The Importance of Carbohydrates

The Importance of Carbohydrates

In recent times, the battle over carbohydrates has definitely heated up! Dieters and bodybuilders have argued over the benefits and the problems associated with carbohydrates.

For a while, it almost seemed like the word carbohydrate was an evil one. Good carbs, bad carbs, complex carbs, simple carbs; they all become so confusing that it seems like avoiding carbohydrates is the only way to survive.

The discussion about carbohydrates has come full-circle and carbs are no longer considered the destroyers of physical fitness. Learning to use carbohydrates to benefit your body is the key to building muscle and being healthy. After all, they are the most important energy fuel for your body and the only fuel that your brain can utilize.

Carbohydrates are found in many of the foods that people love to eat. Pasta, potatoes and bread hold the most carbohydrates in the smallest packages. A typical dieter has wrongly been told to avoid pasta, potatoes and bread at all costs. Bodybuilders also avoid these carbohydrates to maintain that perfect physique.

But carbohydrates are not all bad. Put simply, carbohydrates are the substances that fuel the human body. Unhealthy carbohydrates are easy to spot. They come from processed foods. Bleached flour pasta is loaded with carbohydrates that provide little or no benefit to your body.

The very best carbohydrates are combined with fiber. Plants often contain these complex carbohydrates and fiber in a package that contains few calories. Eating a few cups of pasta or eating a few cups of vegetables can give you the same quantity of carbohydrates, but the vegetables will do this without turning to fat.

Complex carbohydrates burn more slowly, allowing you to maintain energy levels throughout the day. Your body requires carbohydrates to function, but where you get those carbs is completely up to you.

Good carbohydrates come from those foods that are found in nature. Beans, vegetables, whole-grains and fruits all provide energy for muscles without adding fat or unhealthy sugar to a diet.

If your primary goal is increasing your muscle mass, then adding good carbohydrates to your diet is crucial. The foods that provide good carbohydrates often also provide an excellent source of protein for your body. Building muscle cannot be accomplished without protein, but your body still requires energy to incorporate that protein into muscle.

This is where the carbs come in. A natural energy source that includes complex carbohydrates gives your body the fuel that it needs to increase muscle mass.

For bodybuilders, protein is always on the menu but, combined with protein and fiber, complex carbohydrates will give your body the fuel it needs really make the most of those muscles.

Placing carbohydrates on the shopping list next to protein will give you the healthy muscles that you desire. The right type of carbohydrates and complex carbs are essential for the energy that you need to complete your day and are crucial to building muscle mass without any damage to your body.

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