4 Reason You Should Eat Your Carbs | The Fuel4 Principle | Sports Dietitian Insight

To carb…or not to carb? For that is the question…

For many people, the choice is to NOT CARB themselves.
The correct choice, though, is to CARB YO SELF.

You should be eating carbs if you want to feel, perform, and even potentially look your best. This is something that as a Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist, I can clear up and explain for you. 

In this blog post, I share 4 reasons that you should include more carbs in your diet plan if you want to do better with your food game and nutrition. 

To illustrate to you through words, the benefits of carbs and why I believe you should eat carbs more freely (without fear), I want to share my Fuel4 Principle to help explain it. 

Without further ado….

Reason #1: Fuel for Performance

The number one reason you should be eating carbs as an active individual or athlete, is because carbs are our PRIMARY fuel source.

Just because it is not technically the only fuel source we can use, does NOT mean it is not the most efficient and important one. So stop it with the technicalities and realise that eating carbs will always make one better fuelled and therefore better performing. 

Carbs = physical performance increasing. This is a key part of not only feeling your best but winning at your best or training at it.  

Fuel your results. Fuel your edge. Fuel your body.

Reason #2: Fuel for Gut Strength

Gut health is such a pillar of wellbeing and health, yet it is often underrated or not thought about enough by the best of us.  

Yet gut health can be the key to unlocking better health outcomes and improving how you perform because alot of what we do stems from the complex environment and influences of the gastrointestinal tract and the good ol microbiome.  

Carbs tend to have fibre and other nutrients. This means eating foods that contain carbs can be beneficial for you. Specifically, carbs can help you strengthen your gut and improve the likelihood that your gut is operating the right way.

This is primarily through the role of fibre - of which differnet types can be found in different carb rich foods. From veggies to fruit. To wholegrains. To resistant starch.

Carbs are the fuel for the gut!

Reason #3: Fuel for Sustainability

Now we are talking the less tangible of benefits that carbs can exhibit. When we think dieting, we think grueling and restrictive eating practices that are not fun at all and that you quit sooner rather than later.

Well, carbs can change this. See the most common thing people do when trying to lose weight these days is cut out carbs even though they like carbs. 

Carbs can make a diet more enjoyable and fulfilling. So it is not hard to see how cutting carbs can cut into the sustainability of a diet.

That is why I always say a carb containing diet is a better diet if you can make it work and tweak the strategy to still get you results.

Carbs for a lack of a better word….are good.

Reason #4: Fuel for Mind

Last but most definitely not least, carbs are fuel for the mind. Cognition, my friend. Brain power 101. The brain juice. 

The stuff that makes you think quickly and make the right decisions in life and on the court/field when playing your sport. 

See, we always tend to think about how food fuels our physical performance. However, just as important is how we fuel our mental performance.

If you want to optimise your mental acuity and concentration, then eating carbs smartly is the key. I always make sure I speak to my athletes about being “smart” with carbs - to use them to fuel the cognitive performance.

This also applies to all of us. We all have different reasons to be mentally switched on - from our work, to our duties as parents, to our everyday tasks. 

Carbs help. They help the physical and the mental you. So eat yo carbs.

Recap

There you go!

You now know the 4 universal reasons this Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist recommends you eat yo carbs and consider bringing back carby goodness into your diet. 

Carbs are friends AND food. To incorrectly paraphrase Bruce the Shark.

Now go fuel yourself better than you did before. You deserve it. Heck you owe it to yourself. 

But before I leave you….

I have a couple of questions for you. 

Do you feel you need expert guidance when it comes to your fuelling, recovery, and nourishment?
Not seeing the body you feel happier, healthier, and more confident in?
Performance lagging like an early 2000’s dial up internet setup?

I may be able to be of assistance. 

If you are ready to take your nutrition and body to the next level and elevate your performance in a way that doesn’t make you want to punch your Sports Dietitian, then let’s chat.

I have developed a bespoke nutrition coaching solution that allows you to work with me personally 1:1 to help start bridging the gap between where you are now and where you want to be with your physique & performance. 

In this program, I'll personally coach you using my flexible nutrition system to help you harness the power of calories and macro strategy to regain your competitive edge - think of it as a bespoke nutrition solution that empowers you to eat better to achieve better. 

If you want to have someone in your corner guiding you with all this, ensuring you only focus on the ‘right stuff’, and get better results while doing it all… send me an email and let’s chat.

I do high level nutrition coaching for active professionals and athletes and I have spots open for new clients wanting to leverage the power of nutrition with a Sports Dietitian

Interested in learning more? 
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Simply email me at: [email protected] to have a chat about this and see if we are a good fit to work together and get you your best results yet. 

Or to apply now to see if you are a good fit, simply CLICK HERE and start the process for reaching your peak potential. 

Coach Aleksa

Brisbane Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist