Carbs – The Good, The Bad & The Worst

Most people have their proteins and fats sorted out but are unsure over carbs. Most are scared of carbs and prefer to maintain their distance. They often tend to adopt a Zero Carb diet. Are carbs really the demon? Should you be avoiding them in your journey to get to that dream body? Lets find out.

Glycemic Index (GI)

The Glycemic Index is the measure of how rapidly carbs are absorbed into the bloodstream. Glucose get the highest rank (100) on the index since it is absorbed instantly. Carbs are classified into Simple Carbs (High Glycemic) and Complex Carbs (Low Glycemic) according to their score on the Glycemic Index. 

Lets take a look on how your body reacts when you eat a simple carb. Suppose you drink a can of coke. Being a simple carb, it gets absorbed almost instantly into the blood stream which results into an increase in the blood sugar level. Your body recognises this sugar rush and releases a hormone insulin to counter this. Insulin takes this sugar from the blood stream and delivers it to the liver and muscle. If your glycogen reserves are full, then your muscles may reject this. All of this and the the remaining sugar will be stored in your body as fat. Once this sugar is out of the blood stream you will experience a crash and feel hungry.

Complex carbs have a relative low GI score than their counterparts. That means they are absorbed slowly and result in a lesser insulin spike. They provide a more sustained source of energy. You will also feel more energetic.

Generally the simple carbs are the ones which are highly processed. While in case of complex carbs your body has to undergo a process to break them down. Complex carbs also contain lot of fibre. Fibre being indigestible, it slows down absorption.

The Good

Complex carbs are a jackpot. They can be consumed at any time during the day. Your body needs a energy to fuel your activities. These carbs provide a steady sustained stream of energy without really spiking the insulin. As a general rule if a carb has a score of 60 or less on the GI scale you should not worry about it. Examples are as follows:

1. Oats

2. Brown Rice

3. Sweet potato

4. Most fruits

5. Most Vegetable

6. Pasta

7. Whole grain foods

The Bad

Carbs are non-essential macro nutrients meaning your body can produce those on its own. If you are planning to compete and go on stage and are looking to get your fat percentage into single digits, then you should be cutting your carb intake and replacing those calories with protein. That’s a different nutrition plan altogether. If you don’t fit in this category then shouldn’t worry about it.

The Worst  

Simple carbs are the evil. If your carb ranks higher than 70 on the glycemic index then it should be avoided at all costs. You should find out and eliminate such food items from your diet slowly but surely. The only time you can consume these type of carbs is right after your workout when your muscle glycogen is depleted and this will be taken up by your body to replenish your glycogen stores. Examples are as follows:

1. Sugar

2. Bread (Except Whole grain)

3. White rice

4. White Potatoes

5. Corn

Final Word

It’s really simple. Avoid simple carbs and concentrate on eating the complex type and you are good to go. Don't ever make the mistake of ignoring them altogether. Carbs play an important role in how your body functions. Without carbs you cannot build muscle. Carbs also provide fuel for your workouts.

Nutrition plays a big part in what we look like. Ignoring this would be a big mistake. Without nutrition you will never be able to see the results for which you train so hard in the gym. Bring your A-game when it comes to nutrition. Eat Smart and make all the right choices.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Cheers.

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