Carb Your Enthusiasm
This article was featured in the Sept/Oct 2008 edition of ISSA's Associate Newsletter. To sign up for this bi-monthly newsletter, please visit: http://ipost.com/issa/prefs
One word, one food, one macronutrient has seemingly caused more conversation and controversy in the past few years than any of the other dietary substances combined. This staple of the modern American diet is either being vastly overeaten, under-eaten, or completely abandoned all across the country, and I think that it's time we found out the truth about the infamous carbohydrate. Atkins and South Beach philosophies aside, we'll focus on modern research to learn more about the carbohydrate as a substance, as well as an appropriate and recommended intake.
Let us first identify carbohydrates as a substance. Carbohydrates are your body's primary source of energy. They can be found in grains, starches (pasta, potatoes) vegetables and legumes (beans and peas). They're also found in sugar and sweets, including fruit and candy, and even in dairy products. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. During digestion, your body converts carbohydrates into sugar (glucose). The sugar enters your bloodstream, where it is transferred to individual cells to provide energy. Some of the extra sugar is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. Your muscles normally store only small amounts of glycogen--enough to support you during activities such as recreational biking or swimming, weightlifting, and 5- to 10-kilometer runs. But depending on your level of fitness, your muscles may run low on glycogen if you exercise intensely for more than 90 to 120 minutes. In turn, your stamina and performance may suffer. This can be an issue during activities such as long-distance running, swimming, cycling, soccer and triathlons.
Endurance exercise is not the only form of training and competition in which carbohydrate depletion can compromise performance; it can also occur during high-intensity exercise as well, especially during activities that involve high quantities of repeated anaerobic bouts. This depletion can then trigger a phenomenon known as gluconeogenesis, a process by which additional energy is produced by the synthesis of glucose from protein and fats. Unfortunately, a prevailing disadvantage of this compensatory energy-producing mechanism is the potential loss of muscle tissue. This fact, of course, flags the significance of adequate carbohydrate intake and its role in the maintenance of the body's protein stores.
Insufficient carbohydrate supplies can also affect the brain, since the primary fuel for the brain is glucose. Impaired central nervous system (CNS) function is apparent during starvation and prolonged endurance exercise, when depleted glycogen stores can induce feelings of dizziness and general malaise. In the case of low-carbohydrate diets, prevalent side effects are symptoms of fatigue, weakness, and hunger.
Conversely, excess carbohydrate intake can lead to undesired weight gain. Ingested carbohydrates are converted to muscle and liver glycogen, but once their carrying capacity is achieved, the rest is converted to fat--an unwanted result for those who want to lose weight and improve body composition. It is also critically disadvantageous for athletes engaged in events in which weight gain diminishes performance (e.g., distance running, swimming, etc.). This signifies the extreme importance of a dietary regimen that maintains a balance between adequate energy production and physique maintenance or improvement.
Given all of this information, let's take a look at how many daily carbohydrates are necessary but not excessive. This is a complicated question based on the various and particular needs of individuals. For the "average" person wanting to increase muscle and decrease fat, ISSA's 3-2-1 Rule--1 part fat, 2 parts protein, and 3 parts carbs--is a good general reference when deciding on your daily meals. Additionally, we also recommend that out of that 3 parts carbohydrates, no more than 25% be comprised of simple carbohydrates such as sugars and processed foods. For instance, if an individual required 2400 calories per day based on BMR and activity level, each "part" would translate to 400 calories (2400/6 parts = 400). Therefore, 1 part fat would equal 400 calories from fat, 2 parts protein would equal 800 calories from protein, and 3 parts carbohydrates would equal 1200 calories from carbohydrates. Of those 1200 carb calories, a maximum of 300 would come from sugars and processed foods.
ISSA's Zig Zag approach is another helpful tool when deciding what to eat and when. This approach focuses primarily on the manipulation of calories and carbohydrate intake on a day-to-day basis, emphasizing days of increased calories and carbohydrates (particularly on days of high intensity training) versus days of decreased calories and carbohydrates (particularly on rest days) to maximize nutrients for energy and recovery, but with the intermittent low cal days for stimulating metabolism and maximum recovery without overeating.
In reference to general carbohydrate intake percentage, I recommend that the average active individual ingest roughly 50% to 55% of their daily calories from carbohydrate sources, preferably complex carbohydrates. Mind you, this is a general recommendation based on low to moderate activity levels. For those who are more active or training rigorously for an event such as a triathlon or a sport, that carbohydrate percentage may need to be increased to 60% or higher to account for the additional energy needed to perform at maximal levels. If you are worried about carbohydrate intake affecting your physique, remember, the Zig Zag approach is a perfect remedy for this. On days that you plan to exercise or train at high intensity levels for an extended period of time, more carbohydrates are naturally required; but days that are going to be used for rest and recovery, cut back slightly on your calories and carbohydrates, and focus more heavily on lean sources of protein in your meals to reinforce muscle recovery. This way, you'll rarely have to worry about reaching a surplus of carbohydrates that your body can't process and use for fuel.
I know that most people reading this would love for me to offer a specific number of carbohydrates per pound per day as a scientifically proven recommendation, but that is just not the case, not yet at least. Our lives are just too different from one another to benefit from a precise recommendation. What I can say is that studies are being conducted daily on the topic of carbohydrate needs for both fat loss and performance enhancement all over the world, so new and exciting developments are sure to find us in the near future. In the meantime, our recommendation is to keep your carbohydrates around that 50% to 55% range, trying to derive most of your carbs from high quality, complex carbohydrates, which will inevitably supply you with adequate mental and physical energy to be successful throughout your day. Whatever you do, stay away from any diets or "experts" advising you to severely limit your carb intake for an extended period of time. This is both counterproductive and potentially dangerous, and for an athlete can be disastrous to performance. Carbohydrates are one of the most vital nutrients offered to us, so enjoy them, just not too much.

