Carbohydrate contains 3.75kcal per g and is a major source of energy for the body during exercise. Carbohydrate is stored in the body in the liver and muscles. This allows it to be readily available when needed. For a normal person, the diet should consist of around 50% carbohydrate. For athletes, however a daily estimation is not sufficient as daily energy intake changes and does not always equal expenditure. Therefore, carbohydrate needs are put into g per kg of body weight and vary according to the exercise they are undertaking. (see table below)

From the above table, athletes can then calculate, on average, how much carbohydrate they need per day. This can then be achieved by looking at food labels and estimating how much is being consumed.

Carbohydrate comes in many different forms, from high fibre complex carbohydrates such as fibre, to highly refined simple sugars such as sugar, sweets and most fizzy drinks. The glycemic index of a carbohydrate is a good indicator of the structure. The higher the glycemic index, the less complex the carbohydrate.

Glycemic index (GI) is a scale, for which carbohydrate is the test score of 100, which shows the rate of absorption of the nutrient into the bloodstream. The test food is then compared to that on a scale, producing a result like the following:

Examples of 50g of Carbohydrate:

GI Ranges:

Low GI Foods                                55 or less
Medium GI Foods                          56 - 69
High GI Foods                               70 or more
Reference Food - Glucose              100

Good Post Exercise Recovery Snacks:

Banana                           Dried Fruit                        Cereal Bars                       
Sports Drinks                  Milk Shakes                     Fruit Smoothie
Yoghurt Drinks                Fruit Scones                     Malt Loaf                             
Fresh Fruit                      Low Fat Yoghurt               Crackers

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