Tip #6
How many carbohydrates do you need?
The very low carb dieting craze of the first few years of the new millennium would have had you believe that carbohydrates aren’t really necessary in your diet. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You need carbohydrates as an energy source. In fact, your brain’s preferred source of energy is glucose–a carbohydrate.
In the absence of sufficient glucose, your body will burn fat as an energy source. This might sound great but what happens is that your body must then perform on ketones–a fat breakdown product instead of glucose. This creates a physiological state of ketosis that radically changes the normal pattern of biochemistry for your brain and other organ tissue.
Very low carbohydrate induced ketosis does not seem to be a problem for most people for the short term. Long term effects are less clear. Severe ketosis, however, such as might happen with diabetics (called ketoacidosis) is a much more complicated situation and potentially life threatening. What is most important to remember is that your body will function best when you have access to enough carbohydrates. So what exactly is enough?
Scientists with the National Academy of Sciences estimate that adults need a minimum of 130 grams of carbohydrates a day. This is what they have determined to be the average minimum amount used by the brain each day. For optimum health for most people, they suggest you get from 45 to 65% of your calories from carbohydrates. On a 2000 calorie diet this would be 900 to 1300 calories as carbohydrate or 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrate. You might ask why this is so much more than the minimum of 130?
Here’s why. The best sources of carbohydrates (such as whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables, and legumes) provide not only complex carbohydrates but also vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals (such as antioxidants) to keep you healthy. (See Tip #4 Nutritional Balance Matters!).
Action Step:
1. Calculate your carbohydrate needs:
_____________ (calories needed for your age, weight, and sex for either weight maintenance or weight loss*) X .45 = ________________ (A)
_____________ (calories needed for your age, weight, and sex for either weight maintenance or weight loss*) X .65 = _________________ (B)
Values A and B will give you the number and range of calories you need from carbohydrates.
2. To calculate the grams of carbohydrates you need do the next steps:
Divide value A by 4 (each gram of carbohydrate will give you 4 calories of potential energy) = _____________ grams of carbohydrate
Divide value B by 4 (each gram of carbohydrate will give you 4 calories of potential energy) = _____________ grams of carbohydrate
Now you should have an idea of the range of carbohydrates you need for your daily nutritional needs (both in calories and grams) whether you are on a diet or not. If your calculation comes up to be less than 130 grams we need to talk. You may be selecting a daily calorie intake that is too low for you. Even on a 1200 calorie diet your carbohydrate needs will be for 135 to 195 grams of carbohydrates a day.
**To determine your calorie needs for weight maintenance or weight loss see Tip #3.
You must log in to post a comment.