Carbohydrates are your body’s primary source of energy, but too many of the wrong kinds of carbs can work against you in the fat-burning department. When you eat too many processed carbs that are low in fiber or snack on foods with added sugar, it triggers insulin surges. Insulin is a hormone that promotes fat storage, so too much insulin makes it harder to shed body fat.
On the other hand, you need carbs to provide energy for high-intensity exercise and to preserve muscle when you work out. If you exercise hard or for long periods of time in a carb-deprived state, your body may turn to muscle protein as a source of fuel. One question that some people have is whether they should eat most of their carbs early in the day and then taper them in the evening.
Should You Taper Carbs?
There are some compelling reasons to front-load your carbs so you’re eating more in the first half of the day and fewer in the evening hours. This is especially true if you work out in the morning. One reason why carb tapering is a good idea is that insulin sensitivity decreases as the day goes on. This means your pancreas has to pump out more insulin for the same carbohydrate meal. Higher insulin levels contribute to fat storage.
Insulin sensitivity is highest in the morning. If you work out in the morning, eat a portion of your daily carbs right after your workout to help rebuild glycogen stores. If you exercise in the morning, consume about 75% of your carbs between breakfast and dinner. Get the remainder with your evening meal. Choose fiber-rich, low-glycemic carbs like fruits and vegetables as much as possible but especially later in the day. High-glycemic carbs suppress growth hormone secretion, a fat-burning hormone that peaks during sleep. Likewise, avoid late-night, high-carb snacks.
If you work out in the evening, you can be more liberal with your evening carbs since you need more to fuel your workout. It’s still important to choose healthier carbs such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains rather than foods made with white flour, white potatoes, white rice or loaded with sugar. These foods fall pretty low on the nutritional scale, so there’s not a lot of advantage to eating them.
What about a Late Night Snack?
If the urge to have a late-night snack hits, and you can’t resist, choose one that’s high in protein. Good choices are a bowl of cottage cheese, hot cocoa made with low-calorie sweetener, an egg white omelet or a cup of yogurt. Bad choices are potato chips, cookies, candy or other high-sugar packaged snacks. Sugary snacks before bedtime will spike insulin levels and reduce the rise in fat-burning growth hormone that occurs during sleep. Before grabbing that bedtime snack, make sure you’re actually hungry and not eating out of boredom. Try drinking a big glass of water with lemon first or brushing your teeth. When you finish, the urge to snack may have passed.
The Bottom Line?
Enjoy most of your carbs early in the day unless you work out in the evening. Keep late-night snacking to a minimum. When you do snack after dinner, make it one that’s high in protein.
References:
Metabolism. 21:241. (1972)
Shape Fit. “Why Eating Carbs at Night Will Make You Fat”
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