Leading UK nutritionist Professor Sarah Berry shared the best time of the day to consume carbohydrates. Appearing on Davina McCall’s podcast Begin Again, Professor Sarah explained how the different foods we eat have different effects on our body and health.
Professor Sarah has over 20 years of experience in nutritional research, and currently works as a researcher at King’s College London, as well as being the chief scientist at Zoe. Talking all things carbohydrates, the professor explained why you should think about eating carbs during the morning, rather than late in the day.
This is down to our body’s blood sugar response, which would be lower if eating carbs in the morning. She told Davina: “We know if you eat your carbohydrates in the morning, you’ll have a lower blood sugar response than if you eat them in the afternoon.”
The professor explained that when it comes to having a healthy diet, we shouldn't just be looking about what we’re eating, but how we are eating too. Professor Sarah continued: “So we’ve got some amazing research where we looked at the ‘time of day’ effect in pre versus post menopausal women.”
If you eat your carbohydrates in the morning, on average, the blood sugar response will be lower. She went on to explain that if you’re a postmenopausal or perimenopausal woman, the ‘time of day’ effect is more “pronounced”.
Professor Sarah said: “So what that meant was you had an even bigger impact from eating your carbohydrates later in the day than in the morning. So the take home message from that could be: if you want a cup of tea and cake, have it at 11 o’clock rather than four o’clock.”
Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy for the body, which are broken down into glucose, which helps to fuel cells, tissues, and organs, and can also be stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Carbs slowly release sugar into the bloodstream in comparison to sugary food and drinks, or refined carbohydrates like white bread.
This will help you stay fuller for longer periods of time. Starchy carbs are also a good source of fibre, so opting for foods like wholegrain bread, brown rice, wholewheat cereals, and potatoes with the skins left on can help you hit your nutrient goals.
