Fats

One of the biggest myths in the nutrition world is that carbs are bad.

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Here is the issue with that. If you have a medical condition outside of cystic fibrosis and your doctor told you to cut back the carbs then do so. If not, you need carbs. Carbs are what our body runs off of.  Several people over the years have told me that they are trying to cut out sugars, so they instantly try to cut out carbs and eat more fat and protein. This is the same thing that weight watchers and Adkins has promoted over the years. This type of fad diet might work for some people but he problem with this thought process is that even protein breaks down into sugars. 

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Carbs do break down into different types of sugars. There are simple sugars and complex sugars. Yes, to many simple sugars are not good for us, but most people do not realize that most fruit and vegetables break down into these simple sugars. 

Remember when I said our body runs off carbs? Well, this is how it happens in a short version. 

Our body's main energy machine is called glycolysis. This is the breakdown of glucose or sugar. The glycolysis then runs to the Krebs cycle. The Krebs cycle is when our body actually uses the broken-down nutrients for fuel. 

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Some food has more simple sugars than others. So, when you understand this following list of foods this can help you understand when to eat these different foods.  

Most fruit has simple sugars or strands of sugars that are short and therefor break down faster. On the other hand, grains, oats, and other vegetables have longer chains of glucose molecules. These molecules break down slower or in a longer time span. 

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Here is a list of simple sugars.

·         Fruit

·         Candy

·         Soft drinks

·         Juice

·         Jelly/jam/preserves

·         processed grains (white bread)

·         most pastries and breads​

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If you have diabetes or CF related diabetes, then you have to be aware of your blood sugar and GI numbers. These fast acting or simple sugars are what spike your blood sugar and or insulin. 

Complex sugars or long-lasting sugars are what we need throughout the day.

Some examples of complex sugars are below. 

·         Brown rice (NOT FRIED RICE)

·         Sweet potatoes, red potatoes

·         Quinoa

·         Végétales (brocoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, spinach, carriots, etc.

·         Oats

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Earlier I mentioned that protein also breaks down into sugar. The sugar that meat and protein break down into is called sucrose. The sugar that dairy breaks down into is called lactose. 

Knowing this leads us to more CF related nutrition. 

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Due to our pancreases not being able to secrete enzymes for digestion well, we have to eat a surplus of calories. The goal is to eat more complex carbs throughout the day. The complex carbs are denser with nutrients, vitamins, natural metals, and promotes better gut health. eating more complex carbs will also help you maintain your blood sugar. 

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Any physical goal calls for a nutrition goal as well. The hard part about that fact is that we can take rest days from the gym, or track or how we train but nutrition is a constant battle, especially for people with CF. Here are a couple of things to remember and will be added to the calculator section of the nutrition. 

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1 gram of carbs = 4 calories

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Struggling to maintain weight = 6 grams per kilogram of body weight

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Cutting or trying to decrease body fat = 5 grams per kilogram of body weight

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I know like this doesn't seem like a big difference so let me show you how it would work for me. 

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I weight 190lbs = 86kg

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Maintain weight with CF: 86*6= 518 grams of carbs

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Cutting body fat: 86*5= 430 grams of carbs

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Remember 1 gram of carbs is 4 calories so the difference is 352 calories. When your carb cutting or trying to lose body fat you will be eating less fat and protein as well but we are not getting rid of any of them. 

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We have covered maintaining weight with CF and cutting. Now let’s cover how to count carbs while bulking or gaining muscle mass.  

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This is how I bulk: 86*8 = 688 grams of carbs

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For the ones that are on Trikafta/Kaftrio you are now in a different place then just a few months ago. Our pancreatic enzymes helped us but with these new medication’s nutrition is more important than ever. I am speaking for myself, but I did not have the proper guidance growing up when it came to nutrition. 

Our bodies are going through a big change right now and if we do not start eating well than we will gain weight in a wrong way. These medications are helping us digest AND consume more calories daily and helping us not expend as many calories throughout the day. Basically, we are eating more and not burning it off If you are on either of these medications, I suggest using the maintenance formula in the calculator section. We treat our bodies in a way of eating enough while our bodies are in hyperdrive healing and growing. I still expect there to be weight gain just from these number. I know I have, but I am trying to utilize my newly found digestion to heal, grow muscle and increase bone density.

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If there are any questions you can always email me at 65roseathletics@gmail.com or send a message at the get in touch buttons throughout the website.

If you would like to schedule a 1 on 1 nutrition session where we sit down on a zoom call and talk about your daily life, medications, activity levels and goals, you can do this in the 1 on 1 Coaching.