Tag: carbs

Check Your Carbs

On By seancovellIn Health and Wellness, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Check Your Carb Sources

If you are overweight or carrying more body fat than you’d like, there’s a very high chance that you are eating too many carbohydrates. Carbohydrate consumption triggers the pancreas to release insulin to bring down blood sugar. Insulin then transports the glucose in the bloodstream into muscle tissue for repair or it stores the glucose in fat deposits. Since most Americans are consuming carbohydrates in abundance at every meal (and many don’t even know what a carbohydrate is) I suggest that you reduce your carb sources to only one or two total. My reasoning behind this is twofold; 1.) so that you can properly identify and measure out exactly the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming and 2.) so that you can identify if certain carb sources are causing your body distress and messing with your metabolic and digestive functions. The truth is that many people have an immune response to certain foods. Dairy, grains, soy and sugar, nightshades and citrus are all very common allergies for people.

The second reason given is also somewhat of a revelation that I’ve had recently. I’ve been battling autoimmune disease for the last 15 years. I thought that I had finally narrowed down the culprit foods to wheat and dairy, however it wasn’t until I began prepping for a bodybuilding show and my only carb source became jasmine rice that I realized my body gets inflamed from starches such as beans and potatoes as well. I had been consuming those foods, the same ones causing minor inflammation in my body for years thinking that I was doing better. I was, but it wasn’t until I really eliminated them for a period of time that I finally realized I may be better off without them. Also, it’s very easy for me to measure out the jasmine rice throughout the day so that I can properly measure the amount of carbs I’m getting. I find it much more difficult to do this eating sugars, flours, potatoes, beans and other carbohydrates.

The famous strength coach Charles Poliquin says you have to “earn your carbs”- meaning that your body fat must be low enough to utilize the carbs without turning them into fat. This happens from training intensely and being diligent about measuring your carbohydrates throughout the day. This is not to say that you need to deprive yourself of food or not indulge on occasion, but frankly, most people don’t need to eat as many carbs as they do. There are no “essential carbs” like there are amino acids and fats. Carbohydrates can be a great energy source for training, but if your bodyfat needs to come down, they are the first macronutrient to begin scaling back. So, learn which carbs you respond well to and then be sure to measure them out and consume the majority of your carbs around the time you train. This will decrease the likelihood they will be stored as extra fat.

What is a Carbohydrate?

On By seancovellIn Health and Wellness, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What is a Carbohydrate and Why You Must Limit Them in 500 Words

I’ve just returned from the tropical paradise of Hawaii and while I’m still buzzing with sun and saltwater energy, I must say that I noticed something I hadn’t on my previous trips. Most of the indigenous population of Hawaii is severely overweight. You wouldn’t think so, because they spend so much time outdoors, engaging in physical activities, but it’s a fact. I couldn’t really understand why until I was offered some pineapple from a staff member of my hotel. I replied “No thanks, I’m not taking in carbs until after my workouts.” Her response was, “Pineapple has carbs?” I had just realized that so many people don’t even know what a carbohydrate is or why they should be consumed in moderation.
Carbohyrate: “any of various neutral compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (as sugars, starches, and celluloses) most of which are formed by green plants and which constitute a major class of animal foods.” In other words, fruits, vegetables, starches like rice and potatoes, wheat, corn, sugar-these are the most common sources of human carbohydrate consumption. Why is this important and why should we limit our intake of them? The simple answer is that carbohydrates cause a rise in blood sugar, an event in which the body responds to by releasing insulin to absorb the sugar in the blood stream and shuttle it into the cell-which can then use it for energy. Sounds great right? Sure, most of us have been taught that we need lots of carbs for energy. The problem is, our cells respond well to insulin (assuming one is not diabetic) when we are young, but constant carbohydrate consumption can damage the cells, especially as we age, making them not as sensitive to insulin and therefore causing a whole host of health issues.
Additionally, if the cells are not in need of glucose (the end product of carbohydrates that cells use for energy) the rise in insulin after consuming carbs will trigger your body to shuttle the energy into you fat cells for storage. If this continues on and on, obesity and diabetes or pre-diabetes is likely to occur. So the question becomes, why should be eat carbohydrates if over consumption can cause severe health problems? Like anything, you never want too much. Carbs are very useful for repairing damaged muscle tissue and replenishing energy (glycogen) reserves in the body. If you are an endurance athlete or weight lifter, consuming carbs to aid in recovery is a great idea. Insulin is a very powerful hormone. It can make you extremely fat or extremely muscular and strong, but you have to understand how your body deals with carbs. Some people are very carb-sensitive. Others are not so much. However, as all bodies age, the ability to process carbohydrates will decrease, so it’s a wise idea to limit their consumption except when necessary for tissue repair. What about veggies? Stay tuned for the next edition……