I post often about the importance of eating the right carbohydrates. In fact, just yesterday I wrote about "good" carbs vs. "bad" carbs. Good carbs are those that are slower-digesting; they rank low on what is known as the glycemic index. Bad carbs, by contrast, digest very quickly, causing a spike in blood glucose levels -- which is why they rank high on the glycemic index. That all said, it's helpful to know when the best time to eat both types of carbs happens to be. And, yes, there is a good time to eat a bad carb.

When is that good time to eat a bad carb? Right after you've finished a resistance training workout. To help replenish your body and begin the rebuilding process, you should consume a source of fast-digesting carbs. Examples of such carbs are bagels, white bread, white rice, potatoes, and sugary drinks.

When is it a good time to eat a good carb? With every meal, really -- except for the one just mentioned. You may also want to avoid carbs of any kind in your last snack before heading off to bed, but that's up to you. Otherwise, strive to eat several servings of good carbs throughout the day. Examples of good carbs include beans, whole grains, and vegetables.

Don't buy into that "carb-starve" nonsense. Carbs are a vital part of a healthy, well-rounded diet. The key is to be discerning when it comes to which kind of carbs you eat and when you eat them.

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If you've been reading That's Fit for a while, you probably already know about Glycemic Index and good carbs vs. bad carbs. If you don't know anything about GI, here's a brief synopsis: each food has a glycemic index, which accounts for the impact it has on your blood glucose level. High GI foods (bad carbs, like white bread and sugary stuff) cause your glucose to spike and the drop dramatically, reulsting in an energy crash and renewed hunger not long after eating. Low GI foods (good carbs, like whole grains) cause your blood glucose levels to rise to a reasonable level and steaily drop off over the next few hours, keeping you full for a good period of time.

Because we all understand things better when we see it in pictures, FitBuff has posted this graph of what high and low GI foods look like in to your energy levels. As you can see, the high GI foods cause your energy levels to drop dramatically, where as low GI foods are more consistent. Check out the original post for more detailed information on timing your carbs.

I totally notice this good-carb/bad-carb phenomenon whenever I give in to my chocolate cravings at lunch -- by mid-afternoon, I feel like I've hit a brick wall of fatigue. Do you have the same experience?

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