Trainer Tuesday: What is Your Expert Opinion On Carbohydrates?

Trainer Tuesdays

Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.

What is Your Expert Opinion on Carbohydrates?

Adam Teplitz: Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. It all comes down to good carbs versus bad carbs. Simple carbs versus complex carbs.

Carbohydrates are your body's primary source of energy. Carbs should never be avoided, but it's important to understand that not all carbs are alike.

Simple carbohydrates are composed of simple-to-digest, basic sugars with no real value to your body. The higher in sugar and lower in fiber, the worse the carbohydrate is for you. This is the main determining factor in whether a carb is good or bad for you.

Fruits and vegetables are actually simple carbohydrates, still composed of basic sugars, although they are drastically different from other foods in the category like cookies and cakes. The fiber in fruits and vegetables changes the way that the body processes their sugars and slows down their digestion making them a bit more like complex carbs.
The most important simple carbs to limit in your diet include soda, candy, artificial syrups, white rice, white bread, white pasta, and pastries.

Complex carbs are considered good carbs due to their longer series of sugar molecules. The body requires more time to break these carbs down. You'll get lower amounts of sugar released at a more consistent rate to keep you going throughout the day.
Picking complex carbs over simple carbs is a matter of simple substitutions when it comes to meals. Brown rice instead of white rice, whole wheat pasta instead of plain white pasta.

It's also important to consider the glycemic index of a food. This tells you how quickly and how high your blood sugar will rise after eating the carbohydrate contained in that food, as compared to eating pure sugar. Lower glycemic foods are healthier for your body, and you will tend to feel full longer after eating them. Most complex carbs fall into the low glycemic index category.

The bottom line is to just be sensible about the carbs you choose. Focus on taking in most of your carbs earlier in the day and around your workouts to fuel your exercise. Skip low nutrient dessert, consider the level of sugar and fiber in carbs, and focus on healthy whole grains, fruits and vegetables to get the energy your  body needs for the day.

Bronson Rotaru: You hear a lot of opinions on carbs. My opinion is to consume them, but choose wisely. Vegetables and certain grains are fantastic sources of carbs. Eating small amounts of fresh fruit is also beneficial. You want to avoid white bread, white rice and choose things like sweet potatoes, 100% whole wheat breads and pastas. Pay attention to labels! The fewer the ingredients the better

Monika Cotter: Many of the diets out there are low carb and it seems that has made a lot of people afraid of carbohydrates. Don’t be! Our bodies need carbohydrates for energy and to make us happy! When we eat carbs they are broken down into glucose and sent to our muscles and most importantly our brain. Carbohydrates give us the energy we need to get through the day. Try to stay away from simple carbs like table sugar, white rice, pop and processed cereals. We want most of our carbs to be complex such as green veggies, whole grains, beans, peas and starchy vegetables to have a balanced diet.

Taynee Pearson: Most people think carbohydrates are bad for you and in order to lose weight, you will need to cut out carbs, but this is false. It is a common mistake that most people make. Carbohydrates are the body's main energy source. Carbohydrates are converted into glucose which is the primary fuel that the body uses to power all cellular activity, they are used to help the brain, kidneys and all muscles to function properly. Without carbohydrates in your diet, your body will start using your fat and protein as an energy source, once protein is used as an energy source, you are basically breaking down any muscle that you have gained through working out. It has a counteract effect, therefore if you do not consume enough carbs, all the hard work of working out and increasing lean muscle mass will be lost. The side effects of not taking in carbs or enough carbs are mood swings, dizziness, fatigue and weakness.
For carbohydrates to be most beneficial to your body, they should be consumed at appropriate times and the correct carbohydrate choice should be made. It is better to consume carbohydrates along with a protein throughout the day and not as much at night. A carbohydrate should be consumed an hour or two before a workout, and protein and a carbohydrate should be consumed after your workout to restore the glycogen stores your body lost due to working out.  Good carbohydrate choices in general are slower acting carbs which mean they will be released into the blood stream at a slower and more regular constant, this includes oatmeal, brown rice, wholegrain bread, quinoa, whole wheat pasta and beans. Fruit is a faster acting carbohydrate but it is necessary for you to consume. The best time to eat fruit is during the day while being active and before a workout. Everything in moderation is the key. Make sure every carbohydrate is accompanied by a protein as well.

Steven Madden: I feel that carbs are much maligned these days.  First off I do need to admit that there are good carbs and bad carbs.  Potato chips and white bread are bad carbs, and all those vegetables you don't like are good carbs.  Good carbs are high in dietary fiber that digest slowly and avoid blood sugar spikes.

Now there is a trend in nutrition that has people leaving carbs out of their diets entirely.  From an exercise standpoint, this is very bad.  You need carbs when you workout because they are your main form of muscular energy.  On a low carb diet, the common remedy for low energy during exercise is to use large amounts of caffeine.

Also, people on low carb or no carb diets do mention that they do eat vegetables.  It's part of that maligning of carbs I mentioned.   Vegetables are carbs.  It's that simple.  And by all means, eat as many of them as you can.  Just don't pretend they aren't carbs because you don't want to eat carbs.

Kelly Bailey: Recently, there is much confusion surrounding carbs, and everyone seems to have a different opinion regarding the subject. Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients (the other two are fat and protein) that our bodies utilize for fuel. Our digestive system breaks carbs down into glucose, which is an easily utilized source of fuel for our bodies. Carbs typically fall into two categories: healthy and unhealthy. Healthy sources of carbs include un-processed grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. Unhealthy sources of carbs include things like donuts, fries, chips, cookies, and cakes.

My opinion on carbs is just that: an opinion. I have personal experience with both low and high carb diets, and what I have found is that having a balanced approach to diet works best for me. When I have tried to go ultra-low carb, I feel terrible. I get fatigued and cranky. In addition, because I participate in endurance sports, my body needs carbohydrates to function at optimal levels. Low carb is not for me. On the other hand, if I eat too many carbs, especially the unhealthy kinds, I do gain weight easily. Most days, my carbs come from healthy sources like oats, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and fruits. I also like to combine the carbs in my meals with a lean protein source, like tuna or chicken, which helps to keep me full.

Lisa Clark: Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap due to the popular Atkins diet and other low carb/high-protein diets. However carbohydrates are a vital part of our diet as they are the primary fuel for your body. But some carbohydrates are better for you than others. It is important to choose healthy carbohydrates. Carbs come in three main types: sugar, starch and fiber. You want to choose carbohydrates from whole unprocessed food sources such as fruits, vegetables, oats, whole grain breads and cereal and unprocessed grains like barley, quinoa, beans, whole wheat pasta, brown rice and yogurt.

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