Fitness & Nutrition Carbohydrates - the macronutrients that give you energy!
Brought to you by Making sure your students are in a great environment to enjoy the delicious food is becoming a focal point for schools across the country.
FOOD COURT of the Month!
Nutrition Expert Callie Neumann, RD
Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand. Foods you consume can make a difference in how you perform in your fitness routine. Your diet, the intensity, and duration of your workout influences what your body will use as fuel to power through your workouts. Your body uses macronutrients as fuel. When you think of the word, macronutrients, what do you think it means? If you guessed large nutrients, you are exactly right. There are three types of macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Your body needs these nutrients in a larger capacity in order to function properly. These nutrients also provide your body with calories, which therefore gives you energy to live and to also power through your workouts. In this article, we are going to discuss one macronutrient, carbohydrates, and the benefits to incorporating this nutrient into your diet to improve exercise performance. What do carbohydrates in your diet do for you? Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for your body and brain to function properly. Carbohydrates are stored and used as energy to fuel your body for exercise.If less carbohydrates are consumed, your body utilizes other nutrients (fats and protein) for energy. Adequate amount of carbohydrates in the diet allows protein to do its main jobs of repairing and rebuilding muscle. The more active you are, the more carbohydrates you will need to consume. How many carbohydrates should I consume? For an average to light intensity workout, the recommendation is 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. For someone who weighs 150 pounds (68 kilograms) that would mean 200 to 340 grams of carbohydrates.
If you workout at a higher intensity level and more than an hour a day, you may need 6 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. Examples of high-quality carbohydrates Brown rice, whole grain bread, pasta and crackers, low fat milk, potatoes, Greek yogurt with berries and granola, a fruit smoothie, an apple with peanut butter, and fruits are a few options of high-quality carbohydrates to consume. It is important to fuel and refuel your body with carbohydrates. For pre-workout eating purposes, make sure to give your body some time to digest if you consume a high carbohydrate meal or snack before exercise. For refueling, the best practice is to consume a combined carbohydrate and protein meal or snack within 30 minutes post workout to replenish what was lost during your workout. If more refined carbohydrates (pastries, sweet desserts, candies, sugary cereals) instead of high-quality carbohydrates are consumed, some may feel fatigued and sluggish resulting in decreased athletic performance and ineffective workouts. It is very important to remember to include carbohydrates in your fueling and refueling nutritional regimen. Fueling your body properly can improve your exercise performance. A well balanced diet is key in promoting overall health. It is important to aim to use the MyPlate guidelines to include half of your plate as fruits and vegetables, the other half as whole grains and protein, and consuming low fat or fat free dairy products. Stay tuned for more nutrition tips to come!
Food Courts across the country day in and day out serve amazing food options to students. Throughout the various Facebook groups and Instagram pages, it’s clear as day that students are enjoying what is being prepared for them in the kitchen. Looking through the different meal options it makes me wish I was back in school in order to take advantage of the amazing food prepared. Yet, another area that is growing fast is the importance of having a modern, popular, and fun food court for those students. A larger emphasis has been put on creating an environment that matches the delicious food that is being prepared. The beauty about each food court is that no two are the same! You have the ability to design exactly how you want it to look. If you want soft-seating furniture, you can add those in to give a unique feel to your food court. If you want to add logo tables sprinkled in with your other tables, you can. Adding wall décor, signage and other graphics help brighten up the space for your students. Making sure your students are in a great environment to enjoy the delicious food is becoming a focal point for schools across the country. Changes and additions to your food court are possible regardless of your budget! Whether you have a large school foodservice budget or a smaller one, options to help create warm, inviting, and vibrant spaces are possible for you!
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Callie Neumann, RD Assistant Child Nutrition Director, Anoka-Hennepin Schools (MN)
Conor Doyle Digital Marketing Specialist, AmTab Manufacturing
Callie graduated with a degree in Nutrition-Dietetics from The College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN and completed her Dietetic Internship at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Callie enjoys creating nutritionally balanced menus for students to enjoy in school. She is a firm believer in a well balanced diet to fuel academic and athletic performance. Nutrition is a very complex topic, but Callie looks forward to helping you understand what your individual needs are!
He is actively involved in the school nutrition company who helps provide valuable insight on café modernization projects across the country. Conor’s favorite part about working with schools is knowing that students and staff will love their modernized spaces. Being able to transform ordinary environments to extraordinary ones that students love being a part of is amazing! Conor graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Find Conor on LinkedIn Here!
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