Carbohydrate-loading diet
Diet details
The role of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, also known as starches and sugars, are your body's main energy source. Complex carbohydrates include legumes, grains and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, peas and corn. Simple carbohydrates are found mainly in fruits and milk, as well as in foods made with sugar, such as candy and other sweets.
During digestion, your body breaks down carbohydrates into sugar. The sugar enters your bloodstream, where it's then transferred to individual cells to provide energy. Sugar is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen — your energy source.
Increase your energy storage
Your muscles normally store only small amounts of glycogen — enough to support you during recreational exercise activities. If you exercise intensely for more than 90 minutes, your muscles may run out of glycogen. At that point, fatigue might set in, and your performance may suffer.
But with carbohydrate loading, you may be able to store more energy in your muscles. This may give you the stamina to make it through longer endurance events. But, you'll still need to consume some energy sources during your event.
Carbohydrate loading
Carbohydrate loading is done the week before a high-endurance activity. One to three days before the event, increase your carbohydrate intake to about 8 to 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight. Cut back on foods higher in fat to compensate for the extra carbohydrate-rich foods.
Also scale back your training for three to four days before the event. The combination of eating more carbohydrates and tapering activity appear to boost muscle glycogen stores.
How many carbs you need depends on your total calorie goal as well as your sport. For most athletes, 5 to 7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight daily is right for general training. (Note that 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.) Endurance athletes may need up to 12 grams per kilogram.
Sample carbohydrate-loading meal plan
Here's a sample carbohydrate-loading meal plan for an athlete who weighs 170 pounds (77 kilograms). It's based on 4.5 grams of carbohydrates for each pound (10 grams per kilogram) of body weight.
You can tweak this sample carbohydrate-loading meal plan to suit your own tastes and nutritional needs.
| Sample carbohydrate-loading meal plan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item (amount) | Carbohydrates (grams) | Total calories |
| Breakfast | ||
| Milk, fat-free (12 ounces) | 18 | 125 |
| 1 plain bagel (4.2 ounces) | 52 | 260 |
| Peanut butter, smooth (2 tablespoons) | 7 | 191 |
| Honey (2 tablespoons) | 35 | 128 |
| Banana (1 medium) | 27 | 105 |
| Morning snack | ||
| Crunchy raisin and almond cereal (1 cup) | 74 | 360 |
| Grape juice (12 ounces) | 55 | 225 |
| Lunch | ||
| Milk, chocolate, reduced fat (12 ounces) | 46 | 285 |
| 4 slices white bread (1 ounce per slice) | 49 | 266 |
| Chicken breast, roasted without skin (4 ounces or 1/2 breast) | 0 | 187 |
| Romaine lettuce, shredded (1/4 cup) | 0.5 | 2 |
| Red tomato slices (1/2 cup) | 2 | 11 |
| Mayonnaise, light (2 tablespoons) | 3 | 71 |
| Tortilla chips, low-fat, baked (1 ounce) | 23 | 118 |
| Baby carrots (12) | 10 | 42 |
| Afternoon snack | ||
| Low-fat fruit yogurt (8 ounces) | 47 | 250 |
| Low-fat fruit granola (1/2 cup) | 33 | 157 |
| Blueberries (1 cup) | 21 | 83 |
| Cranberry juice, unsweetened (12 ounces) | 42 | 156 |
| Dinner | ||
| Wild Atlantic salmon, baked (3 ounces) | 0 | 155 |
| Dinner roll, whole wheat (2 rolls, 1 ounce each) | 29 | 151 |
| Milk, fat-free (12 ounces) | 18 | 125 |
| Salad, combine:
-Romaine lettuce, shredded (2 cups) |
3 | 16 |
| -Bell or sweet green pepper (1/4 cup) | 2 | 7 |
| -Green apple, chopped (1 medium) | 25 | 95 |
| -Dried cranberries (1/3 cup) | 33 | 130 |
| -English walnuts, chopped (1/4 cup) | 4 | 191 |
| -Asiago cheese, shredded (1 ounce) | 1 | 134 |
| -Reduced-fat Ranch salad dressing (2 tablespoons) | 6 | 55 |
| Evening snack | ||
| Strawberries (1 cup) | 11 | 46 |
| Sherbet, any flavor (1 1/2 cups) | 78 | 416 |
| Total | 754.5 | 4,543 |
Source: Nutritionist Pro, 2018
