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We know good carbohydrates are important for muscle growth for different reasons: they give you energy for your workouts and because carbs combined with protein stimulate more muscle growth than protein alone. But can you eat just any carbs?
The answer is:
“There ARE carbohydrates that are considered better options because they can help you grow and stay lean at the same time.”
The short version is that carbs can be made of simple small molecules that are easy to break down by your body, also known as SIMPLE CARBS, or they can be made of long complicated molecules that take longer to digest. These are called COMPLEX CARBS. Simple carbs are not the best option because your body breaks them down fast, sending a rush of glucose to your bloodstream. This rush causes your body to release a lot of insulin or an “insulin spike” to control all glucose rushing in. When your insulin spikes, your body stops burning fat and the excess glucose is stored as bodyfat or fluff!
In simple terms, this effect that the food has on your insulin levels is measured by the glycemic Index or GI. GI numbers go up to 100 and lower numbers are better because they mean less of an insulin spike. Complex carbs are the best choice because they are broken down slowly by your body, creating a more constant flow of energy and avoid the insulin spike. This means that you are growing muscle and still burning fat.
Now that you hopefully understand the basics, here is my list of the best carbs foods to help you workout harder, feed your muscles and grow lean:
BEANS
Beans are a great source of complex carbs with a low glycemic index of 30 and they also have some extra benefits! They have good amount of fiber, about 15 grams of protein in one cup and they also contain minerals like calcium for example. My main suggestion here is that you buy the beans in bags and not cans. It is ok to eat beans from cans as long as you don’t eat a bunch of cans in a week. The problem with cans is that their lining contains a chemical called BPA which is believed to cause health issues like cancer and low sperm count. Your best bet is to buy the bags and cook a batch when you are prepping your food for the week and they go great with rice and chicken!
LENTILS
Lentils are just awesome! Not only they have good carbs but they also have about 18 grams of protein in one cup, which is more than beans. They actually have more fiber than beans as well. If you are not eating lentils, you should really add them to your mix. They are cheap and you can eat them with chicken, as a side for fish or use them in salads. They really are a great option and if you don’t eat meat, lentils should definitely be part of your meal plan!
SWEET POTATOES
Sweet potatoes are a staple on most bodybuilder’s diets. They are a good source of complex carbs and contain a great source of vitamins and fiber. But here is something I learned recently. How you cook your sweet potatoes make all the difference! That is because cooking changes how the carb molecules are arranged changing how fast your body can break them down. For instance, boiled sweet potatoes have a much lower glycemic index than baked potatoes! The boiled glycemic index is around 45 while the baked is a whopping 94. This means that you should boil your sweet potatoes or you are not really helping yourself because you are causing a big spike in your insulin!
BROWN RICE
Brown rice is the most nutritious type of rice because it goes through very little processing. This type of rice has the lowest glycemic index and the most amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals as well. The second best choice is wild rice and white rice is at the bottom of the list because it is more processed with the highest glycemic index. White rice also has most of the nutritious components removed so it has more calories per serving, less vitamins and less fiber. Other types that should be at the bottom of the list because of all the processing they go through are yellow rice and rice pilaf.
WHOLE GRAIN BREAD
Whole grain bread is a great option as a source of carbohydrates and it has as decent glycemic index (about 69) as well.
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