I want to discuss carbohydrates. I’m often asked during my nutrition counseling sessions “what can I take to have more energy?” It’s as if these folks thought there was a magic pill, potion or powder that could instantly give boundless energy, strength and vitality. Sorry, but that just isn’t the case. As humans, we derive our

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energy from calories but what most people fail to realize is that the calorie is just a measure of energy expenditure. When your caloric/nutrient density falls below what is required to maintain your body’s fuel stores you will experience a decline in energy levels.

I don’t care how hard you press on the accelerator if the gas tank is empty you’re not going to get very far. Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Carbohydrates derive their name from the fact that their hydrogen and oxygen atoms are always in the same proportion as in water: carbo (carbon) hydrate (water). The main function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body. Carbohydrates stored in the body provide a quick-trigger energy unit. Each carbohydrate gram yields approximately four calories of energy. Eat 100 grams of carbs and you have consumed 400 calories.

Carbohydrates exist in basically three forms. Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are simple sugars like glucose and fructose. Glucose is probably the most familiar and it’s often referred to as “blood sugar”. Fructose is found in fruits and honey and is considered to be the sweetest of the simple carbohydrates. Combining two monosaccharides forms disaccharides. For example, table sugar or sucrose is composed of glucose and fructose. Lactose or milk sugar is composed of glucose and galactose. Sucrose is considered to be the most common dietary disaccharide in the United States. The estimate is that about 25% of the total calories of an average American comes from sucrose. That’s pretty alarming! Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates that contain three or more monosaccharides. Polysaccharide chains may be rather short (3 monosaccharides) or very long (hundreds of monosaccharides). For fuel sources, polysaccharides are the preference. The two most common forms of polysaccharides are cellulose and starch. Humans lack the digestive enzymes necessary to digest cellulose and thus cellulose forms fiber and is discarded as waste in the fecal material.

Starch however, found in corn, grains, beans, potatoes and peas is easily digested by humans and should make up the bulk of your carbohydrate consumption. Now, let’s break this down a little further. Your physical goals will dictate your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates, for our purposes, are classified as one of three types: simple carbohydrate sugars (mono and disaccharides), starchy carbohydrates (polysaccharides) and fibrous carbohydrates (also polysaccharides). If your goal is to gain quality muscle and lose body fat then avoid simple carb sugars altogether. Simple carbohydrates have no place in a meal plan designed to maximize muscle and minimize body fat. There are a couple of problems here that John Parrillo has made evident in past articles and that need repeating. Simple carbohydrates will have a quick entry time into the bloodstream and result in a quick rise in blood sugar. The first organ to respond to this rapid rise in blood sugar is the pancreas. The beta cells of the pancreas secrete insulin in order to bring the blood sugar levels back to normal. That’s a good thing.

The bad news is that this high insulin secretion signals your body to store fat. Most of the “fat-free goodies” that we find on the grocers shelves are loaded with sugar. Start reading the labels. You might be surprised at what you find! The fat-free title can sometimes be just a bit misleading especially if the product is loaded with fat producing sugar. Fructose is just a bit different from the simple carbs in that it doesn’t affect blood sugar and insulin. Fructose is actually converted into fat before it even hits your bloodstream. Fructose cannot be used to restore muscle glycogen levels and as a result is of no benefit at all to the athlete. Sugar-loaded sports drinks, even those containing fructose, aren’t going to do for you what they should and you would do well to avoid them. Again, read the labels. You might be surprised at what you find! Simple sugars no matter the form (or source) will never benefit you in your quest to build a lean, muscular body. Be a conscious label reader and start checking for fats and sugar as well. You’ll be surprised at how many products contain simple sugars. Starchy and fibrous carbs are both “complex” carbohydrates (polysaccharides) in that they digest slowly and allow for a sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream. This results in steady blood sugar level and prevents the spikes of insulin that encourage fat storage. All carbohydrates in your meal plan should come from slow-release polysaccharides. Starchy carbs will be your bodies preferred fuel source. It would be my preference that your starchy carbs come from natural, unrefined sources.

More nutrients are preserved and available to your body when you choose unrefined starchy carbs. Good choices for your starchy carbohydrates would include barley, brown rice, corn, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, lima beans, oatmeal, peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. I always recommend these foods be consumed either fresh or frozen. Canned vegetables are discouraged as they lack nutritional potency and are often loaded with salt and preservatives. Fibrous carbs, as the name implies, are higher in fiber than their starchy counterparts. Fibrous carbs, due to the higher fiber (cellulose) content, don’t offer quite the same energy yield as starchy carbs but fibrous carbs serve a dual benefit in your meal plan. Fiber carbs yield a vast array of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes and slow down the digestive process. A slower digestive rate yields a slower release of glucose into the bloodstream – which is a great thing for a bodybuilder.

This allows us to avoid the peaks in blood sugar that create adipose tissue. We can control insulin effectively by eating fibrous carbs with every meal. Fiber is contained in your “salad” vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, spinach, kale, cabbage, celery, carrots, onions, squash and zucchini. Again, my preference is that your vegetables be fresh. I hope you have gotten a better understanding of carbohydrates as a result of our discussion. 

Low Carb Cake Mix (also high protein)