“I’m going on a diet where I cut out all carbs”. How many times have you heard a friend (or yourself) say this…and how long have you seen it last? Maybe a few hours? A few days tops before turning down the melted cheese sprawled across a thick slice of airy ciabatta becomes virtually impossible?
Carbohydrates are an ESSENTIAL part of our diet and appear in many forms. In fact it is impossible to remove carbohydrates from your diet because every food contains some form of the fabulous carb. Even the ever pure cucumber!!
When looking at carbohydrates you should divide them into two categories; simple sugary carbohydrates and complex starchy carbohydrates. To support a balanced diet we require more of the latter.
Simple carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, pastries and sugary cereals are digested quickly. The carbohydrates are converted into glucose which is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream from the small intestine. This causes a huge spike in our blood sugar level, followed by a crash, and then a similar crash in our energy levels. And so the snacking commences.
Complex carbohydrates such as brown pasta, wild rice, sprouted oats, and sweet potato take longer to be digested. Therefore the glucose is slowly released into the blood stream over a greater period of time, resulting in stable blood sugar levels. This is why complex carbohydrates keep you fuller for longer, as they help to balance your blood sugar levels.
What do we think? We love a good carb?? Whether enjoyed as fuel before exercise or to fuel our muscles after a workout, or because often they are the greatest form of comfort! In fact we believe there is no excuse necessary to indulge in your favourite complex carb. The benefits they provide outnumber the cons.
Today we had a pre run snack of 20g of Rude Health strawberry granola and a post run bowl of Rude Health sprouted porridge with peanut butter and topped with a crumbled Rude Health ‘The Peanut’ bar.
We prefer to use our more simple carbohydrates before exercise as the fast releasing glucose can help boost energy levels to keep us running. Literally! However, as the length of our training runs increases we will switch to a mix of complex and simple carbohydrates pre training to prevent having an energy crash 10miles out!
Post exercise we love to refuel with complex carbohydrates such as the sprouted porridge oats discussed above, sweet potato chips or mash, quinoa, or wholegrain couscous to name but a few. These help with muscle repair, preventing those dreaded DOMS. Just another benefit of the carb hero.
So stop giving carbohydrates a tough time and invite some of the complex variety to join your daily diet! You will feel more energised and satisfied after meals! We promise they aim only to please ?
TTH xxx
