Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rep of late; however, they are an important food source, especially for athletes. In research studies, high carbohydrate diets are associated with longer time to exhaustion (i.e. you can continue to exercise for longer), faster time trial performances (i.e. race times) and lower ratings of perceived exertion (i.e you feel less tired). In fact, it is recommended that athletes consume about 6-10 g of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight per day. For a 150 lb person, this translates daily to 400-680 g of carbs, or 6-11 bagels (if that was all you ate).
What foods are carbohydrate?
Grains, cereals, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, milk and yogurt are all mostly carbohydrate foods.
What should an athlete eat before an event?
Pre-exercise or pre-competition meals should be rich in carbohydrate and fluid, low in fat and relatively low in protein and fibre. Fat and fiber slow down the rate of digestion and absorption of food. This could lead to discomfort during exercise. The goal of this meal is to prevent or delay hunger not to make you feel really full or bloated.
What should I eat during an event?
If your event is less than an hour, you should not need to eat. For longer events, consuming a dose of carbohydrates of about 0.7 g/kg/hour (or approximately 30-60 grams/hour) improves endurance performance. Intake should begin shortly after exercise begins instead of delaying consumption to the end stages of the event. For best absorption, use multiple sources of carbohydrate (i.e. combine different carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltodextrin). Most energy drinks and bars do this already.
What should I eat after an event?
The best way to replenish glycogen stores is to start immediately after exercise and continue over the next four hours after they have been depleted. This is important for athletes who compete or train more than once a day or who do not have a full day to recover. For those who have time to recover, there is generally no difference in total muscle glycogen replenishment if food intake is delayed a couple of hours or started immediately after exercise.
Finally, it is important to note that these guidelines are more for serious exercisers than the average dog walker.
- Serena Caner is a registered dietician who works at Shuswap Lake General Hospital