The Pros And Cons Of High Carbohydrate Diets

Introduction

Athletes are an important part of society yet what most people don’t see is the sacrifices needed to be a top athlete. The diets and training required are oriented around the nutritional requirements of the athlete. The two diets that are going to be compared will be a high carbohydrate diet against a high fat diet. The advantages, benefits and disadvantages of bothy diets will be discussed to reveal the relevance and significance of the two diets. The food and fluids consumed by an individual or group is called a diet. It can be controlled or restricted to meet certain nutritional requirements. Nutrition is associated with taking in food that your body needs to remain healthy. Basic nutrients include water, minerals, fats or

The stored glycogen is then used by the muscles during exercise. Muscles can usually store enough for 60-90 minutes of high intensity exercise. This means that if the levels of glycogen are replenished though the digestion of carbohydrates the athlete will feel less fatigued thus perform better for longer. Carbohydrates are the only source of energy that the body uses to fuel the central nervous system and the process of erythrocyte production. (Dr. Rick Kattouf,

Although carbohydrates are required for high intensity exercise, lipids are required to help access glycogen. Fat oxidation is required to provide energy to the muscles throughout the body during prolonged exercise. Fat oxidation is not linked to the amount of fat consumed through diet. The body will have a positive balance of fat when there has been an excess consumption of energy sources (e.g., overeating), or a restriction in accustomed physical activity. When the amount of carbohydrates consumed is increased, the greater the percentage of carbohydrates consumed as energy will increase. This will necessarily decrease the amount of fats oxidized, increasing the available amount of fat. When the food energy is decreased, or when exercise levels are increased, fat oxidation will typically increase. The body will not readily convert excess carbohydrates into fat stores; it will first seek to use them as energy. This process means that, while a high level of carbohydrate intake does not always lead to increased fat stores, high intakes of fat will generally be reflected in the fat stored in the adipose