CARBOHYDRATES (CARBS) ARE YOUR FRIEND
There has been much controversy over this valuable macronutrient. Carbs have gotten a bad rap over the years, but finally, it looks like the pendulum is swinging back to reality!
Carbs are your friend. Carbs come from fruits, veggies, grains, legumes and beans. They are replete with phytonutrients and valuable energy for your body. Eating an array of different carbs is a great way to guarantee valuable nutrients your body needs as well as the energy to accomplish your daily activities.
THE BASICS ABOUT CARBS
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for your body. Carbs provide (4) calories per gram. They are broken down through digestion into sugars and absorbed through the small intestine. From there they are shuttled off into the blood system and used immediately or stored in the muscles and liver until needed for energy. These stored Carbs are called glycogen.
Our bodies can only store a limited amount of stored carbs (depending on how much lean muscle you have)- between 800 to 2100 calories at any one time. This is barely enough to sustain an individual through an hour and a half of intense exercise, which is why we need to eat Carbs throughout the day.
The average person can use up every gram of stored glycogen just by standing upright, breathing, digesting, thinking and trying to maintain a constant body temp. This is called your Resting Metabolism. Once you introduce everyday movement, especially exercise, your body demands additional glycogen; without it, your body robs your hard-earned muscle tissue to be converted into energy. This is called a “Catabolic State.” As you continually allow your body’s muscle to supply energy, this drops your metabolic rate,. Over time, your body will have less muscle to store energy, which makes it harder for your body to burn calories. Remember...muscle burns calories not fat.
RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKE (RDI)
Current dietary recommendations call for appx 50-70% of total daily calories come from minimally processed, slow digesting carbs. That said, introducing High Glycemic fast digesting carbs immediately after a workout is the best way to mainatain muscle and burn fat.
Processing these whole food ingredients, especially with a blender, makes them High Glycemic, or easier and faster to digest. High Glycemic Carbs are ideal to Recover with post workouts because energy is quickly restored which avoids a Catabolic (muscle wasting) State.
So drink a fast-digesting Recovery Shake immediately following your workout, you’ll refuel with the necessary carbs that your body is craving and keep your metabolism humming.
EAT WELL!