The Best Times to Eat Carbohydrates
One of the questions I often get asked is “When should I eat carbs if I am trying to lose weight?” Unfortunately, with all the news, media, social media, advice from friends etc. most people are not eating carbohydrates at the most opportune times to assist them in their weightless goals. So, if you are looking to shed excess fat, improve workout recovery, feel and look better please keep reading.
If your goal is to lose fat and become leaner it is best to keep carbohydrate intake low to very low for most people.
Before I discuss when the best times to eat carbohydrates are it is important to first recognize beneficial and non-beneficial carbohydrates.
Non beneficial carbohydrates are processed foods, white flour, sugar and corn syrup (among other syrups). These types of carbohydrates will not only prevent you from losing weight but can make you fatter. especially if you eat too much of them. These types of carbohydrates are also responsible for a host of negative health issues such as, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, inflammation, neurological disorders, cancer and digestive issues just to name a few.
So are carbohydrates the spawn of Satan himself?
Not necessarily.
For most people trying to lose fat and gain lean body mass there are two optimal times each day to eat carbohydrates.
The first is immediately or within about 2 hours post workout on workout days.
Why?
Because at this time the glycogen stores in your body are low or depleted and spiking blood sugar raises insulin. Raising insulin at this time is a good thing. Normally if you are not active and you spike insulin you will store most of the carbohydrates ingested as fat. However, when you spike your blood sugar and raise insulin levels post workout your body will shuttle the glucose in your blood stream into your liver and muscle cells replenishing the depleted stores. This also, lowers cortisol and aids in recovery. Especially if you consume protein or branched chain amino acids with your carbs. These two factors assist in muscle growth and the body’s ability to burn fat.
For some individuals, they will function more optimally eating a small amount of carbohydrates pre workout. A good idea is to experiment to see which works better for you. Generally though, eating carbohydrates post workout is better for fat loss and workout recovery.
The second best time of the day to eat carbohydrates is in the evening. Many people are still under the perception that they should eat carbs in the morning. It seems logical because you will just burn them during the day right? Wrong. Yes if you are immediately going to exercise this is fine. However, if you are not going to exercise right away then you will spike your blood sugar and raise insulin early in the day. This leads to a crash a few hours later leaving you feeling hungry and craving more sugar/carbs for the rest of the day. This rising and falling of blood sugar and insulin throughout the day increases cortisol, and leads insulin resistance and storing fat.
This is why If you have/want to eat carbs each day then eat them in the evening. This will increase serotonin, make you feel full and happy. The tired feeling the carbs bring on will help you fall asleep. Getting quality sleep each night is a key to long term health and fat loss.
Now this doesn’t mean siting on your couch watching T.V. chowing down on a bag of Doritos and a pint of ice cream. It means eating a serving of 1-2 cupped handfuls size of a complex carbohydrate such as, sweet potato, wild, brown, yellow, etc. rice, quinoa, small portion of whole wheat or gluten free pasta, and even a small white potato with a source of protein and some healthy fats with dinner can have a positive effect.
So to sum it up.
- Eat a meal with high carbs, high protein post workout.
- Eat high protein meals with healthy fats, and fiber-rich vegetables during the day. Then, make your evening meals consist of lean protein, starchy carbs and a some healthy fats. eg. olive oil, butter, fish-oil, coconut oil and animal fat on non-training days.
One last thought. Totally restricting all non healthy carbohydrates is also not recommended. These can lead to excessive cravings and eventually binges and that can easily derail your diet.
The simple solution is to limit eating non healthy carbohydrates to 1-2 meals per week IF you are consistent on your diet for the rest of your meals each week and on a day that you workout.
Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure. However, this keeps it simple and will work best for the majority of people.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes?
Yours in health.
Kevin
