Do You Even Poptart?

There has been a lot of Pop-Tart hype in the body building and fitness community recently. It goes hand in hand with the IIFYM diet approach where as long as it fits in your macros for the day, you are golden. Pop-Tarts are being used as a carb tool of choice. They are a "quick" carb meaning the refined flour and sugars are quickly broken down by the body and more readily used which is ideal pre and/or post workout. The high carbs and low fat make them an ideal pre or post workout snack. Not to mention they have over 29 delightful flavors!



Here is the breakdown of the traditional cherry frosted pastry:

Serving Size: 1 Pastry

• Calories – 200
• Total Fat – 5g
• Saturated Fat – 1.5g
• Trans Fat – 0g
• Polyunsaturated Fat – 2g
• Monounsaturated Fat – 1g
• Cholesterol – 0mg  (0%)
• Sodium – 170mg (7%)
• Total Carbohydrate – 38g (13%)
• Dietary Fiber – less than 1g
• Sugars – 17g
• Protein – 2g

As you can see, high carb and relatively low fat. Ideal for a "quick" carb. The reason people go for quick carbs pre and post workout is because the body needs fuel to burn immediately during and after a workout. If the body doesn't have something at the ready to use it will dip into your muscle stores for the energy and it will be harder to retain any size and muscle density. When the carbs (the body's preferred energy source) are at the ready for "quick" use, your muscle stores are safe from being dipped into by the body for energy. Therefore, simple carbs such as refined flour and white rice are ideal.

I bought a box of Pop-Tarts this past week to see how I felt about them as a pre workout option. I feel like they were a good source of energy in the mornings upon first waking up before I got a lift in. It was something small to have in my stomach to fuel my workout (mind you I only ate one at a time) which was nice. I also tried eating one before boxing and the extra sugar helped keep me powered through the brutal hour of high intensity cardio. Is it something I will regularly buy? Ehh I can't commit to that. I am weary of anything with 17g of sugar per serving. Except ice cream.. that will always be an exception in my life ;) I may buy them from time to time because they were very convenient and tasty and useful however it is not high on the list of my better caloric investments.