Carbohydrates are by far the most demonized macronutrients in the fitness industry. Cut carbs to lose weight people claim. Eat carbohydrates and your insulin levels will rise/spike. Though some truth to these claims, Many in the industry have some contrarian views . If we are going to stuff our face with loads of processed, high sugar carbohydrates, weight gain will be inevitable. Not to mention the health setbacks and side effects our bodies battle through from consuming such foods. Though I am personally a fan of ketogenic diets when it comes to losing and maintaining weight. Adding carbohydrates to my diet assists me in building muscle during off seasons prior to prepping for bodybuilding competitions. I also enjoy going mountain biking and cycling, which tend to burn many calories causing depletion and loss of fat as well as muscle size when done daily. It is in my belief that no carbohydrate is evil or any other food sources. Excessive eating, little to no physical activity is the main reason for weight gain. Even on a ketogenic diet, carbs are consumed through vegetables. Grains are avoided in such occasions. I enjoy spaghetti squash while on keto at times. The sauces do contain some grams of carbs per serving as well. There are excellent sources of carbohydrates in the markets now a days that are low in sugar and when added to a training program, help with both energy and maintaining lean muscle. The goal is to find the right amount of grams needed for the body in accordance to weight and the type of training program. In some cases it takes minimal carbs like myself. My body weight increases easily when carbs have been added. My favorite sources of carbs are Ezekiel Bread and cereal, oatmeal, sweet and red potatoes. Seasoned sweet potato fries made in an air fryer taste awesome. These are slow digesting carbohydrates, which are great for controlling hunger and will not spike insulin as other sources tend to do. For post workouts, I tend to eat fast digesting carbs like sushi rice, regular white rice or cream of rice. This does spike insulin and is a great time to get micronutrients through the blood at a faster rate. Carbohydrates to avoid are:
Anything that is processed. Many are loaded with fillers like soy and corn syrup, which is another subject in itself.
High in sugar carbs will not provide any health benefits and will cause weight gain.
All in all, when it comes to losing weight while eating carbs, calorie intake must be taken into consideration. If we think of foods as an energy source which will maintain and assist with performance, we can train our minds to chose the right foods in accordance to our health and fitness goals. My motorcycle is fueled by top grade fuel. It has less breakdowns while having excellent performance. Our bodies are no different. Clean foods equal to clean energy.
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