Good Complex Carb Snacks?

[Key Of David]

I work construction (am pretty active for 7 hours/day) and I'm 170 lbs of pretty lean muscle so I'm gonna have to eat a lot to stay above maintenance during my next cycle.

I know I can get in a lot of complex carbs such as whole wheat bread and pasta which I already do. But I thought I can get in some extra carbs by munching on a healthy dry treat throughout the work day.

I thought of stuff like chex mix but would that be too much sodium everyday you think? Also thought about nuts but wouldn't the fat intake get kinda high (read walnuts have good fat though)?

Also thought about dry cereal like cheerios and raisin bran, etc.

What are your opinions/suggestions/experiences?

 

[Totentanz]

If you are that active during the day, you will need a lot of calories to grow. I have to work pretty hard all day myself which I think is part of the reason why I have to eat so much to grow... so here is what I would advise. Go ahead and eat some nuts, the extra fats mean more calories in a smaller package. Fats are an easy way to get the calories in, so if you can stomach nuts, have at them. Watch the complex carbs - sure they are good for you, etc etc, but they also make you feel full!
You could try drinking some protein shakes or something during the day too if you want. A carb based drink like gatorade might be helpful too.

 

[Key Of David]

Good advice Tot. Thanks!

I'll be taking the protein/juice shakes around the workouts so that's a chunk of calories/protein right there.

I've thought about weight gain shake throughout the day, but notice it has a lot of simple carbs. I'm not a big fan of taking in a lot of sugar all day but I guess what can some hurt?

As far as fats....I hadn't thought of that. My body is very good at burning it so that will be right up my alley....will help save on the glycogen stores while I'm not working out. I love all kinds of nuts so that's definately something to munch on.

Doesn't gatorade have corn syrup? I stay away from that stuff.

 

[quadancer]

I'm a carpenter too, most of the time. I take protein powder with glutamine in my empty cottage cheese containers and mix some water in and shake it. Beef jerky sometimes, nuts, and raisins for a late day boost. And a couple of sandwiches or some pasta or rice w/ veggies and meat for lunch.
Beef jerky fits in your pouch or pocket if they're picky about you stopping to eat. MRP drinks are a quick fix if you can afford them all the time. "Balance" brand bars are made with whey protein instead of the usual soy. And taste good.

 

[xahrx]

Search the internet for home made snack bar recipes. Tons of them out their with every macro breakdown you can imagine. Make a few batches and take a couple to work every day.

 

[vagrant]

Gatoraid is Koolaid with 1/2 the sugar + some lytes added.  If you are active enough during the day, it won't hurt you.  If you sip it and take it easy - it will make you fat.

Poweraid on the other hand has HFCS - may as well drink a coke.

Best choice - make your own use maltodextrin for slower insulin response, dextrose for faster.

For PWO I mix 1/2 gallon water, 1/2 cup malto and 1/2 cup dextrose 1 pkt of koolaid and use 10 ounces.

For general use on a hot, busy day - I mix 1/4 cup malto 1/4 cup dextrose (sucrose is fine if you don't have the other stuff) with 1/2 gallon water and 1 pkt of koolaid.  I add my own "beat the heat endurolytes" - some electrolyte replacement capsules I got tons of free samples of at the triathlons.  If I'm doing a long cardio session, like 2-4 hours I'll use 20 oz/hour of this mix.

Just for the extra food - the nuts already mentioned are a great nutrient dense choice. A can of mixed nuts should provide you with about 3500 calories - lots of healthy fats in there - but again that's 3500 calories - watch out that they don't sneak up on you.

Other things I used to do when I did construction was to pack my little 6 pack coolers - I carried two - one with my lunch and snacks, one with my protein and drinks. Little ziplock baggies with raw cauliflower, broccoli, carrots to munch on throughout the day were nice little treats.

 

[Key Of David]

Sorry thought I had told you all thanks for all the good advice but looking back I guess I didn't.

quadancer: You reminded me of an idea I had about making some homemade chicken fried rice like you get at chinese restaurants. Or the kind you get when you order something like sweet and sour chicken, with just scrambled eggs, peas, and carrots. Man that is good stuff!! I usually just take a couple sandwiches and maybe 3 pieces of fruit but that gets boring after a while.

You also gave me an idea about nuts and raisins....they go great together so I'm thinking of mixing up some low sodium nuts with some raisins.

xahrx: That's an interesting concept, "homemade snack bars"....who woulda thought? I will look into that as it being homemade you could control the amount of macro nutrients you're getting.

vagrant: That's what I take now, one of those little coolers, its usually been just enough for sandwiches, fruit, and water....but now I'm gonna look into getting another one. I thought of getting a larger one but those are too bulky to be lugging around everyday and it probably makes ya look kinda obessed with eating.

And as far as the Poweraid/Gatorade thing.....it was the Poweraid I'm thinking off. I used to swear by Gatorade during the summers but got cheap and started using Poweraid. Sometimes it just doesn't pay at all to be cheap.

Thanks to all for the ideas and help it was appreciated.