So what's the big fuss about carbs? It seems while athletes are needing a large amount of them many of the new diets encourage an extremely low intake of carbs. Carbs fuel the nervous system functions, which is one of the reasons people tend to feel weak and light headed after skipping meals. In order to function properly the body needs a certain amount of carbs, and other nutrients, in order to function properly. Without the proper intake fatigue and muscle cramps can commonly occur.
Carbs are the critical sources of energy and are the most efficient source for glycogen, a muscle "fuel". While daily intake levels vary from athlete to athlete the intake amount should match the amount necessary for training and muscle recovery. All carbs however weren't created equally, some have very high or moderate glycemic indexes (such sugars, juices and breads.) Carbs with high glycemic indexes can easily be converted by the body into glucose and glycogen. The advantage here is they provide a quick recovery, however the downside is that it's very short lived.
On the other hand carbs which have low glycemic indexes, such as oat bran and whole wheats provide a slower increase in glucose and glycogen, causing in turn a smaller increase in insulin. These carbs are good for weight management, but not so much for muscle glycogen recovery.
Carbs are more critical in endurance sports than in gymnastics, though as you can see from the recommended percentages they still play a critical role in the athletes performance. Carbs are typically considered to be the fuel necessary for endurance sports, but sometimes the importance of carbs can be overdone and some athletes will overdo carb intake. While carbs are very important having a balanced diet including the proteins and fats is critical, particularly in endurance sports since the longer the distance is the more the importance of fats and proteins increases.
The one thing that seems to be consistently difficult is finding the right balance of the different dietary needs, it seems as though everywhere you turn I hear different things. The only thing that seems to consistently work is paying attention to what your body is craving and eating those foods.
1 comments:
This is a very interesting subject! I have been learning all this recently as well. The society in general has become so carb adverse due to fads like that Atkin diet that many young active people are confused about what their diet should consist of. I am glad that you are letting us know what we should be consuming if we are active. Most importantly telling us that carbs are very important for our body!
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