Last week I left you in a carbohydrate dilemma: to eat or not to eat. After giving it some thought over the weekend, I feel I may have provided an unfair analysis and I’d like to set the record straight. As with fats, not all carbohydrates are created equal. The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the effect 50g of a food source has on blood sugar levels. Carbs have varying complexities of chemical makeup; therefore we digest them at different rates. The faster the source can be broken down into glucose, the greater the blood sugar spike and ensuing insulin release. Glucose is given a value of 100.
As you can see, a high GI source is associated with a spike in blood sugar. Our bodies want to control this right away so the pancreas releases more insulin than actually required, hence blood sugar levels soon drop below homeostatic levels. We’ve all experienced blood sugar highs and low (categorized as hyper- and hypoglycemia, respectively) and most would agree that hypoglycemia can be pretty miserable. The blood sugar “roller-coaster” that most Americans ride is solely responsible for the trending diabetes. That’s why “complex carbs” are the “good” ones; they digest more slowly and thus keep blood sugar and insulin relatively stable.
Insulin is not all bad. Yes, it does stop lipolysis, but Athletes and the like have long-praised its anabolic effects relating to amino-acid synthesis within muscle cells. Muscle growth will not occur in the absence of insulin, thus the reason all those post workout complexes you see at GNC contain high GI carbs. But again, we’re faced with a dilemma – whether we want to gain muscle, or burn fat. Fortunately, you can manipulate blood sugar through appropriate diet practice and get on the right path toward your goal – whatever that may be.
If your goal is simply to gain muscle (bodybuilder in a “bulking phase”), manipulation is pretty simple: eat low GI carbs, along with adequate protein and fat several times a day. Emphasize high GI carbs and protein before and after workouts – fat actually slows absorption and reduces effect on blood sugar, so it should be avoided during this higly-anabolic time.
If your goal is to shed body fat with little concern for muscle mass (obese individual), it’s just the opposite. Minimize carbohydrates to trace amounts from nuts, seeds and non-starchy vegetables. If you exercise at a high intensity, a complex carb source an hour or two beforehand may assist with energy requirements. Consider implementing an intermittent fasting protocol.
It IS possible to lose fat and maintain (or even GAIN) muscle mass at the same time, but blood sugar manipulation becomes much more complex and specific to the individual. This generally requires strong will-power and extreme dedication to a prescribed nutrition plan (view one example of a former experiment here). If you are serious about taking your body and performance to the next level, contact me directly at klbednarcyk@gmail.com, and perhaps we can get you on the right track.
**The purpose of these kinds of posts is to give you a basic idea of the nutritional aspects that I find to be most important. I will do the best I can to explain without getting too deep into the physiology, but I realize some of this may be difficult to wrap your head around. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. CARB-e diem!
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