When to clock on for carbs
FOR years, the dieting industry has told us that carbs make us fat – that pasta is bad for us, potatoes make us pile on the kilos and bread is the devil.
But recent research has proved that eating carbs can actually help you to live longer.
Those who follow low-carb regimes tend to consume less healthy fruit, veg and grains and all that can lead to a loss of nutrients, harmful inflammation and biological ageing.
But if you do want to lose weight, sleep better and reduce bloating, then you might want to consider when you consume carbs. Having them at night – contrary to popular belief – may well be the best time.
Yep, that means risotto and jacket potatoes are back on the dinner menu.
“Carb backloading” is where you eat carbs when your body is most likely to store them as glycogen (sugar) in the muscles – later in the day postworkout – rather than at a time when the body stores them as fat – in the morning.
Backloading doesn’t mean chowing down on a load of pizza at night. It just means consuming the right kinds of carbs, such as wholegrain pasta, lentils and sweet potato, in the evening so that your body doesn’t rely on them to function during the day. In other words, we’re trying to push our bodies to enter ketosis, the state of using our fat reserves for energy.
Our bodies love using glucose as the first point of energy because it’s so easy to break down. Take that away by consuming mainly fats and protein, and our bodies start to burn the fat already stored up.
Laurence Fountain, founder and head trainer of body transformation gym Salus London, says carb backloading is part of something called “circadian rhythm dieting”.
“By taking away carbs during the day, you’ve got a more effective release of catecholamines (hormones including adrenaline). That means that you decrease blood sugars and set the body up for lipolysis – pulling out fat from fat cells,” he said.
We need carbs to function – our brains and bodies rely on the glucose that comes from carbs. Cutting all carbs out can leave you feeling tired and moody. When we’re low on glucose, that’s when our bodies go into fight or flight mode. That state can be useful in getting us moving in the morning and feeling more alert.
If you do want to eat carbs for breakfast, try to make sure that you’re adding fat and protein to the mix in order to remain fuller for longer. But if fat burning – and maintaining that level of alertness throughout your day – is your aim, you might be better off leaving the oats until later in the day.