Exercise and Carbohydrates -

What are Carbohydrates?

Understanding the Basics

To understand what carbs an athlete needs, we have to dig down to biochemistry. But stay here, it's worth it!

Carbs are organic compounds that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in various combinations. There are three categories of carbohydrates: simple, complex and dietary fiber.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars also divide into 2 categories: disaccharides and monosaccharides. Saccharide is sugar (as in saccharin). The three major monosaccaharides are glucose, fructose, and galactose. For now, we will concentrate on very beneficial element for our body's energy, which is glucose.

Glucose is essential to exercise. It is stored in muscles and the liver as glycogen, which is a chain of glucose molecules hooked together. For beginning 30-60 minutes of exercise glycogen will be your primary energy source, and after 90 min of exercise, your performance may begin to deteriorate as the glycogen supplies become depleted. You will probably ask "How can I store more glycogen?" Training and Diet will affect the amounts of glycogen you can store. It will also determine how rapidly it is used during the exercise. Eating foods rich in glycogen will increase its amount in your body. These foods include: fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, grains, pasta, beans and sweats.

There is another way to increase your supply of glycogen. It is by using technique commonly known as carbohydrate, or glycogen, loading. It is done to promote a significant increase in the glycogen content and in an attempt to delay the onset of fatigue. In general, carbohydrate loading is done for athletes who can sustain high levels of continuos energy expenditure for prolonged periods of time, such as long distance runners, swimmers, bicyclists, cross-country skiers and triathletes. It can also be used to maintain hydration and increase your competition level.

There are several ways to carbohydrate load. In recent years, more and more new theories have come up. That is why we will not go in depth with the loading procedure here. There are plenty of books available on the subject, from which you can choose one that is best suitable for you. It is also recommended that you consult your physician or your trainer before loading on carbohydrates.

What is the Recommended Daily Intake of carbohydrates for athletes?

For an athlete, consuming 3,000 calories per day, 55-60 % from carbohydrates would be 1,650-1,800 calories, or about 400-450 grams. If you are involved in heavy endurance-type training programs, it has suggested that your carbohydrate intake increases up to 70 % . For an endurance athlete who consumes about 3,500 calories a day, this would amount to 2,450 calories from carbohydrates or about 600 grams.
(Statistics have been taken from "Nutrition for Fitness and Sport" by Melvin H. Williams)

What are the foods rich in carbohydrates?

Variety has always been a key to maintaining a good and healthy diet. Every day, try using different items from the chart below. You may also find some helpful information in our Food Guide Pyramid.

Bread/Cereal Group Fruit/Vegetable Group Milk Group Meat Group Sport Drinks
Bagels Apples Ice Milk Kindey Beans Exceed
Biscuits Applesauce Skim Milk Navy Beans Gatorade
Bread Apricots Yogurt Split Peas Gatorlobe
Cereal Bananas Exceed Sports Bar
Cornbread Blackberries Power Bar
Crackers Blueberries
Grits Cantaloupe
Macaroni Cherries
Muffins Corn
Noodles Dried Fruits
Pancakes Figs
Pasta Oranges
Rice Peaches
Spaghetti Plums
Waffles Pears
Pineapple
Potatoes
Raspberries
Tangerines

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