Are you afraid of carbohydrates? Taking in too little carbohydrates won't make you lose weight faster. In fact, just the opposite could happen, because your metabolism will slow down. As I usually do, I want to approach this topic with a clear mind and scientific evidence.
Poor nutrition can lead to fatigue, dehydration, and poor health. All of which can negatively affect your body's performance.
Whether you're an athlete or not. Fueling your body correctly is often overlooked, but it's a critical aspect of sports and exercise performance, as well as academic and work performance. Even your emotional wellbeing. So, it goes without saying then, that nutrition is a huge part of fitness and wellness.
What Do Carbs Do?
Carbohydrates are our primary fuel for cell energy, and they are the fastest source. The organs that need this energy the most can't function well without carbohydrates. Most of all, I'm talking about your brain.
Our brain must have around 125 grams of carbs, every day. This amount is less in ketosis, but that's another topic entirely. So, what happens when we don't offer this amount to our brains every day? No, we're not going to become brain dead or anything.
Instead, your liver will start to break down the glycogen stores. Around 400 to 700 grams of stored glucose in our liver and muscles. And, it'll use this instead.
Muscle Wasting | Anabolic - Carbs, Muscle, HIIT
What happens when that storage gets depleted? Our brain still won't suffer. Instead, our smart biology will start to turn proteins into glucose, and this protein comes mainly from muscle, which can lead to muscle wasting, and lowering your metabolic rate.
So, that's usually an issue with low-carb diets, like keto and Atkins. So, we know our body needs at least 125 grams of carbs per day. But, where else are carbohydrates needed? Glucose is the fastest energy source, compared to fatty acids and ketone bodies.
That's why our body's carbohydrate needs will go up the more physical activity there is. Our muscles can work fine with mainly fat energy, while sleeping, or sitting, or even walking. But, when we lift weights, run, swim, ice skate, or walk up the stairs, our muscles need that fast energy from carbohydrates.
Suppose your body isn't getting enough of this fast energy. In that case, it's going to start to break down muscle protein, and turn it into glucose, and raise your cortisol levels. So, the more active you are, especially with higher intensity physical activity, where your heart rate goes up, the more you need dietary carbohydrates to fuel the muscles and prevent muscle breakdown.
How Many Carbs Do I Need?
It's difficult to give you exact numbers because we're all unique and different. Our metabolism and physical activity levels differ from one person to the next, but a sedentary person can start somewhere around 40% of daily dietary energy coming from carbohydrates.
And, a very active person, endurance athletes, for example, might have 70% or more of their energy coming from carbohydrates. Most of us will fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. But, as I've said, this is an approximation, and we're all unique and different. That means you're going to have to start from one point and test it out, see what works best for you.
Carb Deficiency Symptoms
There are some signs that our body gives us that our brain needs more carbs. Taking into account, of course, that you're not lacking in other nutrients. The common symptoms are fatigue, dizziness, hunger for a short period after eating, sleeping problems, rising heart rate, lowered physical and mental performance, and, sometimes, even thirst.
If you experience those symptoms for more than a couple days, you should try to raise your carbohydrate levels. I usually suggest raising 10 to 20 grams per day, to more precisely see where your wellbeing returns to normal. And, that is your unique carbohydrate target.
Too Many Carbs
But, how do you know if you're getting too many carbs? This can be tricky because your body doesn't necessarily give you any clear signs. That's why it's easy to eat yourself into obesity with carbohydrate overload, without feeling any real difference.
But, there's also a really excellent side to this. As long as you're getting the right amount of overall calories per day, there isn't really a problem. If you're eating a little more carbs than you need, all the extra carbohydrates are going to get used for fuel, anyway. Just like the fat that you eat.
There's not a significant difference in getting 45 to 55% of your calories from carbohydrates. Just don't worry so much about eating too many carbs, as long as your overall calorie intake is in balance.
Getting Enough Carbs
How do you start doing this? Well, it's relatively easy. The first step is to just dump everything out of your diet that you don't necessarily need, isn't natural, or doesn't add any health benefits. In other words, get rid of all the processed food, all of the junk.
Just eat real, whole, minimally processed food. This is going to benefit you in so many ways. Now, add some really good sources of carbohydrates to your diet.
Good Carbs | Slow Carbs | Low Glycemic Index
Good sources of carbohydrates are what we call slow carbohydrates, and they also contain good fiber. So, the slow part means they take longer to absorb, and won't cause a spike in your blood sugar or insulin.
This is also sometimes referred to as a low glycemic index, and most natural sources of carbohydrates have a low to the medium glycemic index. Fast-absorbing carbs are usually found in processed foods.
The best sources of carbohydrates are fiber-rich vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, leeks, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, brussels sprouts, radishes, and so on. Just be aware of high-carb vegetables, like white potatoes and yellow potatoes.
We don't want to necessarily restrict them, but they just don't have as much of the good stuff for all the carbohydrates they contain.
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How many vegetables should you consume in a day?
Aim for at least 500 grams or 18 ounces. The more, the better. Don't worry, no one in history has ever gotten fat from eating too much broccoli. 500 grams or 18 ounces fills the stomach nicely and contains a lot of fiber.
But, of course, you do want to consider how your intestines can handle those amounts. Start slowly and work your way up, and make sure you're consuming enough water. Also, look at foods like whole grains, like oat, buckwheat, quinoa, and rice.
Whole grains have an excellent composition of micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And, whole grains are a great option to help you fill your daily carbohydrate needs. Fruits and berries contain excellent micronutrient profiles, and health-promoting flavonoids, as well as antioxidants that you just can't find anywhere else.
These fit perfectly into pre or post-workout meals, as a breakfast, or after any fast. Let's get back to fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate that you just can't digest. Why do we consume it, then? Well, there are microbes in your gut that use this fiber for energy. They just can't function without fiber.
Leaky Gut
If you don't consume enough fiber, you're not giving enough energy to your gut bacteria. And, this can cause leaky gut and inflammation. Another important thing that fiber does, is it causes a gel-like mass of the food that goes through the intestinal system.
So, it means it slows down the absorption of nutrients. For example, carbohydrates would naturally absorb within 30 minutes, but the fiber will stretch this out to two to three hours. And, this has two significant benefits.
Your blood sugar won't spike, and you'll feel satiated a lot longer. So, you won't get hungry as often. Try it, eat some fast absorbing sugar, like candy. Then the next day, eat about the same number of calories in a vegetable form.
I bet that you'll feel hungry and weak 20 to 30 minutes after eating that candy. But, when eating the vegetable the next day, it's going to take you two to three hours to feel that same hunger.
Metabolic Syndrome
And, finally, and maybe the most crucial thing here, is that there's a hormonal effect. Did you know that your intestine secretes more than 30 different hormones? And, these are all extremely important for a functioning metabolism, as well as keeping hunger at bay, and your overall health and wellbeing.
One of the most important ones is a GLP-1 hormone, and the levels of it will decline with metabolic syndrome, and it can cause increased weight gain, hunger, and plays a role in developing type two diabetes, too.
Now, there's another kind of fiber that doesn't produce this gel mass, and it's called insoluble fiber. This kind of fiber affects the intestine's hormonal function. So, we now have gotten the "Why" out of the way, let's now focus on the "How".
Getting Enough Fiber | Best Fiber Sources
Getting enough high-quality fiber from different sources isn't nearly as difficult as you might think. The minimum you should aim for is 25 grams per day. The good thing is that when you follow my suggestions for carbohydrates, this amount will come automatically.
Let's say you eat 600 grams of mixed vegetables. Some oatmeal, and two slices of oat bread. You'll be getting about 23 grams of fiber with just 52 grams of overall carbs. So, are there any particular fiber sources you should consider?
Yes. Seeds, nuts, fruits, berries. Of course, they aren't as high in fiber content, but they'll make an excellent addition. And, maybe the most important thing to remember is to get your fibers from different sources.
If you only get your fiber from one source, let's say oats. The health and metabolic benefit will be much lower. Remember, different fibers have different roles in our intestines, and as food for bacteria. So, all those bacteria in your gut really like getting a variety of different fibers. Don't overthink this part. Just try to get a good variety.
A wide range of veggies, whole grain, seeds, and berries. And, remember that if you've gotten very little fiber before, and you raise it all at once, your stomach may get upset, and you could have some digestive distress.
This is very common. Bloating, and diarrhea, and lower stomach pain. You don't want that. So, start slowly and progress higher day by day. Give your intestines and gut bacteria time to catch on.
Carb Summary
There's really no need in restricting your carbs too much, and actually, doing that might cause more harm than good. You should aim to get the minimal needed amount of carbs from the best sources.
Usually, it's about 40% of all your calories, but we're all different, and we all have unique needs. If you feel fatigued or physically active, raise your carbohydrate levels a little by little. The best sources of carbs are vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and berries.
Of course, some carbs do come from protein and fat sources, like seeds, cottage cheese, and those make up some of the need, too. Just don't be afraid of carbs. Besides fast energy, you'll get many nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and flavonoids that you won't get from other sources. The point is to eat enough. Now tell me, are you still afraid of carbs? Leave me a comment down below and let me know.
