Carb loading isn't always the best answer

As I have worked with hundreds of athletes over the years I have tried to help them in all aspects of their performance.  In the past few years I have educated myself more and more in the world of nutrition and nutrition to improve performance.  While this may seem difficult it just requires planning more than anything else.

A lot of my athletes have tried to carb load the day before a cross country meet, volleyball tournament or match and marathons.  This method is an old practice where people thought that a lot of carbs the day before an event will provide a lot of energy.  The issue that sometimes comes to be with this approach is the athlete will feel sluggish instead full of energy to provide a boost toward their performance.

While athletes need carbs as part of their daily diet they should make sure that they're choosing foods that will provide them with energy and not just calories.  The go to for carb loading is usually pasta.  Now I'm not saying pasta is a bad food per say but it's not the best food to provide a vibrant feel.  Pasta can provide carbs that offer long term source of energy but it usually doesn't work out that way.  More times than not the athlete(s) feel sluggish.

Better choices for athletes to select include whole grains, nuts and fruit.  Eating pasta as a way to create more of a reserve should be done two days before an event.  This will allow enough time for digestion and for the breakdown of the carbs to be converted to glycogen and then used for energy.

As we look for more and more ways for athletes to gain a competitive advantage it is imperative that these will have the best outcome and result.  Eating well is a way for an athlete to fuel their body as well as aide in their recovery.  So it only makes sense then that this done with the best option available to produce the best outcome.