Before embarking on a carb cycling regime, you need to know more about what carbs are. You also need to know which ones are suitable to eat on this type of diet. Carbohydrates often have negative connotations.
However, not all carbs are bad for you. Carbohydrates are essential in supplying energy. Here, we take a closer look at which ones you should be enjoying as part of your carb cycling lifestyle.
What Are Good Carbs?
Alongside fats and proteins, carbs are one of the three main macronutrients. Carbs are needed to supply energy to the brain and body. Whenever you eat carbs, they’re broken down during digestion into sugars. T
hese sugars are then absorbed into the bloodstream. In response to the boost in blood sugar levels, the body releases insulin. It is needed to shuttle the sugar (called glucose at this stage) to the cells. This allows a quick energy boost to fuel activity.
Carbohydrates also get stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. This is a stored type of glucose. However, excess glucose also gets stored as fat. Therefore, lots of people think that carbohydrates are bad for them.
Not all carbohydrates are equal. There are three primary types of carbohydrates: fiber, starch and sugar. Sugar is by far the simplest type. Fiber and starch are both complex carbohydrates.
This means they are more difficult to break down in the body. It takes longer and therefore you’ll feel full for longer when you eat complex carbs. Processed or refined carbohydrates are less fibrous and starchy. They are more sugary and have less nutritional value.
Processed carbs can be ditched from your diet when you’re carb cycling. However, whole foods that are rich in carbs should stay in your diet. Potatoes and starchy vegetables such as carrots and squash are complex carbohydrates which are good for you.
Whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa and legumes such as lentils and beans are also good choices. Even foods containing natural sugars such as milk and fruit have a place in carb cycling diets.
These wholefoods have nutritional merits. They contain key minerals and vitamins. Therefore, although the word carbohydrates often produce images of sugary food that is unhealthy, this isn’t always the case. Complex carbs have a vital role to play in ensuring you have a healthy lifestyle.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that all carbohydrates can be included in a carb cycling diet. Some should always be avoided except as occasional treats. Yet there are lots of healthy sources of carbohydrate which have lots of beneficial minerals, vitamins and fiber. They also taste great. Therefore, when planning out a high carb day menu, you shouldn’t see it as an excuse to binge on cookies. Instead, put your focus on healthy complex carb choices.
Some recommended good carbohydrates include:
Wholegrains – unmodified grains have many health benefits. They’re very healthy and include quinoa, oats and brown rice.
Vegetables – all vegetables have different mineral and vitamin content. You should eat many different colors to obtain the right balance.
Unprocessed fruit – like vegetables, all fruits are unique. Berries are especially healthy since they have a low glycemic load and a high antioxidant content.
Legumes – these complex carbs are digested slowly. They are packed with minerals and fiber.
Tubers – sweet potatoes and white potatoes are also complex carbs. They are slowly digested so you’ll feel full for longer.
How do you identify which carbohydrates are good ones? They will be:
High in fiber
Unprocessed with no natural ingredients removed
Slow to digest
Bad carbs, on the other hand will be:
Found in very processed foods
High in sugar
Containing white flour
Low in fiber content
What would be good examples of carbs to eat at each stage of your carb cycling plan?
On a no-carb day you should eat:
Vegetables that are high in fiber like asparagus, leafy greens, mushrooms and broccoli
Lean protein
Good fats
You should avoid eating:
Starchy carbs. These include oats, rice, potatoes and cereal. They also include starchy vegetables like squash, pumpkin, zucchini and beans.
Your total intake of carbs should be under 25 grams per day. All of these should come from fiber-filled vegetables.
On low carb days, you should eat:
Fibrous vegetables
Two to three servings of starch.
All should be from clean sources like sweet potatoes, brown rice, fruit, starchy vegetables and oats. They should be free from dairy, soy and gluten. Starchy carbs should be eaten after your workout for the best results.
On high carbohydrate days you should eat:
Up to 200 grams of carbs for a woman or 300 grams for a man. The total amount will vary to suit your activity level and size.
Lots of lean protein.
Plenty of healthy fats.
High carbohydrate days shouldn’t be an excuse for binge eating. They are a way of systematically resetting your fat-burning and muscle-building hormones. Most of the fats should be from a clean source. However, if you’re going to cheat, make sure to do it on one of these high carb days.
There are misconceptions that foods like pasta are banned from carb cycling diets. This isn’t strictly true. If you put any food off limits, you’ll just want to binge on it more. You can have foods like pasta.
However, if you’re going to eat starchy foods that have little fiber and micro-nutrition you’ll need to eat them strategically. You should only have them after you’ve worked out. This is because your insulin sensitivity will be highest at that time. Your body will, therefore, be able to use them at their best at this time. They’re less likely to be converted into fat in the body and stored.
Good Fats and Proteins
On a high carb day, your focus should remain on complex carbs. You should avoid simple carbs. Complex carbohydrates help you stay full for longer. They all contain more nutrients and vitamins. On a no-carb day, you can’t just cut out starch and sugar though. You need to replace those missing calories which you’d usually derive from carbs with something else. Good fats are a good substitute.
Of course, not all fats are good fats. Carb cycling is different from a keto diet. In the keto lifestyle, consuming all fats is encouraged. Even sources of saturated fat such as cheese and bacon can be eaten freely. On a carb cycling regime, these sources should be avoided. Good fats that are focused on omega-3 fatty acids can be eaten freely. You can find these in healthy sources such as avocados, chia seeds, fish and olives.
Experts often recommend medium-chain triglycerides such as MCT oil on a carb cycling regime. These stimulate your neurological functions even on days when you’re not eating carbs.
As well as good fats, you should make sure to eat plenty of lean protein. Protein contains no carbohydrates. Therefore, it can be eaten freely even on a no-carb day. Eggs, lean chicken and fish are all good choices. They will help you feel full while boosting muscle growth.