Carbohydrates & Your Health

Health, Fitness & Nutrition

Carbohydrates are basically made up from starches; they should be the top provider of energy in your daily diet. It is recommended that 47% of your daily calories intake comes from carbohydrates, with most of this being from starchy carbohydrates.
Starch is a nutrient and it is the body’s fuel, it is an important part of a daily diet because it provides us with our body’s glucose and it also provides us with fibre.

Carbohydrates in our diet

Our bodies are able to store very little glucose so it is important that we receive daily intakes of starch, when we eat foods consisting of starch the starch is converted into glycogen and is then stored in our muscles and liver.
The glycogen is then used by our bodies to fuel our body and give us the energy we need. If we run out of glucose our muscles can also use body fat but this is not a very efficient source of energy.
High levels of glucose in the body will give us plenty of energy and will help with exercise routines where as low levels of glucose will leave us feeling tired.

Good sources of starch

• Bread
• Cereals
• Potatoes
• Beans
• Pasta
• Noodles
• Porridge oats
• Lentils
• Rice

How much carbohydrate should we have in our diet?

The general recommendation is that we should try and get 47% of our recommended daily intake of calories from foods that consist of starch, for athletes this daily allowance boosts up to 60 to 70% of the calorie intake.
There is a simple way of calculating how many calories you should be taking from carbohydrates, for example. If your calorie intake for the day is 3,000 calories then calories taken from carbohydrates should be 3,000 times 47%, which gives you 1,800 calories of your daily allowance.
Your daily intake of calories should be linked to your body weight and you should be eating an amount that will help to maintain your weight within a healthy range.

Replenishing your glucose level after exercising

How long it takes for your glycogen levels to replenish after exercising will depend on several factors such as:

• How vigorous your exercise routine was
• Your level of fitness
• The amount of carbohydrates you eat in your diet

It is best to replenish your level of glycogen by consuming carbohydrates as soon as you can after you have finished your exercise routine as this will help prevent tiredness. It is during the first two hours after exercising that replenishment is the most rapid and then during the following four hours it will gradually slow down.

Points to remember

• Starchy carbohydrates are the body’s fuel
• Glucose is the only fuel the brain can use
• Glucose cannot be stored in the body
• Glycogen in the muscles and liver is converted to glucose which is what provides us with our energy
• Depleted glycogen should be replenished as soon after exercise as possible.