Simple carb foods are made up of simple sugars or are complex carbs which have been refined and have little fiber. Simple carbs are digested quickly in that they pass through your digestive tract much faster compared to complex carbs. Such carbs rapidly raise your blood sugar because of their quick digestion. Simple carbs have a high-glycemic index and are best eaten immediately after an intense workout.
Steamed White Rice
Steamed white rice has had the germ, bran and husk removed from the rice kernel; there is only a trace amount of fiber in white rice. One cup of long-grain white rice has 205 calories, 45 g of carbs and a GI of 109. Ninety percent of the calories in white rice are from carbohydrates. You should eat white rice with chicken after your long run or hard resistance workout to quickly replace the carbs in your muscles that you used during your exercise, according to the book "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance." If you do not replace the glucose in your muscles, your performance will be hampered during your next training session.
Jelly Beans
Jelly bean candies are 100 percent carbohydrate. Eighty percent of those carbs are from sugar. Eleven g or nine small jelly beans have 41 calories, 10 g of carbs and a GI of 80. If you are an endurance runner or if you are weight training for more than an hour, eat a few jelly beans during your session for instant energy. You will be able to train harder and longer compared to a workout where you did not eat simple carbs. Simple carbs are especially necessary if you have several rounds in a competition to do or multiple training sessions to complete in one day. Your performance depends on such carbs.
Fresh Pineapple
One cup of diced, fresh pineapple is a tasty, simple carbohydrate for a post-workout protein shake. Or, eat it with a small handful of almonds after your training. One serving of pineapple has about 77 calories, 20 g of carbs, and a GI of 66. A cup of fresh pineapple is rich in antioxidants including vitamin C, the mineral manganese and vitamin B1. Vitamin C reduces plaque build-up on your artery walls; manganese is essential in making antioxidant enzymes; vitamin B1 is necessary for your cells to make energy through your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
References
- "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance"; William McArdle, Frank Katch and Victor Katch; 2007
- "The NutriBase Complete Book of Food Counts"; NutriBase; 2001
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Glycemic Index: An Educational Tool for Health and Fitness Professionals; Stephen Wong, Ph.D., and Susan Chung, R.D.N.; November/December 2003
Member Comments