The Importance of Carbs

Low carb foods are all over the place. Lots of food labels claim to be low carb and "healthy". Sure a low carb diet might be right for someone looking to lose a bit of weight but low carb shouldn't be in your vocabulary as somebody trying to build lean muscle.

Athletes need carbs for a number of reasons, they support and speeds recovery, they help prevent your muscles from breaking down (if you have a low carb intake, your body will essentially freak out and try to use protein as energy which just completely ruins your gains). Carbs can help steady energy levels, too.

Carbs are so essential to a part of a healthy diet as an athlete, but I think that it's important to pay attention to which types of carbs you eat. Yeah not gonna lie, I've had like 4 pieces of bread today simply because I just felt like it, and it wasn't the best choice and I could have chosen better foods to eat but I mean it's not like I just ate a dozen brownies or anything extreme so I guess it could be worse, right? Eating the right carbs will really help with the lean muscle gain and reduce the chance of adding fat instead of muscle. And no, I'm not going to suggest sweet potatoes because that's the most basic advice somebody could give. Plus I hate sweet potatoes so...Oatmeal is a pretty good option. I haven't had it in a while since I cut out my reddi whip obsession. I've been really into this Green Giant Steamers brown rice, risotto, carrots, peas and kale blend. It's got this amazing sauce on it that makes me actually tolerate kale. Quinoa is a good source of carbs as well but I've only eaten it once or twice before so I can't really remember the taste and tell you my favorite way to eat it. Whole wheat pasta is a pretty good option if you're feeling like comfort food. I usually put some of that fake spray butter on it with some Parmesan cheese and it's so good!

Carbs are super important to athletes for a number of reasons and it's easy to eat carbs because they are in almost every single food. Don't be afraid of carbs because they actually help you more than hurt you! (394)