Carbs are Friends and Fuel!

CARBS ARE FRIENDS! Poor carbohydrates sit in the lime light for all the wrong reasons nowadays. And really, for absolutely no reason at all. They are one of the three essential macro nutrients that we need to include in our diet (ie carbohydrates, fats and proteins). As a matter of fact, the majority of food we consume contains some level of carbohydrate so cutting carbs out of your diet is really only limiting your body from receiving the wonders of many foods. Fruit and vegetables both contain carbohydrates (some higher than others) and they are also jam-packed with many vitamins and minerals. Restricting fruit and veg is a one way ticket to poor health… just so you could cut carbs… doesn’t make sense does it.

The diet culture is pretty notorious for “shaming” specific food groups, only to promote fad diets. Back in the day, “fat made you fat”. In turn, a number of studies have revealed all the wonders of fats and how beneficial and supportive they are for us. However, it’s time for carbs to take some credit. Here’s a few reasons as to why our bodies thrive off them and require them for optimal health.

Prominent Energy Source

Carbohydrates are our main source of fuel. Basically, carbs are composed of glucose which is a sugar molecule. Our body breaks down carbs into the tiny glucose molecules and stores them as energy to use. These stores as stored as water which our body can then access to use in any form of energy expenditure (eg sport, training, competing, working, walking, blinking, breathing etc). I could go into depths of energy expenditure and benefits in sport and day to day living of carbs (that’ll be a post for another day). Therefore, we need carbs to LIVE.

Support Athletic Performance

You may have heard of the term “carb loading” before. Although there are numerous debates as to whether this

approach is ideal or not, it really does come down to personal preference. To find a happy medium though between the two sides, our bodies definitely thrive off carbohydrates in the lead up to a sporting event. For some, like Kane, a good 4-5 days of storing the body with carbohydrates in the lead up to a paddle race only works wonders for him on the day. His body is able to comfortably digest a larger load of carbs and tap into the glycogen stores on that day. Although he has trained his body to do so (and we can help you with that too), his body responds effectively on race day with the extra glycogen top up. For me on the other hand, I too ensure I top up my glycogen stores the day before a long run however, I don't require as many. During my normal training days, my carbohydrate intake is quite moderate so when I plan to race or complete a long run, I top up with a little extra in the carb department and just like that, my body has extra fuel sources to run with. As you can see though, the pair of us both use carbs to its advantage in a way of providing us with extra energy for sporting demands.

Contain Fibre

“I tried the carnivore diet but I couldn’t go to the bathroom for DAAAYS”. Yes, our body needs fibre (a micro found in many fruits and veggies aka sources of carbs) to digest our food properly. No one wants stomach discomfort which is where fibre comes in handy! Fibre is found in all those starchy carbohydrates that are incredible for you such as veggies, fruit (raw and dried), oats, potato, brown rice, wholegrain bread etc.

Essential Food/Macro Group

Our bodies need all three macro groups (ie carbs, protein and fats) to function properly. Cutting food groups won’t help you “lose weight”, instead, it could cause your body to essentially shut down or not function at its full potential. On the note of carbs and as mentioned above, fruit and vegetables are mostly

carbohydrate dense. To keep our bodies healthy, we require the antioxidants of fruit and veg and as a result, are provided with the energy benefits of carbs.

Mood Booster

As we know, carbs give us energy. Not just energy in the form of physical activity but energy to go about our daily lives. Every movement we take in our day-to-day lifestyle requires energy. This includes working, cleaning, socialising/interacting, being present in conversations even! Without carbohydrates, this minor yet essential tasks we face daily would be draining and depleting on our bodies. In-turn, our mood starts to shift. Have a think about the last time you were "tired and grumpy" and try to link whether your body was running on depletion status... There you go.

So there we have it. Go enjoy that chicken and salad sandwich or that sushi roll because your precious body will thank you later on!