This is perhaps the most misunderstood and abused term in competition dieting, and not only by novices, (of which I count myself amongst, hence my heavy reliance on my coaches at Cathy Savage and my trainer Jean-Jacques Barrett, both whom support a healthy approach to conditioning). When you’ve been cutting down on carbs for a while, and training hard, it’s easy to jump at the chance to over do it when you hear, “carb up” in your program. Do so at your peril, as you cannot out-train a bad diet. At the same time, take the time to educate yourself about some basic nutrition so that you step on stage healthy, and not a carb-depleted, malnourished orange disaster! Here, I just wanted to say a quick word or two about carbohydrates.
First of all, anything that is not a Fat or a Protein, is a Carbohydrate. That means grains, vegetables, beans, and fruits all fall under this category. A lot of times when athletes talk about reducing their carb intake, they are referring to cereal grains like flours, rice, pastas, breads, etc., but this can lead to some confusion and also some pretty poor nutritional choices when you are asked to include or increase your carb intake. Many will simply tack on bread or pasta, or stick to sweet potatoes ad nauseum. But if you’re already on a diet low in fruit, and are afraid to eat anything but cauliflower and broccoli, you are missing out on a lot of valuable nutrients. I remember talking to a few figure athletes in my first year of competing who hadn’t eaten any vegetables in weeks, and many who wouldn’t touch any kind of fruit except for blueberries and grapefruit. Yikes! And forget about grains. Except for oatmeal and sweet potato, complex carbohydrates are avoided like the plague especially in those last few weeks leading up to show-time. But what about butternut squash? How about a couple of sweet-potato gnocci with your ground lamb?
There are many of us who do not follow this approach, however, and who follow a more whole foods protocol leading up to an event. There is such a wide variety of delicious, vitamin and mineral rich, fiber rich food choices available when you are putting together your meal plan for the week. Have some fun with it, and with a little self-education, you will still be on point for your weekly photo submissions to your coach. This makes for a much more enjoyable dial in, and a much happier athlete, (it also means your friends and significant other aren’t as alienated by your eating habits!). You’ll be much for fun to be around, and your diet might actually inspire your friends, instead of the opposite! It makes me so happy to surf my friend’s pages on facebook, (yes, I’m a food stalker on the internet), and see them posting tasty meals that are adventurous and far from the usual “boiled chicken and broccoli with maybe a dollop of sweet potato” that many are suffering daily. Jonathan Roberge, Andre Davids, Jaylie Nicolls and Crystal Kenny to name a few.
Second, it also helps to understand the difference between carb-dense foods and low density carbs. I am just getting a handle on this myself, with the help of Jean-Jacques. Spinach and mushrooms are at one end of the scale, and mangoes, (yummy!) and soba noodles are at the other end…I for one really love to eat a variety of vegetables, I like to utilize pulses whenever I can, and I love-love-love fresh fruit. I am also pretty tiny, at 5’2″ and 110 lbs, so it doesn’t take a lot to fill up my tank. I’ll cut back on my protein-fat content, and increase carbs. For example, when I am putting together a post-workout, carb-heavy meal, I usually take the opportunity to load up on fresh fruits, and maybe a fresh piece of indian bread like paratha or roti that our cook has made. I might also boil up two or three fingerling potatoes and toss that with some seared tuna and beans for a niçoise salad, or maybe add oatmeal to my yogurt. I just bought some organic buckwheat soba noodles from the local Nature’s Basket, and some tahini, (ground sesame), and plan to whip up an asian dish later in the week, for a taste of something different. There are just so many advantages to choosing from a variety of nutrient rich carbohydrates, including gastronomic pleasure and increased vitality. Your skin will be glowing and elastic, your nails strong, and your eyes bright leading into your show. You will have plenty of energy to do your workouts and your entire digestive/elimination systems will be functioning properly.
Two of my favorite books to learn more about simple nutrition are, “Becoming Vegetarian” and Patrick Holford’s, “The Optimum Nutrition Bible”. Good luck everybody!!
