Eat Carbs for Energy and Recovery

Carbs have gotten a bad rap over the last decade. I often will have customers tell me they are limiting their carbs for their goal of limiting calories “I quit eating bananas, I thought bananas were high in carbs?” “I crave bread” . Limiting carbs puts you at a huge disadvantage for weight management and performance.

Its not the carbs that are bad, its the type of carbs you are eating. You need carbohydrates for energy! At least 50-55% of your daily food choices should come from carbohydrates, and preferably they should come from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Examples of whole grains include whole oats, barley, quinoa and other grains; whole wheat pasta or breads, popcorn and multi-grain selections of wild rices and legumes.

The USDA recommends that you make at least half your plate fruits, vegetables and grains. This means you need to include a salad at almost every meal or a side of fruit.  Again, this means you have to eat vegetables if you truly want to manage your weight.  

Pre and Post workout, bike ride, golf game, you need carbs for recovery.  Your body is craving energy and you need to feed it!  Choosing healthy food within 30 minutes to 2 hours post workout will improve your body’s recovery from activity.  This means you may experience less fatigue and soreness in the following days.  

If you are wanting to lose weight, the best advice I can give is to watch your choices and portion sizes.  30 grams of carbs post workout will enable your body to recover and keep you from wanting to inhale everything in sight the next time you eat.  Some great options include a bowl of oatmeal made with milk or soy milk with fruit, cinnamon, and some yogurt or an egg or two; an Advocare Meal Replacement shake with fruit, or a Post Workout Recovery shake; or a huge salad with veggies, chicken, and evoo/balsamic vinegar dressings.  

Advocare has some great options for recovery and performance.  My favorite is the Biocharge!!! Click here to see a timeline of how these products are used.