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Real Life Nutrition Questions Answered
printReal Life Fitness Questions Answered
Emma Brown
Nutritionist
Janet Aylott
Nutritionist
Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant
Q.
To carb or not carb?
I am confused... The other day I was watching a tv interview with an Olympic swimmer who said that he eats hardly any carb but mainly eats protein. That combined with all the 'bad press' carbs get in the media is confusing me as I though carbohydrates were vital for exercise and energy. Am I doing it wrong? As I have carbs with every meal - oat bar for breakfast, ryvita for lunch, rice/potato/pasta for dinner - sticking to my calorie allowance of course. If I eat lean protein instead of my carbs will that make me lose weight quicker? I just feel so tired sometimes that I need the glucose in carbs to keep me going. I walk about thirty minutes a day and go to the gym regularly. I believe I would collapse if I didn't then eat carbs. Please clear this up as I'm sure I'm not the only one with these concerns!!
A.
Our expert says...
Thanks for you query - the wealth of evidence suggests that we should base our meals around carbohydrate foods, so I’m glad to tell you are doing things right! That said , protein is important to slimmers as it’s filling, and can also, when eaten in conjunction with carb foods, lower the GI or glycaemic index of your meal so that sugar enters your system slowly and you avoid blood glucose levels fluctuating too much. This is beneficial, as one of the keys to keeping hunger controlled is keeping blood sugar levels from rising and falling to rapidly. The best carbohydrate foods to eat are the high fibre whole grain or “brown” type - so whole grain pasta, brown rice, pulses, bran cereals, grainy wholemeal breads and so on. Avoid the sugary or refined carbohydrates such as cakes, biscuits, white rice and instant mash. As far as protein is concerned, unless you are a top end athlete you do not need more than a couple of modest portions a day - some lean meat the size of a pack of card counts as a portion. However if you seem to be stuck in a plateau phase you could try upping your protein slightly and reducing some of your carb - (replacing it with fruit salad or vegetables). Don’t get in the habit of cutting carb too much though.
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