What role do carbohydrates play in nutrition?
Sports scientists and dietitians agree that, for the sake of your health, it is better to follow a diet that is higher in carbohydrates and low in fat.
Even so, many top bodybuilders insist that low-carbohydrate diets have a firm place in reaching contest shape. There is also a golden mean, though: if you know which types of carbohydrates to eat and which to leave out, you can probably achieve the maximum result.
LOW-CARBOHYDRATE DIETS
Pros
1. Hunger decreases, and for several reasons. Protein- and fat-rich food is satiating in itself, and on top of that, when carbohydrates are lacking, fat catabolism produces so-called ketone bodies, which in turn suppress appetite.
2. Body weight drops fast. A loss of 2-6 kg in the first days of the diet is fairly common and psychologically motivating, although it is the result of a sudden drop in the body’s water content.
Cons
1. Vitamin and mineral deficiency. Studies show that the main risk is a lack of B1, B6, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. This can be eased with multivitamins and calcium and magnesium supplements, but antioxidant supplements (e.g. A, C, E, etc.) do not give the same result as the substances found naturally in plant foods (fruit, vegetables).
2. Loss of muscle and bone tissue has been observed. Food that is rich in animal protein and poor in certain plant-based organic salts causes a predominance of acidic metabolic waste products, which can result in a reduction of muscle and bone mass.
3. Low dietary fiber content. Fiber is necessary for normal digestion: it helps reduce the likelihood of heart disease, colon cancer, hemorrhoids and similar conditions. Restricting carbohydrates goes hand in hand with increasing protein intake, but this does not mean that fatty meat and the like are allowed. Intake of saturated (animal) fats and hydrogenated fats (margarines) must in any case be brought down to a minimum. Low-carbohydrate diets are known to raise the level of LDL cholesterol (so-called bad cholesterol) in the blood.
4. In many cases a low-carbohydrate diet comes with a drop in well-being and mood, and with irritability. Mental performance declines, even though within a couple of weeks brain cells learn to get 75% of the energy they need from ketone bodies (instead of glucose).
HIGHER-CARBOHYDRATE DIETS
Pros
These are primarily health-related. Plant products are rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber and a number of vital vitamins and minerals. Fruit and vegetables increase the blood’s cleansing capacity, i.e. they neutralize acidic metabolic products. Perhaps the most important plus is that on a carb-rich diet you can train intensively.
Cons
Unfortunately, even nutrient-rich, high-carbohydrate diets can fail. Weight loss is small or temporary. Hunger is hard to control.
GOOD AND BAD CARBOHYDRATES
Your diet should contain enough good carbohydrates to provide energy for hard training, but as few so-called empty calories as possible.
1. Choose fat-free carb sources.
2. Choose fiber- and water-rich carb sources instead of dry, refined ones.
3. Your drinks should be calorie-free. There is no point in drinking sugar water!
To finish, here are the views of two top bodybuilders.
Chris Cormier:
“A low-carb diet is torture and, as a rule, I don’t need it to get into shape. I tried this type of diet in the past, but my muscles were flat and small. This year I haven’t had a single truly carb-free day. Instead, I have done cardio twice a day, and I have also trained with snappier rest periods between sets. Of course, how strict the diet is depends on what I see in the mirror and how much weight (fat) I’ve put on between contests,” he says.
By keeping a moderate amount of carbohydrates in his diet, he is able to stay in a good mood and relax, while some of his competitors suffer badly. A calm, gradual approach to losing body weight is important. You have to allow enough time. Cormier starts cardio 13-14 weeks before contests and makes sure that weight loss does not exceed 1.3 kg a week. “All in all, I can say that I can reach good shape without drastically cutting carbohydrates,” he notes.
Mike Matarazzo:
An extreme option is to cut fruit and grain products out of your diet completely. Many popular books recommend cutting carbohydrates to under 100 g a day. Some bodybuilders, Mike Matarazzo among them, use this approach to lose weight and get into contest shape.
“I’m not just a user of a low-carb diet, but rather an extreme advocate of it. I start cutting carbs 8-12 weeks before contests, getting down to almost zero 2 weeks out. I keep that up for 4 days, then slowly start adding carbs back to bring my muscle volume back,” says Matarazzo.
He adds: “Of course it’s an extreme approach, but at least in my case it delivers results. I recommend it to anyone who wants to lose body weight (and water) quickly. By putting the emphasis on protein intake, it limits muscle mass loss and suppresses hunger. The method has to be individual, but I know for myself that I won’t reach good contest shape without strongly restricting my carbohydrate intake. I’m an old-school bodybuilder.”
Author: translated by Indrek Otsus from Muscle Fitness
Come and train! ArtGym
