Choosing the right carbs (carbohydrates) for activity can help you enjoy the session and also assist you to get more out of a workout. Carbohydrates (bread, rice, fruit, jam, honey and sugars) are the preferred fuel (as glucose) for the active muscle.

Eating low GI (low glycaemic index or slow carbs) foods (such as pasta, rice, wholegrain breads, cold baked potatoes, most fruits, many vegetables, low fat muesli and oats) prior to activity and endurance exercise helps to maintain blood glucose for a longer or sustained period of time. This allows you to go longer without fatigue setting in.

During exercise moderate to high GI foods are encouraged (white bread, white flour baking, cereals, some forms of rice and other quickly absorbed carbohydrates such as glucose) to maintain blood glucose levels.

Insulin levels are not a critical factor during activity as the working muscle uses glucose-lowering blood glucose levels.

Low GI foods appear to assist weight control as this stabilises blood glucose and suppresses hunger. In addition, lower GI foods are more bulky and take longer to eat (often due to the presence of fibre and protein, as well as the type of carbohydrate). The use of predominately high GI foods (fast carbs or the more rapidly absorbed carbohydrate foods) is linked to a higher BMI (body mass index). Higher BMI scores are related to increased overweight and obesity. GI is one of the tools thought to assist people to control body weight and blood glucose levels.