Carbs Q

[Gazhole]

Havent posted here for ages, the last year has been H-E-C-T-I-C!

Im not sure if anyone even remembers me but training in the last year has gone incredibly well thanks to the information on this forum. Ive put on about 2 stone (32lbs) of weight (not sure how much is muscle, but from the look of me against the photos i took last decemember im guessing a lot of it) and my BF% is down to something like 9.8 - 11. So thankyou .

Anyways, just a quick question on carbs. Obviously doing a lot of training often comes with a lot of carbs, made up from food and sometimes supplements.

Ive read a lot of bad information on this, such as insulin resistance, heart disease, and even cancer (!!!). Basically, my question is how does one combat this without cutting too many carbs out of your diet?

Does regular cardio exercise, or regular weight training help with this? Because i know a lot of articles on the subject cater for "the average" man or woman, and last i heard the average man or woman pretty much sit on their arses eating McDonalds and watching TV.

So thats basically it! Thankyou in advance everyone.

 

[Emma-Leigh]

Ive read a lot of bad information on this, such as insulin resistance, heart disease, and even cancer (!!!). Basically, my question is how does one combat this without cutting too many carbs out of your diet?

I would be interested in what you have been reading?

A blanket statement like "carbs are evil and will cause all of these things" is very misleading... Infact - there are carbs which have been shown to do the exact opposite... eg: whole grains or brans (eg: oats and oatbran), legumes, sulfur containing products such as onions or garlic which have been shown to help decrease cholesterol and control blood pressure - and this can help prevent heart disease... Lots of fruits (eg: blueberries) and vegetables (eg: broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other things with indols in them) have compounds in them which have anti-cancer effects..

Sure, it is not the 'carb' per say (but the compounds that come with the carbs) but still...

It is when carbs are taken in excess (especially things such as high-fructose corn syrup), mixed into a diet high in saturated fats and trans-fats and low in the good things (fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, seafoods/lean meats etc etc) and then combined with a lifestyle that includes little exercise that you run into problems...

Does regular cardio exercise, or regular weight training help with this?

Yes - regular cardio and weight training will help to increase insulin sensitivity/glucose disposal (and therefore - decrease insulin resistance and the risk of type two diabetes)... It will helps regulate cholesterol levels, help regulate with blood pressure (both of which decrease your risk of heart disease).... helps with weight control (which helps decrease your risk of heart disease and will also decrease your risk of certain cancers)....

It does lots of beneficial things...

 

[Gazhole]

Phew, thanks Emma! Thats a releif. Had a scary moment there yesterday!

I was just reading on various health websites/medical information sites to check that i wasnt slowly killing myself with all this eating, but one of the articles i read was:

http://www.medical-library.net/sites/framer.html?/sites/carbohydrates_in_nutrition.html

Specifically the "The Result of Excess Carbohydrate Intake" section.

I only worry about this because the last 6 months ive been really working on my diet, cutting out most fat, eating a more balanced healthy variety of foods etc. But supplements sometimes have a lot of carbs in them, aswell as what i eat food-wise.

Thanks for that confirmation though!