Eat To Perform Blog

Let’s be real, one of the appeals of low carb dieting is that you don’t really feel bloated. So let’s talk about what bloated is and how to see the best result (and when you will see it).

When you are eating flexibly the one rule is this, keep sugar and alcohol reasonable. Doesn’t mean 0 but sugar isn’t all that useful as it relates to energy and alcohol is literally going to slow your metabolism until it leaves. Maybe Brad Dieter will make a post about that before the weekend because I guarantee you it will change what you drink and how.

Anyway, we are talking about starches and to a certain extent we are talking about starches WITH sodium. WHAT (as brain explodes)? “Those are the two things everyone says stay away from”. Starches are BY FAR the best carb you can consume because they prioritize muscle glycogen replenishment. Here is the kicker though, nothing you eat has a 100% bioavailable rating. What this means is that even if you eat starches some will end up as waste. What if there was a way to make those starches more bioavailable…..

That’s where the role of sodium and potassium comes in (potatoes as an example are a great source of potassium and starches). In your intestine’s sodium and potassium create the electrical bond that makes those starches more useful. This is also the argument for having creatine with carbs, it makes it more bioavailable, after all, creatine is a salt.

So this begs the question, won’t I go to bed bloated with a belly full of carbs and calories? Yes you will and this will help your sleep. Obviously there are limits to this but as an animal going to sleep with a full belly allows deeper and better sleep. Which in turn…..

Allows for more recovery, this is the real magic because all of the healing hormones that build and hold onto muscle are, in general, released when you sleep. For long endurance this will allow for extra repair and get you on the trails or track faster but for weight lifters (BAM) this process is why you wake up jacked.

So when I say quit thinking of food as the enemy, this is what I mean. The more you know the better decisions you can make that fit your goals.

Jenni (and ETP coach now) was our first female athlete with carbs over 600g while she was building muscle and right about the time of this picture.

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