The Reality of Carbs

At least once a day a client walks in my door professing that they do not eat a single carbohydrate. Past or current clients can snicker along right about now because the first thing I do is stand up from my chair, walk over, and check their pulse. Why? Well because you would die if you didn't eat carbohydrates.  DROP THE MIC.... Wait what? Yes, you would DIE if you didn't eat carbohydrates.

So we have a couple of things going on here. People are uneducated or easily swayed by the media, "health coach", "their neighbor the nutritionist"  or TV personality. People do not understand what foods contain carbohydrates and over eat the portion of carbohydrates. People are used to fad diets which paint carbohydrates to be the bad guy.

So let's get to the facts. Your body prefers carbohydrates to create ATP for energy.  Our bodies prefer it because we are efficient when breaking down carbohydrates and we can create ATP from carbohydrates with or without oxygen AND without producing potentially toxic byproducts.

As a provider who has worked with THOUSANDS of clients, my rule of thumb is that most people should not have less than 40% of their daily nutrition intake provided by carbs.  If you are an athlete, especially a runner, 50-60% of your daily nutrition should be provided by carbs.

What happens if you don't eat enough carbs? Well you are negatively affecting your metabolism which means you will gain weight or stay the same weight AND increase your body fat. Believe me, I have worked with many "thin" runners who are not fueling themselves correctly who have a significantly high body fat percentage.

A little lesson: Our bodies have enough stored carbohydrates (glycogen) to last us for about 24 hours (when we AREN'T exercising). As you start to deplete carbohydrate sources and stored carbohydrate sources your body is forced to use alternate macronutrients for energy. You will first start using fats and then protein. Basically when you burn fat at a fast rate you are creating ammonia and eventually ketones and when you are attempting to create ATP from protein, a more difficult process, you are creating ketones. What are ketones? By definition: ketones are a class of acidic organic compounds that includes acetonea and aceto-acetic acid. They are formed in states of carbohydrate deficiency such as starvation or conditions such as Diabetes, in which carbohydrates cannot be normally utilized.

Makes you wonder about all those fad diets that try to put you in ketosis doesn't it?

Food groups that provide carbohydrates are Grains, Fruits, and Dairy.  Nonstarchy vegetables do have carbohydrates and if you eat about 3 cups of a raw vegetable or 1.5 cup of cooked vegetables they actually provide a carbohydrate exchange (similar to 1/3 cup cooked rice). Hence, why my "no carbers" don't die.

Everyone should have a goal to eat consistent carbohydrates at every meal about every 4-5 hours WITH protein and healthy fat. When you eat your carbohydrates with protein and fat it diminishes the whole glycemic index which has been another popular "diet."

If you are a runner you should be assessing your carbohydrate intake at each meal, what you are eating 1 hour prior to running, and if you are running longer than 75 minutes, you most certainly should be providing yourself with about 15-30 grams of a carbohydrate an hour to ensure you are refueling appropriately.

Are all carbs created equal? NO.  Half of your daily grain intake should be higher fiber. Choose whole wheat, brown rice. An easy way to do this is to look at the nutritional labels with a goal of 3-5 g of fiber per serving.  Nobody should be afraid of natural fruits and dairy, unless allergic.

Lastly, the only person who is experienced enough to assess your carbohydrate intake and provide recommendations is a Registered Dietitian, legally a nutritionist cannot even do this, even if they are licensed.  If you've read through this you can imagine the biochemistry that goes into creating the ATP.  Everyone is individualized, and no one person has the same nutrition prescription.  Would you bring your car to the bicycle shop to get an oil change?  Be smart.  Provide your body with the right fuel and if you don't know how be proactive and get the right people on your team.

Be well,

Amy Goldsmith

Eat to Run

As you've all read Kris is training for her first half marathon! K-R-I-S, Go Kris Go!!!! Running a race, especially anything over 10 miles, is an exciting and exhausting achievement.  I can't wait to hear how she does September 18th (stay tuned).          

I am also a fellow runner, although not currently training for anything. I started off running track in high school, short distance sprints ( an 800 was LONG for me) and I've always run many miles with my soccer endeavors.  In college I dabbled with running longer mileage but would cap it at 30 minutes. Ahhh the days of exercising 30 minutes a day, I remember those!!    

Shortly after I had my second child I realized how crazy life was with two children under the age of 18 months. I started running for two reasons: 1) It was the only time I had to myself  2) I lost so much of my core strength and endurance with back to back pregnancies I needed my strength back.  I've run 5 half marathons, many 10 milers and more than I can count 10 Ks, 5 milers, and 5 K's. My closet is lined with ribbons, medals, and trophies and even some podium awards.

Once I felt I mastered my running goals, and tired or runners knee,  I started competing in triathlons. What a challenge! I was stoked to make the podium multiple times.  I'm not writing this to boast about myself, although as I read this I am reminding myself I'm pretty bad ass. I'm using this as a segway to talk about one of the very key pieces to my success: NUTRITION.    

I know what you're thinking, does nutrition really matter when it comes to performance or does she just think so because she is a dietitian? I'm here to tell you YES it does!                

In the next couple of weeks we are going to talk about sports nutrition, specifically half marathons and marathons - Tis the Season.'  Not only do I walk the walk, or should I say run the run but I also specialize in sports nutrition where I've worked with THOUSANDS of athletes ranging from your average man/woman, professional athletes, collegiate athletes, high school athletes and children.                
                                                                                                                                         
To get you into the right mind frame for our sports nutrition series I want you to take a look at a couple of these facts and think about them until we get into the nitty gritty.      
 
1) Most athletes or avid exercisers (that's you) are not eating enough. This is actually causing you to  gain weight or preventing you to lose weight.

2) Ok, so you think you are eating enough because my fitness pal told you so. Well, you may not be eating the right macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein) which will also negatively affect your metabolism.                                                                    

3) Timing is everything!  If you aren't timing your meal,s prefuel, and recovery, again you may be negatively affecting your metabolism.          

4) Hydration matters. Yes I'm like a broken record. Research shows that runners bonk quicker from dehydration than fuel.                                                                      

5) Long distance runners: you've got to find a way to train your nutrition. You shouldn't be running without eating (dependent on distance) period.      

Stay tuned in the next weeks as we kick off the nutrition side of things with those Crazy Carbohydrates. GASP!!! They aren't poisonous I promise!                


In Good Health,
 Amy