MACROS 101 - CARBS

We’ve all heard these before - “count your macros”, “adjust your carb intake”, “try carb cycling”, “you don’t need carbs”, “carbs are just sugar” but what do they actually mean?  What are carbohydrates and how does our body utilize them?

🍺CARBS 101🍰

🍞To all of my carb phobes out there..... take a breather.  Your body NEEDS them.  Carbohydrates are the most “preferred” source of fuel in the body.  Meaning it is a simple process, giving you a quick burst of glucose (aka energy) to allow your cells to perform their required duties. 

🥯What happens when you don’t take in enough carbohydrates? 

🍌Your body begins to break down PROTEIN. Yes - protein, not just fat. If you are not taking in a high enough amount of protein to combat the loss of glucose in your diet, your muscles will not be able to recover and therefore grow. Slowed tissue repair, decrease in strength and size are all results of the body unable to the required demands of the body. Muscle hypertrophy comes just as much from adequate nutritional intake as it does from your training program. 

🍎Got brain fog? Thats because your brain requires glucose to run efficiently. Without carbohydrates you will quickly have trouble concentrating, poor memory, and slow processing of simple tasks.  Try playing your next game or your next gym session hung over - thats how your brain feels when you don’t properly fuel it with carbohydrates.

🌽Feeling fatigued? Performance in daily activities and sports will suffer when you don’t have an optimal amount of glycogen in your muscles. You will not be able to perform quick and explosive movements as well as any prolonged high intensity exercise efficiently, purely due to the lack of available energy stored in the muscle. 

🥔Can you survive without carbohydrates? Yes. Carbohydrates are the body’s “preferred” fuel source but not a “required” source. However, before you decide to cut these out all together just beware - With a lack of carbohydrates in your system you will produce ketones to fuel your body. 

🥨Challenge #1: It takes an extremely low amount of sugar intake intake for ketones to be produced AND TIME for your body to begin running efficiently on them.  Slip up and eat too much fruit one day (yes even healthy foods have carbs in them) and you will be back at square one, fighting the “keto-flu” with more brain fog and body fatigue before restarting the process again.

🥦Challenge #2: Say you have a few extra servings of fruit that day...or you slip and eat a bagel. Your body has a memory of its own. It will likely store that glucose in a protective mechanism for the next “fast” since carbs are now hard to come by.... Likely resulting in fat gain. 

🥕So what are carbs anyway?

🍉Everyone knows carbohydrates to be predominantly in baked goods and pastas, but lets not forget that fruits and vegetables are also predominantly carbohydrates. 

🍕Not all carbs are equal! 

🍪Monosaccharides - carbs in their simplest form. (i.e. pure glucose, sweeteners, fruits, honey)

🥛Oligosaccharides - medium sized carbs (i.e. table sugar and milk products)

🍝Polysaccharides - complex carbohydrates (i.e. starch and fiber, legumes, vegetables) 

🥞Carbohydrates with fiber and starch are necessary for our gut health, satiety, and excreting toxins. They allow the “glycemic load” of the food to be controlled, slowing the breakdown of food and preventing that insulin spike occurring once a rush of glucose is broken down and has filled the blood stream all at once. 

🍯Repetitive intake of simple sugars will cause your body to be on this insulin responsive “bell curve” every time you ingest food, increasing your risk for fat storage, weight gain, obesity and diabetes. 

🍩Long story short, your body utilizes glucose in every cellular process. Don’t be afraid to ingest sugar, however educate yourself on what sugar is healthy and necessary for your diet, physical activity output, goals and overall lifestyle. 

‼️Not sure how to safely incorporate carbs into your diet? Message us for a free consult on your current lifestyle and how we can create your own specific 4 week nutrition program! 

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