All About Carbohydrates – Here is a complete summary of carbohydrates that will allow you to understand them and use them to your advantage.
Carbohydrates are those our body uses to rebuild its energy supply. They stand mainly stored in the muscles and in small quantities in the liver. It is a macronutrient. It is found in our daily diet, such as fruits and vegetables, cereals (rice, oats, pasta, sugar), etc.
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What Is The Role Of Carbohydrates?
They have a central energy role; these macronutrients are essential for the body. And especially the brain and the muscles, which use them very quickly to function correctly. They must constitute approximately half of our total daily energy intake. To them will be activated the protein metabolism. That is to say, the reconstruction of our energy stock.
Two Categories Make Up Carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates: Sugars found in foods whose suffix ends in “dare”: fructose, lactose, glucose, sucrose. Here are some examples: fruits, milk, yogurt, industrial products, and cookies.
Complex carbohydrates: Sugars present in starch, in so-called reserve plants, and tubers. Here are some examples: bread, cereals, pasta, and rice.
When To Eat Carbohydrates According To Anabolic Windows?
The anabolic window is the “flagship” moment to reload your batteries in macronutrients (protein and carbohydrate) to make up for losses in the body. After training, muscles need to absorb proteins to regenerate and contribute to new muscle building.
The idea is to eat carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (GI) to boost. The insulin level (relative to the blood sugar level), which fell sharply during the session, is to assimilate better the protein intake ingested to boost mass muscle gain and build up a stock of glycogen in the body.
Here are high GI foods: honey, white bread, banana, dried fruit, maltodextrin (Gels or suitable sports drinks).
Avoid wrong products with a high GI: cookies, sweets, industrially processed products, candies, sodas, etc.
When Is The Optimal Time To Eat Carbohydrates?
Know that carbohydrates are essential in protein metabolism. After a workout, protein absorption is accelerated a few hours after exercise. Whether that be 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours after training, it will not affect muscle growth in the long term. However, you need to recharge quickly to benefit from the anabolic window promoting protein synthesis and providing carbohydrates to the muscles. This will allow for better recovery.
The best timing is, therefore, to eat around training.
However, the anabolic window narrows with level. High-level athletes should eat carbohydrates and proteins 1 hour after exercise to maximize absorption.
We recommend that you not train on an empty stomach and therefore eat enough carbohydrates before training. And to be able to recharge again a few hours after the effort.
Good And Bad Carbs?
We counsel you to pay attention to the choice of your carbohydrates. Choose fruits (fresh or dried), whole grains, legumes, or sprouted seeds.
Avoid processed, industrial products, refined sugars, confectionery, cookies, energy drinks, and sodas. These products with bad carbohydrates with a high glycemic index promote fat gain.
Can We Have Cheat Meals?
A “cheat meal” is a free meal. The theory of low carb / high carb (little and a lot of sugar) is used a lot in bodybuilding and fitness. It is simply a matter of allowing your body an unbalanced meal in terms of carbohydrate/protein/lipid ratio. You must only have one cheat meal per week to not interfere with good dietetics. But it is essential because it is essential to show your body that you are not on a diet or in prolonged caloric restriction so as not to enter into a mode of protection of the body, which would then come to amplify its stocks of fat due to this decrease.
Here, carbohydrates are mainly concerned. Treat yourself to carbohydrates and increase them during this feast! Respect the ratio of one “pleasure” meal per week to optimize your diet.
We advise you to consult our food plan section for more information.
Conclusion On Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates allow us to have and rebuild our energy. The more we have a high level of sport, the more necessary it is to consume it quickly after training.
CAUTION: If you consume excess carbohydrates, the insulin level will be very high and transform sugars into fat. Extra sugar is the main reason for obesity worldwide. Therefore, it is essential to control the risk factors for many diseases (diabetes, overweight, cholesterol, heart failure). It is, therefore, necessary to manage them.
Our Advice?
Eat around 70% of your meals in complex carbohydrates (and supplement with slow starches like whole grains) 2 days before a competitive effort or prolonged efforts to build up an available and substantial stock.
– In the morning, on an empty stomach, and 1 to 3 hours after exercise is the two best times to ingest your carbohydrates and thus obtain the best possible assimilation for your body.
