Here are some good reasons to eat Carbohydrates and why you should.
We are in an era in which processed food is a popular go to choice for people and high carbohydrate diets are common. One common mentality is that when people think carbohydrates, they think weight gain. True to some extent but isn’t that the same with fats? You need your essential fats and its best to stay away from those trans fats, carbohydrates are the same in a way that you need quality carb choices in your diet and other processed carbohydrates are to be avoided if you want optimal health and body composition.
Confusion about what carbs to eat are common let alone people being confused about what foods even contain carbohydrates, causing un-surety on what foods to even eat.
Flip the coin for a second and take all carbohydrates out of your diet, which is known as the ketosis diet I’m sure many of you have heard of which has an array of hidden dangers for your health and Body Composition. Eliminating carbs all together will lead to depressed mood, minimal fat loss, inflammation, elevated cortisol and increasing your chances of cancers and other disease.
Low carb diets do have some great benefits but just remember its Low Carb and NOT No Carb.
Take a look at some examples of why to include carbohydrates into your diet.
Here are some key benefits:
- Leads to successful fat loss
Whatever your goal, certain amounts of carbs are needed. If your goal is fat loss for example there are certain carbs you must avoid. Sticking to plant based carbohydrates and enough of them will be crucial to see the result your after.
Plant based foods should take up a large portion of your carbohydrate intake in your fat loss plan because these foods contain minimal calories and a lot of fibre and water.
Keeping your dietary intake high in fibre will lead to stable blood sugar levels, increased insulin sensitivity more nutrients being ingested and lower body fat levels overall.
Try to avoid: processed packaged foods, sugar, avoid most grains, bread, biscuits, protein bars, sweetened yoghurts are some to be aware of.
To include: There are so many vegetables to choose from. You will be able to find the ones you enjoy eating. Pick the dark coloured fruits for fruit intake and remember when you overindulge in fructose its an easy recipe for fat gain. Minimise fruits high in fructose, potatoes, corn, dried fruit, fruit drinks, bananas.
- Faster recovery from training
When you put your body through strenuous activity, your body will produce toxins and ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), which can lead to insulin resistance over time. Steady Insulin release can help suppress those unwanted toxins and ROS as well as providing antioxidants allowing your body to recover faster and absorb that needed protein more efficiently.
- Maintain a leaner body composition
- Ingesting your carbohydrates from whole food sources makes it a lot easier to maintain your ideal body composition.
Carbohydrates break down to glucose in the body, which is necessary for the conversion of thyroid hormone in the liver.
Although protein is able to be broken down to glucose in the body, over time with excess stress from very low carbohydrates and higher toxic load this will become minimal.
- With increased insulin levels (not excessive) through out the day, this leads to increased leptin levels, getting rid of those unwanted cravings and keeping you feeling satisfied.
One of the keys to optimal Body Composition when this hormone is balanced.
The opposite of that with high carbohydrates will lead in time to hunger cravings, leptin resistance, insulin resistance and higher body fat levels.
- Carbohydrates will help you maintain and grow that hard earned muscle by shuttling that needed protein into the muscle after a hard workout, help you recover faster and lower cortisol.
Carbohydrates to include: You will use similar guidelines to losing body fat only adding some more quinoa, long grain rice, sweet potato. Liquid carbs or fresh pineapple are good choices post training in the amounts required for your training goal.
Try to avoid: processed foods and grains, sugar, sports drinks, high fructose corn syrup, other drinks with artificial additives.
- Improved mood and better quality sleep
Low carbohydrate diets cause your body NOT to allow sufficient serotonin production. This is a known reason why some people on low carbohydrate diets report sleep issues and this is due to an over-activation of the hypocretin neurons, which promote wakefulness.
Serotonin not only counters this allowing your body to have a restful sleep but also improves your mood, motivation, concentration, lowers stress and helps you feel good.
Quick tip on how it works: tryptophan (precursor of serotonin) will be released in the body and can cross the blood brain barrier when the amino acid pool is reduced in your body. The release of insulin allows this therefore allowing tryptophan to convert to serotonin.
- Increase insulin sensitivity for a leaner body
Increasing your quality carbohydrate intake through out the day allows your body to provide a steady release of blood sugar increasing your insulin sensitivity and resetting your bodies production of the hormone Leptin keeping you satisfied for longer