People often have the misconception that carbohydrates are bad for our body and are the main key ingredient in promoting the growth of body fats in our body, and that we should minimize the intake of carbohydrates as much as possible. On the other hand, we are also being told that we should maximize the intake of protein (the key component that is essential for our body growth and repair) in our daily meals to maximize our workout results. Are carbohydrates really bad for our body and do our body only need protein?Well, I would say that this theory of diet is only true up to a certain extent.

In order to reap the best possible results during your workout routine, you will have to balance meals with carbohydrate-rich and protein-rich foods together. Carbohydrates are the main energy source for our everyday activity. Too little carbohydrates can make you feel fatigue, feeling restless all the time and eventually deprived you of any energy left for your workout routine.

Therefore, you will need a substantial amount of carbohydrates to keep you energized for your workout routine and when protein is included, your glucose level will be able to stay more consistent, your metabolism will work more efficiently and you will feel energized for a longer period of time. Basically, protein and carbohydrates works hand in hand with each other. Carbohydrates are digested in a faster rate than protein. When both protein and carbohydrates are consumed together, protein can help slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and causing the energy from carbohydrates to be released slower.

So , now that you know the beneficial effect of consuming protein and carbohydrates together, your next question on your mind might be " So, what should I eat for my protein and carbohydrates intake?"

Well, for your protein food source , you can go for :

Lean meat
Milk
Eggs
Beans
Fish

For your carbohydrate food source, things might get a little tricky. Extra care and caution have to be undertaken to ensure that you are actually taking in the "good" carbohydrates instead of the "bad" carbohydrates.

Basically, the rule of thumb here in deciding whether a food is "good" carbohydrates or "bad" carbohydrates is where does the food come from.

Basically,food at its most natural and unprocessed food contains the most nutritional value and are therefore categorized as the "good" carbohydrates. Examples of some natural food are fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, yams, brown rice, potatoes,etc.

Processed carbohydrates food sources - the bad carbohydrates on the other hand, especially those that are white and refined, such as pasta, white bread, bagels, crackers, white rice, pretzels etc contain very little nutritional value and will cause spikes in your insulin that make fat loss very difficult to accomplish.