Why athletes can't live without carbohydrates

  • Herzog Medical

Whether you're training for a marathon, doing intense strength training, or being active daily, your body needs fuel to perform and recover. Carbohydrates are an essential energy source. Yet, they're often a topic of discussion in popular diets. But for athletes, things work differently.

In this blog post, sports dietitian and former elite athlete Carlien Harms explains why carbohydrates are essential for supporting your body's peak performance. She shares not only scientific insights but also her own experience as a dietitian and triathlete. Discover how to manage carbohydrates wisely and why they're inextricably linked to recovery, energy, and top-level performance.

Because who doesn't want to recover and perform like a PRO?

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What are carbohydrates?

There are three types of energy-providing carbohydrates:
1. starch,
2. sugars
3. glycogen.

Starch doesn't taste sweet, while sugar does. Both are plant-based. Starch is found in foods like potatoes, rice, and pasta. Sugars are found in foods like sugar from the sugar bowl, jam, and fruit. Glycogen, on the other hand, is animal-based: it's found in the muscles of both humans and animals. It's a form of glucose storage in the body.

Why you shouldn't be afraid of carbohydrates

In practice, I hear more and more often that athletes are less inclined to eat carbohydrates or even avoid them because of the frequent negative reports about carbohydrates in the media. Generally, this refers to diets aimed at weight loss or, for example,
Metabolic disturbances in the body. In that case, a low-carb diet can indeed be beneficial!

If you exercise a lot and want to have enough energy while on the road and recover well, carbohydrates generally play a key role. So you should always consider your goal and what's appropriate!

Carbohydrate needs vary from person to person and depend on your activities and training on the day and your
Goal! Timing also plays an important role here.

Foods that are rich in carbohydrates – especially in the form of starch – are generally considered
In general, a healthy and balanced diet is recommended for athletes at home.

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Why are carbohydrates a useful nutrient for athletes?

Carbohydrates are our "fast" energy source. One gram of carbohydrates provides four kilocalories of energy. An athlete can release energy most easily from this nutrient. This requires much less oxygen than burning fats. Moreover, energy from carbohydrates is released three times faster than from fats. That's why it's sometimes called "booster energy"! Who wouldn't want that?

Glucose is a basic fuel for the body. After a meal, starches and sugars are broken down in the intestines and enter the bloodstream in the same form: blood glucose, or blood sugar. The blood can transport this glucose to the muscles for immediate combustion. But glucose can also be stored in the muscles and—to a much lesser extent—in the liver as glycogen. In the muscles, glycogen is stored as readily available fuel for later use. The glycogen in the liver is used to maintain blood glucose levels. Conclusion: carbohydrates are a useful nutrient for athletes.

I'm currently active in triathlons. Last week, I completed my first half triathlon in scorching France. Not bad at all; I finished well in 5 hours and 44 minutes (first woman in my age category) thanks in part to following my nutrition plan along the way: carbohydrates and fluids (and plenty of cooling down under the sprinklers). Without carbohydrates, I wouldn't have finished (fit).

NB: In my dietetic practice, I also sometimes advise athletes to adopt a ketogenic diet (sometimes temporarily) (a maximum of 30-50 grams of carbohydrates per day to maintain ketosis). This is a state in which the body uses fats as its primary energy source instead of carbohydrates. You have to "train" your body to this, and this way of eating/living isn't suitable or feasible for everyone. Therefore, it's wise to always do this under the guidance of a nutrition expert/dietitian.
Ketogenic eating can be used (temporarily) in this way to make the body more metabolically flexible. I call that "playing with carbohydrates."


Conclusion of this article: Athletes cannot simply eliminate carbohydrates from their diet.

Written by: Carlien Harms, dietitian/sports dietitian/lifestyle coach

From Nutrition Advisory Group Utrecht

And a former top athlete (former
Dutch Champion 10 km running)

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