Among bodybuilders, it is practiced to rid the body of body fat through diet and strength training – the so-called drying, which allows the muscle relief to appear in all its glory.
The basis of such a diet is a rigid rejection of carbohydrates. Therefore, the question of whether honey can be dried is especially relevant for any bodybuilder. Indeed, despite all the benefits for the body, this bee product is one hundred percent carbohydrate.
The content of the article
- 1 Arguments for
- 2 Arguments against
- 3 What you need to know
- 4 Amount of carbohydrates
- 4.1 What about honey?
- 5 Caloric value
- 5.1 And again about honey!
Arguments for
We note right away that the issue is controversial. But there are facts indicating the essential benefits of the bee product.
The food for our brain is glucose. The nervous system, heart and skeletal muscles are in dire need of it. If you remove it from the menu completely, the desire to eat something sweet becomes almost uncontrollable.
Honey just contains simple carbohydrates – fructose, glucose… This product does not need to be processed with food enzymes to be quickly absorbed by the body. Within 20-30 minutes, a “dose” of pure energy will be in the bloodstream.
Obviously, the honey product is superior in nutritional value and absorption rate to ordinary sugar, which we used to put in tea.
Another important point is full recovery after training in the gym.… Muscles during physical activity waste internal stores of glucose and glycogen. If there is insufficient glucose in the blood, the body simply will not recover adequately.
Natural honey, having a glycemic index (from 50 to 70 units) lower than that of many sugars, provides a long and steady rise in blood sugar levels.
Bodybuilders eat it both before and after visiting the gym. But, of course, in reasonable dosages.
Read more: Can you pamper yourself with honey after your workout?
That is, using a natural honey product, we increase endurance and accelerate the body’s recovery after physical exertion.
Arguments against
Honey is high in calories. One hundred grams contains an average of 300-329 kilocalories… There are also more high-calorie dark varieties.
In addition, this product does not meet the main requirement – the absence of carbohydrates.
The basis of the diet is protein food and a moderate amount of fat with a pronounced deficiency of carbohydrates. For this reason, when asked whether it is possible to eat honey on drying, beginners receive a categorical negative answer.
However, not everything is as straightforward as it seems at first glance.
What you need to know
After drying, glycogen stores are restored naturally, and strength endurance returns with them.
Of course, muscle mass decreases. Its loss is especially noticeable in people who have been involved in bodybuilding for a long time. For beginners, muscles are not lost or their volumes decrease slightly.
But with proper nutrition (without “chemistry”), the athlete’s muscle mass is more stable. The main thing is not to give up strength training so that the body sees the point in preserving muscle mass. At the same time, the volume of training is reduced by two to three times, while the weights remain the same.
Amount of carbohydrates
It is believed that when the body is dried, up to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day can be present in the diet. Most often it is fruit.
Sugar is replaced by synthetic analogs: sucralose, saccharin, aspartame. Or natural stevia, stevioside.
What about honey?
If you take a variety of honey with an average calorie content of 329 kilocalories, it is quite possible to replace it with the daily dose of carbohydrates.
This conclusion suggests itself when analyzing the amount of carbohydrates in a honey product:
- 9,6 grams are contained in a flat teaspoon;
- 15,3 grams – with a slide;
- 16,9 grams per level tablespoon;
- 26,5 grams – with a slide.
Caloric value
The deficiency of carbohydrate products is directly related to a decrease in the daily caloric intake of the diet. Approximately no more than 1 kilocalories are consumed.
If required, the calorie content is adjusted according to the initial body weight and physiological characteristics.
On a note! If you feel unwell, they completely refuse carbohydrate-free nutrition.… It should also be borne in mind that the loss of muscle mass is minimal with more gentle and prolonged drying.
Another important point is that the calorie deficit should be small.… Only in this case it will be possible to improve the relief without losing the effective muscle volume.
And again about honey!
Considering the above (very common) recommendations of trainers, honey cannot be attributed to absolutely prohibited products.
Drinking a honey solution (a teaspoon for a glass of warm water) in the morning to energize for the whole day, or eating a tablespoon of a healthy treat within half an hour after a workout, you can fully fit into the daily calorie content.
See for yourself:
- 26 kilocalories – a teaspoon;
- 34 kilocalories – dessert;
- 56 kilocalories – dining room.
That is, it is possible and even necessary to eat honey when drying the body, if the daily calorie content of the menu is observed. By introducing it into the diet when playing sports, we allow the nervous system, muscles to function normally, and also support the stable functioning of the heart. Moreover, a sharp reduction in calories in the most unfavorable way affects muscle mass, and the well-being of an athlete in general.
