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What Carbs to Eat in the Morning & Afternoon

How you handle you carbohydrate intake is of top importance whether trying to maintain a healthy weight through diet or eating to gain muscle and energy in conjunction with an athletic exercise program. Not only do different types of carbohydrates affect your metabolism and digestion differently but the time of day and state of your body also play key roles.

  1. Simple Carbs vs. Complex Carbs

    • Simple carbohydrates, like the ones found in sweet fruits and simple sugars, are converted into glucose (blood sugar) and energy quickly. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, convert more slowly and deliver energy over a longer period of time. Choosing when to eat each type of carbohydrate has more to do with how active you are at certain times of the day than anything else.

    When to Eat Simple Carbs

    • In general, there are two optimal times to eat the fast acting simple carbohydrate foods: in the morning and just after exercise or heavy labor. Fruits and other high simple sugar foods, like sugary sweets, give your body quick usable energy which helps you to recover and feel good after the fasting process of sleeping and after the heavy energy expenditure of intense exercises and physical activity. If consumed in exercises when your body doesn't really need to be replenished, like in between meals, your body can store this energy as fat, which can cause weight gain.

    When to Eat Complex Carbs

    • Complex carbohydrates cause less of an immediate spike in blood sugar levels than simple carbs and provide energy that the body can burn over longer periods of time. For these reasons, complex carbs are best consumed before periods of work or exercise. Many athletes, like runners, eat hearty helpings of complex carbohydrate rich foods, like pasta, for several days before a big event, to maximize their body's storage of available energy. Eaten in the morning, complex carbohydrates provide the body with energy to last through hours of activity, and the same is true in the afternoon. For those who are not physically active, however, eating too many complex carbohydrates, especially in the afternoon, can lead to excess weight gain.

    Carbohydrates and Digestion

    • The state of your body's digestive system also plays a key role in the way you process carbohydrates and how you utilize the energy they provide. In the morning, the digestive system is usually clear and ready to process carbohydrates, both simple and complex, while this ability is slowed later in the day after more fats and proteins have been consumed. By eating the majority of your carbohydrates in the morning, both complex and simple, you are more likely to burn through them during your daily routine and not have them unused and stored as fat.

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