Carbohydrates are essential in sports nutrition . Especially for athletes, energy suppliers are necessary. Unfortunately, carbohydrates now have a bad reputation, and low-carb diets are in trend.
You don't have to eliminate carbohydrates to stay fit. All you have to do is distinguish between good and bad carbohydrates .
We will explain how this works and how many carbohydrates you need as an active person in this blog.
What exactly are carbohydrates?
In addition to fats and proteins, carbohydrates are among the three macronutrients that the body needs to convert into energy, among other things.
Biochemically, they consist of a chain of simple sugars, where the chain can be either linear or branched. Carbohydrates can be classified into different categories, each exhibiting different properties depending on the chain length.
Carbohydrates are classified into mono-, di-, tri-, oligo- or polysaccharides. Monosaccharides (simple sugars) include glucose and fructose.
Disaccharides (double sugars) are composed of two monosaccharides, an example being lactose.
Oligosaccharides consist of three to ten monosaccharides. Generally, mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides taste sweet and are readily soluble in water.
Polysaccharides (multiple sugars) consist of more than ten monosaccharides, have no characteristic taste, and are poorly soluble in water. For example, starch consists of many glucose units linked together.
Fibers form a special group of carbohydrates. These are indigestible fibers that humans cannot break down.
A low-carb diet avoids carbohydrates, but this is not sensible for a balanced diet. Foods that do not contain carbohydrates include fish and meat.
What are good carbohydrates?
As an athlete, it is especially important for you to be able to distinguish good from bad carbohydrates . Nutritional science refers to whole or complex carbohydrates as good, while isolated, refined, or simple carbohydrates are considered bad.
These terms highlight the fundamental difference between good and bad carbohydrates: good carbohydrates are minimally or unprocessed, while bad carbohydrates are typically found in highly industrially processed products.
An illustrative example is the difference between cereals without sugar (minimally processed and healthy) and cornflakes (highly processed and unhealthy).
Other good carbohydrates include all whole grain products (whole grain bread, whole grain pasta), parboiled rice, or legumes.
According to the German Nutrition Society, oatmeal is a superfood, as oats contain many good carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
From a medical perspective, the glycemic index (GI) of foods can be measured, which allows for an assessment of good and bad carbohydrates.
The GI indicates how much a food impacts blood sugar levels. The lower the GI, the more complex and favorable the food. Oatmeal, for example, has a low GI.
What are the bad carbs?
Many important nutrients and vitamins are lost during industrial processing. Therefore, bad carbohydrates are almost always found in finished products and fast food.
These can also be found in sweet cereals, fries, long-grain rice, instant mashed potatoes, sweets, and so forth. White bread, for instance, can also be considered a bad carbohydrate, as can white pasta.
Why are carbohydrates good for athletes?
For you to be in top shape as an athlete, your body must provide a lot of energy. Carbohydrates serve as the most important energy source in our body.
Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4.1 kilocalories. After consumption, the carbohydrates are converted into glucose in the body and used for energy.
Conversely, glucose can be converted back into carbohydrates (glycogen) when energy is not needed. It is crucial for you as an athlete to differentiate between eating before and after exercise, as carbohydrates serve different purposes at these times.
Eating before exercise
Generally, exercising on an empty stomach is counterproductive! On one hand, better performance can be achieved through eating, and on the other hand, this leads to higher overall energy expenditure due to the afterburning effect.
Of course, it remains important for you as an athlete that a full stomach is counterproductive; generally, you should take a two to three-hour break between eating and exercising.
Eating before exercise should provide sufficient energy for performance and should be easily digestible so that your body does not waste energy on digestion. Therefore, low-fiber and low-fat dishes that contain many good carbohydrates are suitable.
Examples of healthy pre-exercise meals include brown rice with turkey breast and vegetables or oatmeal with milk, bananas, and almonds. If you exercise in the morning, porridge is the ideal breakfast before your workout.
Eating after exercise
After exercise, your muscles' energy stores are depleted and need to be replenished. Therefore, the carbohydrates consumed in a post-exercise meal do not convert into fat but serve directly to restore energy sources.
Research has shown that timely intake of carbohydrates and proteins after exercise enhances muscle development and accelerates recovery. Nuts are particularly well-suited as a protein-rich, plant-based protein source.
Varied nutrition for good performance in sports
Nutrition influences both physical and mental performance and plays a crucial role in enhancing performance in sports.
A balanced and varied diet ensures that the body receives all crucial nutrients and minerals. In addition to carbohydrates, proteins and fats are equally important.
Do you already know your BMI value?
Whether you want to lose weight, improve your health, or are currently engaged in muscle-building training, this is significant.
The Body Mass Index is often the first measurement showing whether you have control over your body weight. Here you can calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) in a few seconds and find out the background information regarding this value.
Healthy breakfast for Verival athletes
A healthy breakfast is not just the first meal of the day but also the most important! Verival's healthy breakfast consists of 100% organic products.
The sports cereal or porridge is ideal before training, as it provides you with the necessary energy to enhance your physical activity through its numerous natural contents, especially the good (=complex) carbohydrates.
Many Verival cereals also contain freeze-dried berries and fruits, whose vitamins are still intact, contributing to a balanced and healthy diet. If you are gluten intolerant, Verival also offers gluten-free cereals.
