Many athletes spend a lot of time on their diet and oftentimes get caught up in the importance of proper carbohydrate intake. How the right amount of carbs can help your body perform better and recover faster after strenuous activity. Also, the importance of carbs in your diet is related to how you feel after eating a meal. Carbohydrates are the fuel for your body to function properly. If you’re feeling good, i.e. full of energy, then the carbs that you’ve eaten give you the extra energy you require to workout more.
However, if you feel bad, i.e. low energy, then cutting down on the carbs you’ve taken in will only harm your performance rather than help you. Consuming too many carbs can lead to weight gain and dehydration, which are two major ways in which athletes get injured. It is therefore advisable that athletes consult a doctor before deciding upon a specific carbohydrate intake.1
There are also many carbs that are not beneficial at all and/or are virtually useless when it comes to increasing muscle mass. These include refined grains, sugar, potatoes, cakes, white bread, and “empty” carbs such as candy bars, sugary drinks, and coffee. You may not think that these things are carbs but they are! Refined grains are easily digested by the body and provide little to no benefit to muscle growth. Eating plenty of vegetables and complex carbs will give you the energy you need without loading your body with empty carbs.
What Are Net Carbs?
Net carbs are all the calories in a product that do not get converted to fat during the digestion process. Net carbs are the total number of calories in a product, including both fiber and sugar, but do not include dietary fiber or other nutrients. The “Net Carbohydrates” column on the nutrition facts panel indicates the number of carbohydrates, sugar, and other nutrients in a product without subtracting the fiber and other nutrients.2
Net carbs can come from many different sources, including sugars, sweets, fruit juices, starches, bread, and cereals. Because all the carbs have zero-calorie, they are considered low in fat and can still help you lose weight. However, the biggest culprit in gaining weight and adding unwanted weight is often found in the refined and processed sugars found in junk food, cakes, cookies, pies, and more. In addition, the high calories make them very difficult for your body to burn as energy, so instead, they are stored as fat and add to your overall body fat percentage.
Why Are Net Carbs Important?
Many people wonder, “Why are net carbs important?” In order to get into a ketogenic state, you have to eat large amounts of carbs, but it is not the carbohydrates you have to avoid; it is the other ingredients that cause the problem. If you eat more than the body requires to create ketones, the liver will use fat as a source of energy. This can cause weight gain and ketones are the body’s natural way of storing up energy for future consumption.
Net carbs come from all sorts of different sources; some people have large quantities of net carbs from animal fat while others get their supply from plant sources such as fruit and vegetables. The amount of fat you get from any given food will depend on your diet; what you need to watch is the carbohydrate intake. If you get less than 60 grams of carbohydrates, you are going to be ketogenic. Ketones are created when your liver has to break down fat for energy. If you eat more than 60 grams of carbohydrate a day, you will likely break ketosis and be on your way to get back into a normal weight range.3
If you have been following a keto diet, you know how important your carbohydrate intake can be. You don’t want to go too low or too high because you may cause harm to your pancreas. It is possible that keto diets can make your stomach hurt and even produce small amounts of fluid in your sweat.
What Are the Net Carbs in a Protein Bar?
If you’ve gone off the Atkins plan or other high-protein diets, you may be wondering how many net carbs are in a protein bar. Since you’re probably wondering how the heck you will keep your weight loss going when you’re not eating chicken breasts and a gallon of milk every day, you’re probably also wondering how in the world you’re supposed to count carbs in a protein bar. Most protein bars have a long list of unnecessary ingredients on their labels that you could never pronounce.
First of all, you should realize that there is no perfect answer to this question. The only way to answer it is by determining how many calories are contained in each individual bar. There are five important factors to consider when figuring out how many net carbs are in a protein bar. The first thing to consider is the fat content of the bar, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Many protein bars contain large amounts of saturated fat because they are typically flavored with natural oils and butter. This type of fat raises your blood sugar levels and leads to hunger pangs throughout the day.4
The next factor to consider is the fiber content of the bar. A lot of protein bars contain fiber, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that all of the net carbs are going to come from fiber. The vast majority of net carbs are going to come from protein. And what’s more important is that your body needs protein in order for your metabolism to work properly. So, even though you might be tempted to purchase a bar that has low fiber content just so you will have a delicious protein bar, this will usually lead to an empty stomach quickly and will leave you hungry soon enough.
The Benefits Of Low Carb Diets For Weight Loss
Low-carb diets have long been known to produce quick weight loss. However, it is often noted that the long-term health effects of such diets can be quite adverse. Some experts believe that eating a diet consisting of low-carb ingredients will cause long-term health issues like diabetes and heart disease. With this said, it is essential to know the benefits of low-carb diets for weight loss to ensure that you do not jeopardize your health as you try to shed those unwanted pounds.
Firstly, as mentioned above, there are many positive benefits of low-carb diets for weight loss. The reason why this is so is because a low-carb diet will enable you to lose weight faster since it burns more calories at a slower pace. This in turn leads to significant weight loss in a shorter period of time. Another benefit of net carbs is that they do not result in dehydration which is often the case with higher calorie diets.
It should also be mentioned that low-carb diets are particularly effective in losing stubborn belly fat. This is due to the fact that when you follow a low-carb diet, your body uses up more energy to digest the foods that you eat. Consequently, you will burn off more fat while losing weight at the same time.
The benefits of low-carb diets for weight loss cannot be ignored though. Besides weight loss, another obvious benefit is increased energy. With increased energy, you can work out more without feeling tired or fatigued. On the other hand, the biggest benefit is that this diet is extremely low in fat content. As a matter of fact, you will hardly even feel it is a diet because all the calories consumed are fatty. So, as long as you stick to the regime, you will gradually shed off pounds every week without accumulating any fat.
Finally, in order to reap all the benefits of low carb diets for weight loss, ensure that your diet consists of a good amount of vegetables and fruits. It should also make sure that you have a well-balanced diet that contains all the essential nutrients and vitamins. As much as possible, try to include all the main food groups like protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and fiber in your diet plan.
Image Credits
WP INdex / Google Stock Images
Keto Diet App / 2021
My Kosher Cart / 2021
Healthline / 2021
1 “8 of the Best Diet Plans and Programs for Athletes – Healthline.” 9 Mar. 2021, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/diets-for-athletes Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.
2 “Carbs and Net Carbs | Prospect Medical Systems.” https://www.prospectmedical.com/resources/wellness-center/carbs-and-net-carbs Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.
3 “What are Net Carbs & How to Calculate Them – Atkins.” https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/what-are-net-carbs Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.
4 “The truth about fats: the good, the bad, and the in-between.” https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.
