Carbohydrates are a key source of energy for the human body and brain. Your body stores about 200 grams of carbs in the muscles and another 90 in your liver. Carbs are either converted into glucose or fat. Each person has a carb tolerance in whats called a carbohydrate tipping point.  The tipping point is very individual and the art of it lies within finding the amount low enough to stimulate fat loss but high enough to provide energy. Having carbs to low will result in cravings, mood swings, lack of energy, slowed metabolism and the possible loss of muscle.

Carbohydrates are generally referred to as simple or complex. They are classified as either monosaccharides, gligosaccharides, or plysaccharides.  Mono saccharides are simple sugars such as fructose or fruit sugar. Oligosaccharides would include sources such as lactose or milk sugar and sucrose or table sugar.  Polysaccharides include starches which are found in a majority of natural or plant orgin. These would primarily be those like roots, tubers, corn, potatoes, and rice.

Fiber is basically referred to as the amount of unavailable carbohydrates in foods. It has no calories because it cannot be absorbed by the body. Foods that are high in fiber are usually low in fat and calories. They are usually broken down into either as soluable or insoluable. Sources of soluable fiber are apples, oranges oatmeal, as well as seeds and vegetables. Insoluable fibers include rice, popcorn, vegetables and whole grains.

When considering what carbs to eat, one needs to consider its GI or GL. GI or Glycemic Index is that calculation of how high your blood sugar rises after you eat carbs. GL or Glycemic Load is similar but based off the serving size.  High glycemic foods enable a rapid rise in blood sugar which stimulates the release of insulin which contributes to fat storage and weight gain. The bulk of  your carbs should come from low glycemic carb sources such as vegetables. The best sources of carbs are unrefined sources such as plants.

To maximize carbs for muscle repair, recovery and to prevent weight gain and obesity one should limit the amount of refined carbs  ( high glycemic carbs ) and should restrict them primarily to post workout.

For most of my life I always thought of carbs as breads and grains.  Well now I think of colorful things like fruits and vegetables. These carb sources have shown the ability to reduce diseases such as cancer and diabetes as well as being rich in vitamins and phytonutrients. There is more nutrition in fruits and vegetables as compared to grains and Ive outlined already about the problems one can have with gluten in grains. . So if you want to fix your metablisim and complete the picutre then make a new mental image of carbs to these.

Fruits

- fruits low in fructose ( FRUIT COMPARISON CHART )

- all WHOLE fruits in limited amounts due to sugar content

- no juices please as though are loaded with sugar and have the fiber usually removed

Best Fruits for Dieting / Cutting

- any berry like Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries

 Vegetables

- all WHOLE veggies 

- green veggies in unlimited amounts

- corn but in limited amounts

- better options are those with a wide range of colors

Best Veggies for Energy while cutting

- Sweet Potato and Yams

Best Veggies for satiety

- salad greens which can be eaten in unlimited amounts