You probably know that eliminating an entire food group, such as carbohydrates, is not a good idea—all food groups have vital nutrients that your body needs. But news of LeBron James's low-carb diet might make you wonder if reducing your carb intake could improve your performance at the gym or during a race.
We called on Wendy Bazilian, co-author of The Super Foods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients and an American College of Sports Medicine-certified health and fitness specialist, to set the record straight on whether cutting back on carbs can keep athletes energized, how it could affect them long term, and if you should ever consider a low-carb diet.
Since carbohydrates turn into blood sugar and fuel your body within five to 10 minutes of eating on an empty stomach, people who skip eating carbohydrate-rich foods before a game, race, or workout miss out on maximizing their energy levels by boosting their blood sugar, says Bazilian. Though your body gets energy from protein-based foods, too, your body can take up to 90 minutes to retrieve the nutrients from those sources, which is not ideal if you need to refuel fast. Plus, when you cut carbs, your body doesn’t retain as much water (of course, this looks good on the scale, but bad for your hydration levels), she says.
While cutting way back on your carb intake is not the optimum way for normal active people to increase energy levels, says Bazilian, you should be choosy when it comes to what kind of carbs you're eating (note the mention of unrefined carbs above). Try to chow down on whole grain breads and fruit as opposed to white bread or chips. The former will help you power through your workouts.
You probably know that eliminating an entire food group, such as carbohydrates, is not a good idea—all food groups have vital nutrients that your body needs. But news of LeBron James's low-carb diet might make you wonder if reducing your carb intake could improve your performance at the gym or during a race.
We called on Wendy Bazilian, co-author of The Super Foods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients and an American College of Sports Medicine-certified health and fitness specialist, to set the record straight on whether cutting back on carbs can keep athletes energized, how it could affect them long term, and if you should ever consider a low-carb diet.
Since carbohydrates turn into blood sugar and fuel your body within five to 10 minutes of eating on an empty stomach, people who skip eating carbohydrate-rich foods before a game, race, or workout miss out on maximizing their energy levels by boosting their blood sugar, says Bazilian. Though your body gets energy from protein-based foods, too, your body can take up to 90 minutes to retrieve the nutrients from those sources, which is not ideal if you need to refuel fast. Plus, when you cut carbs, your body doesn’t retain as much water (of course, this looks good on the scale, but bad for your hydration levels), she says.
While cutting way back on your carb intake is not the optimum way for normal active people to increase energy levels, says Bazilian, you should be choosy when it comes to what kind of carbs you're eating (note the mention of unrefined carbs above). Try to chow down on whole grain breads and fruit as opposed to white bread or chips. The former will help you power through your workouts.
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