A cross-country running coach suggested a bagel with cream cheese as a good source of nutrition before running, but aren't carbs bad?
by 
Kenneth Cooper
ANSWERS: 8
-
Anything can be bad in large quanities. When people say carbs are bad they usually are talking about simple sugars like the ones in pepsi, and thats only because no one drinks a pepsi and goes and runs a mile; so the sugars are not burned. A bagel has pleny of long chain carbs which means that they are broken apart whenever needed. so you could eat one and a few hours later still use the carbs for energy. The cream cheese is another source of energy because it has a lot of fat in it, people think fat is bad but in small doses it is the best energy source to fuel your muslces. A balanced diet for runners of 70% carbs, 20% fats, 10% protein is the way to go.
-
Carbs aren't BAD. However too MANY of them are bad, particularly simple carbs. Some carbs are worse than others. The key is the glycemic index, or rather, how quickly the carb turns glucose in your blood. This can adversly affect insulin levels and this is where problems come in. And adding things (like sour cream for example to a bagel) can actually LOWER the glycemic index of a food, thus making it a healthier option. Athletes do need more carbohydrates than the average person, they just need to make sure that these carbs come from healthier sources rather than the junk food (chips, cookies, snack foods in a box, etc) that is often easily accessible.
-
carbs are only bad if you dont use up all of the energy it gives you. carbs are good for running b/c they give you a lot of energy and when i was doing cc i was eating a lot of bagels and drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated. your cc coach knows best, but i would question the cream cheese as my coach told me that it was like having lead weights sitting in your stomach.
-
I'd personally go for whole grains rather than the 5-servings-of-refined-white-flour (nutritionally challenged) that is the modern bagel. But I agree with the other answers re: carbs not being "bad" necessarily.
-
When I ran cross country we had 'spaghetti night' for a lot of carbohydrates before a race. The cream cheese, though.... that's another thing. I don't recommend any dairy products before running.
-
you want carbs its fuel for the body' if your exercising or running
-
Carbs aren't bad. There are all different kinds too, like sugars which are simple carbohydrates and take a very short time to be converted into energy (why you get a sugar buzz). Complex carbohydrates like the ones found in pasta and bread take longer to process, and give longer-lasting and steadier energy, which is why they're good for runners and athletes. Carbs are only "bad" if you don't use them as energy, in which case they are stored as fat.
-
Yes.. If you eat half bagel to one every morning.. If you use to do before training.. BUT I still think the bagel must to be without..around hour or more before the race no grease ON.. Come ON.. Orlando Souza - Seattle , WA RUNNING COACH
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC