Not all carbohydrates are created equal, but most have a chance of making it into your diet. So what are good carbohydrates? Find out the difference and create the right diet!
Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for your brain, heart, nervous system and muscles. But there are good carbohydrates and not so good ones.
Replacing one type of carbohydrate with another can lead not only to increased energy, decreased hunger, good health and mood, but also to a decline in energy, accompanied by lethargy, fatigue and the rapid onset of hunger.
What foods contain the desired carbohydrates? Pasta, rice, cake, bread, cookies, buckwheat, candy, chips? They're all great, and they all contain carbs. But which ones are the best sources? essential vitamins, minerals and fiber? Candy chips? Well, I do not! Let's look at the types of carbohydrates and identify the degree of usefulness of each of them.
Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are good because foods in this group take longer to digest and digest, helping to maintain our energy and delay the feeling of hunger for several hours. These include buckwheat, oatmeal, sweet potatoes (yams), legumes, many fruits, cereals and grains, and whole grain bread.
By getting complex carbohydrates from food, your body will be supplied with the necessary energy in portions over an extended period of time, rather than all at once.
Complex carbohydrates in your daily diet should form the basis of nutrition, but do not forget about proteins, which are necessary for muscle growth, and fats.
We recommend eating carbohydrates for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it is extremely undesirable to consume them before bed, since we do not spend energy during sleep, and we do not need fat reserves. Late in the evening it is better to eat cottage cheese or drink protein.
An hour after training, you need to replenish lost energy reserves and eat complex carbohydrates with the right amount of protein.
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Simple carbohydrates
This type of carbohydrate has a simpler structure and is quickly broken down and absorbed in the body. Simple carbohydrates include baked goods made from white flour, confectionery, candy, chocolate, sugar, some fruits, jam, and carbonated drinks.
Simple carbohydrates briefly relieve the body of hunger and provide a small amount of energy, which is consumed very quickly, leaving us tired and hungry. If, instead of a full meal before training, you eat a piece chocolate cake and wash it down with soda, the resulting energy will only be enough to get to the gym, where you will safely fall asleep, leaving the exercise equipment untouched.
You should not abuse simple carbohydrates and give them preference, forgetting about complex ones, because they contain a lot of sugar, therefore, a lot of glucose enters the blood. Insulin monitors the amount of glucose in the blood and promptly rids the body of its excess, which is converted into fat. And fat– the main enemy on the way to a beautiful figure.
Therefore, it is better to eat simple (fast) carbohydrates after consuming complex (slow) ones and in limited quantities, or 15 minutes before training for a boost of energy, knowing that excess energy will be spent in the gym.
Perhaps someone will say that buns– these are very “good” carbohydrates, because eating them– a pleasure, but the harmful consequences of eating them cancel out the pleasure of taste and delay the desired result for an indefinite period of time.
By cutting back on the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet, you can get rid of that annoying belly and drooping sides. But don't forget about power training, which are useful for both men and women.
What child doesn't like sweets? And many parents, not to mention grandparents, try to pamper their child with sweets or cakes. But everything is good in moderation.
Carbohydrates are the main component of all sweets. On the one hand, the body needs them. On the other hand, excessive consumption of sweets, the appearance excess weight, increasing the load on. The question arises: how to avoid negative consequences, but at the same time not give up sweets? But sweets are not the only source of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate deficiency negatively affects the child’s well-being, physical and emotional state. But all these consequences are eliminated as soon as it appears in the diet again. sufficient quantity carbohydrates.
Summary for parents
A rapidly growing body needs carbohydrates just as much as proteins and fats. A deficiency of any of the substances can lead to a number of health problems. Therefore, parents need to provide their child balanced diet. A pediatrician or gastroenterologist will tell you the normal ratio of essential nutrients in the diet.
I am currently actively studying the topic of correct healthy eating, and in this article I selected the materials I liked on this topic from the channel YougiftedRussia.
Carbohydrates
are the main source of energy in our diet.
Carbohydrates are simple (monosaccharides: glucose, fructose, galactose; and disaccharides: sucrose = glucose + frutose, maltose = glucose*2, lactose = glucose + galactose) and complex (digestible polysaccharides: starch, fiber - indigestible dietary fiber)
Video on this topic: How to eat properly. All about carbohydrates(unfortunately, embedding is prohibited, so see the link).
Glucose is the body's main source of nutrition. We consume 15-18 grams of pure glucose per day. For the functioning of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), 140 grams of glucose per day is needed. Red blood cells also feed on glucose, which requires another 40 grams per day. In the body, glucose is stored as glycogen.
Fructose is fruit sugar. Found in fruits, vegetables and honey.
Healthy fruits
green apples, grapefruits, lemons and unripe kiwis.
Harmful fruits
grape.
Galactose is part of lactose and is found in milk.
Complex carbohydrates = starch. It is found in grains, fruits, vegetables, potatoes.
Good carbohydrate foods
buckwheat, oatmeal, barley (pearl barley), legumes, potatoes (in their jacket or baked) and other vegetables. They contain many vitamins and minerals.
Bad carbohydrate foods
white rice, semolina, wheat (pasta). They contain few vitamins and minerals.
Fiber is needed for proper functioning gastrointestinal tract(Gastrointestinal tract), they are a breeding ground for bacteria living in our intestines, on which immunity depends.
Click on the picture to enlarge
The basis of the human nutrition pyramid is carbohydrate foods!
Daily requirement for carbohydrates
For ordinary person 70% calories daily ration should come from carbohydrates. For people involved in bodybuilding and fitness, the proportion of carbohydrates in the diet should be about 50%. The norm for carbohydrate consumption for an ordinary person is ~300 g/day, and for high physical activity and sports ~500 g/day. On all diets, at least 100 g/day. You should also eat about 30 grams of fiber per day.
Correct ratio various types carbohydrates help prevent many types of diseases.
Glycogen reserves in the muscles and liver are capable of maintaining high performance of the body for ~90 minutes, after which the body needs to be replenished.
During intense physical work, you need 7-10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per day, including fiber.
Carbohydrates significantly affect the performance of the body.
At poor nutrition glycogen is quickly depleted in muscle depots.
How to eat before training, during training, after training?
- You cannot train intensely in the morning on an empty stomach. Maximum light jogging for 15-20 minutes or stretching or warm-up (exercise).
- Eat 3-4 hours before intense exercise. Carbohydrates with an average glycemic index (GI) of up to 3-4 g/kg body weight, i.e. 88*4=350 gr. Food should be low-fat. Maybe 3-4 gr. This is overkill, but the real cost of training is 88 * 7 = 620 kcal/4 kcal per 1 gram. carbohydrates = 130 grams, i.e. 1.5 g/kg weight. Or, an hour before training, you can take 1 gram. simple carbohydrates/kg weight: yogurt, sweet kefir, potatoes, or drink a gainer!
The glycemic index (GI) is a coefficient showing how quickly carbohydrates are broken down into monosaccharides (glucose) and absorbed into the blood compared to glucose.
- During long (more than an hour) intense training, it is necessary to take carbohydrate cocktails with a concentration of 6-8%, 250 ml every 20 minutes (IMHO this is rare and in large quantities. For me, 50-100 ml every 5 minutes, i.e. after each approach).
- The sooner after training we begin to replenish glycogen stores, the better. Within half an hour, you need to take up to 100 grams of carbohydrates with an average GI (sGI). Drinks are necessary, but for 100 grams of carbohydrates there should be 10 grams. squirrel. Protein triggers glycogen synthesis in muscles. For example, immediately after training (aimed at mass gain) I drink a portion of gainer.
Gluconeogenesis is the synthesis of glycogen from amino acids and its deposition in glycogen depots. This is a complex process and ineffective, so it is better to simply give the body carbohydrates.
Fast carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, both give us energy, and which are better and which are worse, let's figure it out.
Energy is required for normal functioning of the body. We get it through food, the main components of which are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Moreover, carbohydrates are the main source of energy. Proteins are too valuable for the body to “burn” them, and the use of protein as fuel is the last resort. Fats require additional effort and energy consumption for processing.
Fast carbohydrates and slow carbohydrates, what is the difference
Carbohydrates are the most effective food product, providing the maximum amount of energy at minimum costs for its digestion. Just 1 gram of carbohydrates provides the body with 4.1 kcal of energy (17 kJ).
All carbohydrates in the body are broken down into glucose, which is used for cellular nutrition. All tissues can use glucose, but some organs, for example, nervous system, use only glucose for nutrition.
If, upon entering the body, carbohydrates are not in demand or they are supplied in excess of the norm, which often occurs immediately after a meal, it is stored in the form of “animal starch” - glycogen, which is polymerized glucose. If necessary, individual glucose molecules are “torn off” from the glycogen chains and are used to nourish the tissue. Glycogen reserves are concentrated primarily in the muscles and liver. When there is a significant excess of carbohydrates in the body, glucose is transferred by enzymes into adipose tissue and accumulates around internal organs and under the skin.
The system of “energy storage” in the form of glycogen and fat in the body is quite complex, and if you imagine it simply, you get the following:
- – Vascular receptors respond to increased blood glucose levels
- – The pancreas produces and releases into the blood a hormone for the polymerization of glucose (insulin).
- – High level insulin turns on a system for additional processing of glucose into fats.
It may seem that in order to get rid of excess fat you should completely give up carbohydrates in your diet. But this is very difficult, and not only because carbohydrates are found in all foods, but also because glucose is vital for the body, providing
- – normal nervous activity, including higher (thinking)
- – used as an energy resource for all tissues
- – participates in the production of its own antioxidants
- – stimulates immune system and participates in the development of immunity
Diet specialists and many doctors recommend using a little half or a little more than half carbohydrates in your diet (45 - 65% of total energy value). However, it is worth considering that we are mainly talking about “good” carbohydrates.
Types of carbohydrates
According to their structure and number of “chains” they distinguish fast carbohydrates (monosaccharides and disaccharides) and complex carbohydrates(starch and fiber).
Fast carbohydrates (simple):
Sugars are:
— natural (fructose and lactose) We can find this type of sugar in honey and fruits (frutose) and dairy products (lactose).
— added (sucrose) This sugar is added during industrial production. That is, in all cookies, carbonated drinks and other similar foods. Well, and also the sugar itself, which we like to add to tea or coffee.
Natural sugars ( simple carbohydrates), contained in all fruits, vegetables, milk, as well as products of animal origin, are classified as “good”, since along with such sugars there are also substances that reduce their rapid absorption, although they do not reduce the efficiency of absorption.
Processed products, such as industrial sugar, used in industrial food production (especially sweets), are classified as “bad” carbohydrates, and for good reason. The consumption of such carbohydrates causes a sharp increase in blood glucose levels, and as a result enhances the formation of a “reserve” in the form of fat.
Complex carbohydrates:
Starches
This group includes:
Legumes (lentils, beans)
Cereals (brown rice, cereals, whole grain pasta).
Starch is a type of carbohydrate that is made up of a long chain of simple sugars. Before it can be used as glucose, it must be digested by the body. But it is worth considering that some starchy foods convert into glucose faster than some sugars and sharply raise blood sugar levels.
Cellulose
This group includes:
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grain products
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our bodies cannot partially or fully digest, so the calories it provides are so negligible that they often go uncounted. Simply put, fiber, despite being a carbohydrate, contains 0 calories.
However, this substance is far from useless. Fiber helps better digestion, lowers cholesterol and has a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels.
To maintain health, a person needs 25-30 grams of fiber per day.
Most people do not comply with this standard. To achieve this, you need to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
WHO experts recommend limiting the use of simple sugars to 10% of the maximum, reducing it over time to 5% of the energy value of food, and compensating for the deficiency with complex polysaccharides of natural origin.
Since not all natural products can be classified as “good”, and not all food products include “bad” carbohydrates, experts tend to operate more with the concept glycemic index", which will be about.
It is worth considering that carbohydrates are perhaps the most important component of nutrition. If you feel hungry, have strange headaches, fatigue, or simply become irritable, then this should first be regarded as signs of a lack of carbohydrates, and make up for their lack, for example, simple vegetables and some fruit.
It is important to remember that you should give preference to “good” carbohydrates of natural origin, and also consume them in the required level of activity. Not everyone needs to significantly limit themselves in carbohydrates, but with a slight “excess” it is better to “burn” it physical activity.
The timing of carbohydrate-rich meals is also important. Should not be consumed a large number of carbohydrates before bed, but before classes or physical activity, such nutrition will not be superfluous.