Download Top 10 Carb Intake Rules For Optimal Body Composition

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Top 10 Carb Intake Rules For Optimal Body Composition
1. Elimate grains, particularly wheat. This is the most important principle regarding carb intake.
Wheat influences blood sugar levels the same way as plain table sugar.
2. Yes, eliminate grains, part II: Gliadin family grains such as oats, wheat, spelt are the most
common food allergen. People of the Celtic ancestry, like the Irish, are more likely to be gluten
allergic. Besides raising insulin levels in the body and their rapid carb intake, grains also release
cortisol in response to the stressor, than a food allergen is.
3. The main source of carbs should be fibrous. Fibrous carbs typically have very low carb content.
Their inherent high fiber brings about a very moderate insulin response, thus making them an
ideal fat loss food. The best sources of fibrous carbs include :
o Broccoli
o Lettuce
o Cabbage
o Cauliflower
o Mushrooms
o Green beans
o Onions
o Asparagus
o Cucumber
o Spinach
o All forms of peppers
o Zucchini
o Cauliflower
4. The darker the fruit, the better it is for you. Dark fruits tend to have very thin skin, (hence they
need to produce more anti-oxidants to protect themselves from the sun). That is why darker
fruits are great anti-inflammatory foods. Bananas have thick skins therefore they have lower
anti-oxidants contents.
5. The darker the fruit, the better it is for you, part II. The darker the fruit, the lower the glycemic
load. Again, compare berries, and cherries to bananas and pineapple. Of course, this applies to
fruits in their natural state; when grapes become raisins, their glycemic index goes up because
of dehydration of the fruit.
6. Replace grains with greens in sandwiches. This one is promoted by Jonny Bowden, author
Living The Low Carb Life: Instead of using bread, use dark leafy greens to wrap the meat. It will
slow down the glycemic index and help shift in your favor the acid/alkaline base.
2885 Shaughnessy St. • Port Coquitlam, BC • (778) 285-WHEY • www.onewhey.ca • [email protected]
7. Limit fructose intake. Even though fruits are great foods loaded with nutrients, they also
contain fructose. Fructose in too high quantities can slow down thyroid function and increase
glycation. Glycation in layman's term is browning, like the browning that makes crust in bread.
Glycation is the cross linking of proteins (and DNA molecules) caused by sugar aldehydes
reacting with the amino acids on the protein molecule and creating Advance Glycosylation Endproducts (AGE's). If you want to see protein cross linking in action, cut an apple in half and
watch it turn yellow! Very few people realize that glucose can go through oxidation. Why is the
worst glycation agent fructose? Because it does not raise insulin. In other words, the insulin is
not getting it into muscle cells. Therefore, it lingers around and wreaks metabolic havoc. As
nutrition expert Robert Crayhon would say: fructose is like the guest that won't go home once
the party is over. Crayhon recommends that the average American should eat no more than 510 grams of fructose a day! For very active individuals, 20 grams of fructose should be the
maximum intake.
One of the worst sources of glycating fructose are the weight loss bars containing high fructose
corn syrup, like the ones sold by a famous Texan verbally abusive lawyer turned weight loss
guru.
To check for glycation levels, ask your doctor to measure the concentration of glycated
hemoglobin in your blood. In England, a study revealed that this is one of the best measured
tests able to predict mortality. Far better than cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index.
8. The best time to load up in carbs is the first 10 minutes following your workout. Since insulin
sensitivity is at its highest after the workout, this is the time to take in your carbs to maximize
muscle mass gains. Originally based on the research that was available at the time, I typically
recommended 2 g/Kg of bodyweight. Over the years, after being exposed to more research and
discussing it with my colleagues, I have come to the conclusion that it should be a reflection of
the training volume for the training session. The greater the number of reps per training unit,
the greater the carbohydrate intake. Of course, one can assume that all reps are equal. A
squatting or deadlifting rep is more demanding than a curling or triceps extension rep. By the
same token, 3 reps slow tempo squats has different caloric demand than 3 reps in the power
clean. As a general rule, I would recommend the following carbohydrate intake based on
training volume for a given workout:
* 12-72 reps per workout : 0.6 g/Kg/LBM
* 73-200 reps per workout : 0.8 g/kg/LBM
* 200-360 reps per workout : 1.0 g/kg/LBM
* 360-450 reps per workout : 1.2 g/kg/LBM
Regarding the source of carbohydrates post-workout, I have experimented with various sources,
I like using fruit juices with a high glycemic index (i.e. pineapple, grape) to provide 30-40% of the
carbs, the rest of the carbs coming from carb powders ranging from dextrose to various types of
malto-dextrin. For variety sake, I will use different types of juice like a berry blend. You can also
2885 Shaughnessy St. • Port Coquitlam, BC • (778) 285-WHEY • www.onewhey.ca • [email protected]
any type of mushy fruit like bananas or peaches. For seriously underweight athletes, I may use
pineapple and/or corn flakes to drive the glycemic index upwards. Instead of using maltodextrin,
you can also use dessicated honey.
9. Use insulin sensitivity supplements with high-carb post workout meals. Nutrients like taurine,
arginine, magnesium, R-form alpha lipoic acid etc.. will help dispose of glucose to muscle cells
instead of fat cells.
10. Add protein to your post-workout carb intake. Using 15 g of protein for every 50 lbs of
bodyweight, will increase glycogen storage by as much as 40%.