Carbohydrates
Carbs are the muscles favorite energy source. Without carbs in the diet you will feel sluggish and/or fatigued. Your body turns carbs, in the form of complex molecular structured starches and fibers or in the form of simple molecular structured sugars, into glycogen energy stores in muscle & liver and glucose in the blood stream. Fruits and vegetables are the best nutritional carbs one can intake for energy.
Of you daily caloric intake, 55-65% should come from carbohydrates. That is approximately 8.5 – 13.5 oz. of carb per day.
Starches like pasta, bread, rice and potatoes are the best source of carbs and energy. Sugars give a better burst of energy, but are generally followed by a lull of energy.
The GI index in foods or the Glycemic Index, will determine, on a scale of 1-100, how quickly foods will cause a rise in blood sugars and therefore release energy. For example, chocolate has a very low GI and rice has a very high GI.
