Carbohydrates & Insulin | What You Need To Know

Carbohydrates & Insulin

When it comes to fueling the body, carbohydrates are the macronutrient that gives you the energy to function. During the digestive process, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose or blood sugar. Insulin is what your body will release in order to push all the glucose into your cells for energy. Now while that all sounds great, there is only a certain amount of storage for glucose available in your cells. When we eat in excess of carbohydrates, all of the extra glucose left over gets stored as bodyfat. Not to mention, long term carbohydrate diets can lead to other serious issues like hyperglycemia. Which ultimately can put you at risk for diabetes.

Insulin & Muscle Growth

Insulin plays a vital role when it comes to building muscle. Your pancreas releases insulin whenever you ingest any protein or carbohydrates as a response to increased blood sugar levels from the foods you eat. Insulin aids in transporting amino acids into the cells through the process known as protein synthesis, and also inhibits the breakdown of proteins. Which can lead to a more favorable amount of muscle growth. However, it is extremely important to know that high levels of insulin can cause fat storage, and lead to long term health issues as I mentioned previously. So the next question you might have is what carbohydrates should I be taking?

Types Of Carbohydrates

• Sugars: These are known as simple carbohydrates because they are in a most basic form.
• Starches: These are known as complex carbs because they are made up of simple sugars. The body needs to breakdown starches in order to use them for energy.
• Fiber: These are known as complex carbs because the body has a harder time breaking them down, but can make you fell fuller so you do not over eat. Fiber can help prevent intestinal issues and can lower cholesterol along with blood sugar as well.

Which Types Of Carbs Should I Be Eating?

I would recommend avoiding foods that have a lot of added sugars as these types of foods tend to be higher in calories with not much nutritional value. Focus on food that have lots of fiber as these will be great for digestion. Some of these foods would be vegetables, fruits, and beans. If you are going to eat grains, stick to whole grains and not the refined grains. Foods like white rice, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread. But always remember, calories matter and going over your daily calories will cause you to gain body fat.

What About Low Carb Diets?

Low carb, keto, and carnivore diets are all safe diets that can be very effective for weight loss. However, I would only recommend those diets short term and not long term. The one issue with long term low carbohydrate intake is that it limits the amount of fiber in your diet. High fat diets like these have also been associated with high cholesterol, kidney stones, and osteoporosis in the long run. 

Supplements To Improve Insulin Sensitivity

There are several supplements on the market that can actually aid in shuttling glucose into the muscles. These are known as Glucose Disposal Agents (GDA's). These supplements can help the body breakdown carbohydrates and store them as muscle glycogen that you can use too have amazing workouts. GDA's also control glucose levels after a high carb meal to improve insulin sensitivity and control fat storage. I use a GDA with every meal to ensure that my body is using the carbohydrates I take in for good uses, instead of fat storage. Click the link below to check out the exact GDA I use everyday!

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