Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates can simply be defined as chains that contain more than two sugar molecules that are linked together. Such long sugar molecule chains are known as starches. They are useful in plants because the store energy. In complex carbohydrates they are branched and such branches are known as cellulose. The plants are given their shape because of cellulose, which forms structural components.

The human body can easily digest starches. The problem is that cellulose is not digested and we are referring to a very important dietary fiber component. You can find complex carbohydrates in grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruits. If you are looking for foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates that contain a lot of starches you should look towards rice, potatoes, dry beans, corn, carrots, pasta, cereal and bread. Every single grain out there actually contains starchy carbohydrates. Most athletes out there will consume whole grains though because they are also rich in fiber.

Your daily nutrition plan has to be rich in complex carbohydrates. We are talking about half of the total calories that you normally consume. We recommend that they come from vegetables, cereals, fruits and cereals. Simple carbohydrates should make up for only a smaller part of the daily calorie intake.

A lot of athletes have changed the way they approach diets. In the past it was believed that high protein intakes are crucial for building muscle and unfortunately complex carbohydrates were left behind. This was a bad approach as the human body only needs the minimum quantity of protein needed to be met. Higher doses will not aid much. Athletes are basically eating more complex carbohydrates and this is done in order to achieve glycogen level increases in the muscle. If glycogen reserves are built up properly an immediate result can be noticed in endurance improving. This is crucial for some athletes like those that run the marathon. Different research has also pointed out the fact that complex carbohydrates can be beneficial for diabetics as well. The trick is to maintain a daily diet that is low on sugar and fat.

Complex carbohydrates have a molecular structure that is more complex when compared to simple carbohydrates. This makes them harder to metabolize by our body and they are converted much more difficultly into simple carbs. As an immediate result we can say that complex carbohydrates will raise your blood levels of glucose slower than you might have imagined.