How many carbohydrates the body needs per day.
Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients found in foods that provide the body with energy. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats provide the caloric content of your diet.
Carbohydrates are mainly found in plants, where they provide energy and structure. Sugar, starch, and fiber fall into this category. Carbohydrates are also found in milk and dairy products because they contain lactose, which is also a type of sugar.
Calculating your goal
Your carbohydrate requirement may depend on the amount of calories you consume. If you know how many calories you need each day, you can calculate how many grams of carbs you need:
1. Start by determining your daily calorie requirement and divide that number in half. That's how many calories should come from carbs.
2. Each gram of carbohydrates contains four calories. Divide the number obtained in the first step by four.
3. The final number is equal to the amount of carbohydrates in grams that you need every day.
For example, a person who consumes about 2000 calories a day should consume about 250 grams of carbohydrates (2000 divided by 2 = 1000 and 1000 divided by 4 = 250).
Determining your consumption
Eliminating all macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, can lead to a nutritional deficiency. Carbohydrates are rich in B vitamins, iron, and fiber, to name just a few. It can also lead to excessive consumption of other less healthy nutrients, such as the saturated fats found in fatty meats.
You may also be getting too few carbs compared to your activity level, causing you to lose energy and not be able to keep up with your fitness goals. Follow these simple steps to track your consumption:
Read the labels on food products
You can find the amount of carbohydrates on the food labels in the package. There you will find information about calories, but do not forget to double check the serving size and the number of servings in the package.
Count the number of grams of carbohydrates
Look for information about the amount of carbohydrates contained in fresh foods in proven sources (for example, specialized sources on the Internet)
Keep a food diary
Keep a food diary to keep track of your information. You can use a diary or a free online food tracker and calorie counter. Also consider keeping track of your mood, sleep patterns, and activity levels. In the future, you may find some associations between food choices and their impact on your daily mood and activity level.
The most useful carbohydrates
Carbohydrates include complex carbohydrates, such as starches, and simple sugars, such as white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and honey.
Complex carbohydrates provide better nutrition for your body than simple carbohydrates. Healthy complex carbohydrates include foods such as whole grains, starchy vegetables, peas, beans, and other legumes.
For plant-based foods, choose 100% whole grains, as well as fruits and vegetables, which contain the most carbohydrates. If you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, you will add a significant amount of fiber to your diet.
Of course, you also need proteins and fats, but the body does not need them so much. Balance your carb choices with protein sources like lean red meat, poultry, eggs, or fish, and some healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, or nuts and seeds. In addition to its beneficial nutritional properties, protein combined with high-fiber carbohydrates promotes satiety by keeping you feeling full between meals.
Beware of sugar
Try to eat less sweet foods. Foods with added sugar, such as table sugar, honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup, often lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They can make you lethargic and hungry to get more sugar in a short time after eating.
Excessive calorie intake from sugary foods is linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. For this reason, it is worth consuming less than 10% of calories per day from added sugars. Other expert groups recommend a lower limit; for example, no more than 6% of daily calories. Limit the consumption of sweet snacks, pastries, sweet soft drinks, sweets and cookies. Be aware of highly processed foods, such as packaged snacks and ready meals, which often contain added sugar. You can find the added sugar by reading the list of ingredients. Look for words ending in "- oz", or you can also check for "added sugar" on the nutritional information label.
