit tight because I will do an article in the future about agriculture and how food products have taken us away from our ancestral roots. Below is a list of eat more, eat some, and eat less. When you are constructing your meals if you align more with Sarah & Katie you should be sticking mostly with the Eat More list. Jordan will have room for the eat-some list. We should all be striving to stay away from the eat less list in our day-to-day meals. I am positive I will get a lot of questions about some of the reasons for the placement of carbs into their respective categories above. It will be a hard pill to swallow for some, however, I am confident that for most people you will feel better if you stick to the eat more/some list and avoid the eat less. Your body will no doubt thank you. This doesn’t mean that we can never eat foods off of the eat less list (I do occasionally as well). I want you to strive to not make these foods the majority of your meals. If you take the time to reprioritize the way you consume carbs you will find more satisfaction with the foods you are consuming as well as find that the carbs you were used to consuming were not serving you the way you thought they were. Take home message:
Andrew Cataldo, CSCS OPEX CCP
Director - Performance Division E: [email protected] Email Andrew at [email protected] with any questions about the information above.
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Andrew CataldoCoach Andrew is the Director of our Performance Division. With a passion for improving the health, fitness, and well being of those around him. Check here each week for new articles! Free E-Books
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