Nutrition Blog June

Hello everyone!  Let’s talk about carbohydrates (carbs) and why many nutritionists say they should play a vital role in athletic performance!  To give a baseline, carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy.  Carbs are usually either singular chains of sugar or multiple chains of sugars strung together.  Chains of sugar strung together makes that carbohydrate a “Complex Carb” and the single chains are called “Simple Carbs.”  Below are the main differences between simple carbs and complex carbs:

Now, looking at the chart, you will see both good options along with not-so-good options in both categories of carbs.  This is because foods like fruits, honey, and natural syrup already contain natural sugars instead of added sugars.  Both complex and simple carbohydrates play important roles in daily nutrition and both are beneficial when used correctly.  When thinking about what to have before and after a practice, a game, or a workout, we want to have a good piece of both simple and complex carbohydrates.  Because simple carbs give a quicker boost of energy, if we can get in foods like fruit and honey within an hour of activity, it will actually give you a nice boost of energy!  If you were to have complex carbs within an hour of activity, everyone is different, but most people will feel bloated or bogged down.  Simple sugars (ideally natural sugars) restore the glycogen in your muscle tissue, which helps preserve endurance and explosiveness.  You can absolutely have complex carbohydrates before activity, just try to give them a couple hours to digest!

When you are done with practice or a workout, this is when complex carbs come in.  Complex carbs will also restore glycogen and allow for a better uptake of carbohydrates overall after a workout.  Getting in foods like rice, noodles, or sweet potatoes after a workout will help with recovery, and allow the body to have an improved energy uptake for either later that same day, or early the next day.

We carry carbohydrate powder options in store!  In the form of recovery carbs, OR simple fast acting carbs.  Simple carb powders are beneficial for younger athletes since it gives a natural release of energy without spiking the heart rate like caffeine does.  Whether it’s a simple carb powder, mixed with electrolytes, or a full blown pre workout without caffeine, we have options for you!

Thank you for taking the time to read this months’ blog!  I hope you all learned something!  As always, if any questions arise or you want to swing by the store to try any of the carbohydrate powders we carry, never hesitate!  I look forward to seeing you soon, and I hope you all have an amazing summer!