The Best Time to Eat Carbs

When it comes to fitness and dieting, there seems to be a lot of hype about carbohydrates. You may hear that they’re the enemy thanks in part to the increased popularity of some diets such as the ketogenic diet. Due to this, some may wonder when is the best time to eat carbs.

First of all, the best time to eat carbohydrates would be in the morning and around your workouts and I will explain why.

First, What Are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are macronutrients like fat and protein. Carbs are our primary energy source for moderate to higher intensity activities. They are broken down into glucose and enter our bloodstream which is later stored in areas like the liver and muscles as glycogen. Examples of carbs are fiber, starches, and sugars. When overconsumed, carbs can convert into fat to store for energy later on. One of the main issues that we face today with carbohydrates are how easily accessible they are versus how little energy the average person expends. 

Some people work a desk job but eat the amount of carbs that a marathon runner should eat. Carbs are not the enemy. This enemy is overconsumption and consuming simpler carbs that lack nutritional value and cause blood sugar spikes. Simple carbohydrates are absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream and cause a quick burst of energy. These are found mostly in added sugars, white bread, or sweeteners like honey. Complex carbohydrates are foods like whole grain wheat, beans, legumes, and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates will provide more nutrition because they contain higher amounts of fiber, protein, and vitamins. They are broken down slower, reducing the chance of a blood sugar spike followed by a crash, and they keep you full for longer as well.

Why Are Carbohydrates Important?

Carbs are important to maintain a balanced diet, however you must ensure that you are consuming healthy, complex carbs for the most part and not too much. Carbohydrates can provide high amounts of vitamins and fiber which is important to have in your diet. Carbs are especially important if you are an athlete. The glucose formed from carbs is stored as glycogen in the muscle which is your main source of energy during your workout. Eating too little carbs will reduce performance and strength in your workout and reduce muscle gains. Simple carbs are actually good to consume after your workout as well because it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and replenishes your lost glycogen. 

Though it is ok to reduce carbs to lower your weight, be careful to not drop too low. This will cause a rapid drop in weight but will later become unsustainable. The lost weight will simply come back once you increase your carbs again. When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, it is important to find a balance that works for you. A good starting point is to consume 1g-1.5g per pound of bodyweight. You can experiment and find what works for you.

When Is the Best Time to Eat Carbs?

Seeing as carbs are an energy source, we should try to treat them as such. Watching television at night isn’t a time when you need 100g of carbs from donuts. It will just be wasted energy that your body may store as fat, especially since it’s a simple, refined carb. The cool thing is that when you know when to eat carbs, you should actually be able to consume the same or more but lose more fat! This is because you will be more likely to burn the carbs as energy.

You should consume a higher amount of carbs in the morning hours and around your workout. Eating complex carbohydrates in the morning hours will slowly burn and give you energy throughout the day. This gives you the best chance of actually utilizing those carbs. Before and after your workout is another time you will want to consume carbs, but in this case it is actually  ok to consume simple carbs. Fructose is a good option for before the workout. This is found in fruit such as an apple, for example.

Dextrose is another simple sugar and is probably the fastest digesting simple carb that is best consumed during or immediately after your routine. It can be found in products such as Pixie Stix or gummy bears. I personally consume Jym’s Fast-Digesting Carbs post-workout to quickly replenish my glycogen stores, improve recovery, and to feel less drained after my routine (Also, get 15% off with code: WELLNESS101). You can also see more of my workout supplementation here. Knowing this, if you are looking for the best time to have a cheat meal, it would be directly after a hard workout so that your muscles can quickly absorb those carbs and make the best use of them. I try to avoid carbs at night as much as I can. If you do eat carbs at night, opt for a complex carb that will slowly digest throughout the night as you sleep.

Summary

Carbs are not the enemy. We just need to be educated on how our body uses carbs and eat them with that aim. Carbs are our body’s quick-burning fuel source. Consume them in equal proportion with your activity level and you won’t need to cut carbs out of your diet completely in order to lose weight. Aim for complex carbohydrates, and only consume simple carbs around your workout. If you consume a higher proportion of your carbohydrates in the morning hours and around your workouts, you will have the best chance of using these carbs as energy and not storing them as fat or stored energy in the body. As with most aspects of your diet, it is all about a proper balance.