You are Probably Not Eating as Many Carbs as You Think
This is a topic that bears repeating. Often we are worried about all of the “hidden” nutrients in our foods, such as added sugars or sodium, that can seemingly sneak their way into common food that don’t necessarily taste sugary or salty. Recently, this mindset has been spreading about carbohydrates too, and many people are believing that carbs are mysteriously overrunning their diets. Traditionally, foods like yogurt, cashews and carrots have not been considered “carby”, but these foods have made their way onto lists of “hidden carbohydrates” — Beware!
Although it’s been discussed before (Healthy Carbs to Keep On-Hand, The Problem with Low Carb Diets), it is good to combat some of these food-fearing philosophies with some facts.
It should be everyone’s goal to be more physically active.
If you are seeking good health, physical activity is perhaps the best place to start. Exercise has repeatedly been shown to promote longevity (i.e., living a long time without disease) and to provide immediate physical and mental health benefits. Exercise is something everyone should be doing for the rest of their life, so finding a way to enjoy the physical activity you choose to do is essential!
Whatsmore, carbohydrates fuel your exercise endeavors. Muscles store carbohydrates as an easy energy source to tap-into during exercise. Muscles do not store protein or fats as an energy source – only carbohydrates. This energy source is called glycogen, and exercising with full glycogen stores will make you feel GOOD. Athletes know what it feels like to exercise in a glycogen-depleted state, and there is a term for this feeling: BONKING. This is the feeling of “hitting a wall” during exercise. It doesn’t feel good, and that’s because your muscles have run-out of their energy reserve.
If you dread exercise, consider whether your muscles are well-fueled with carbohydrates for your physical activity. If exercise consistently does not feel good, it is probably in-part because you are not giving your muscles enough carbohydrate.
Rather than dragging your body through gruesome exercise in order to earn your carbohydrates, consider what it might be like to enjoy eating a healthy dose of carbohydrates every day with every meal so that you can have fun during exercise. Just a thought!
Once you have befriended physical activity, understand what a normal amount of carbs looks like.
Many health-conscious people are shocked when they learn just how much carbohydrate they can, and should, eat in the day. Let’s look at a few recommendations:
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)
These percentages are set by the Institute of Medicine after a slew of data has demonstrated that these macronutrient intakes tend to reduce the risk of chronic disease. The AMDR for carbohydrate intake is 45-65% of calories coming from carbs. For a standard 2000 calorie diet, this is 225 - 325 grams of carbohydrate every day, which is about 75 - 108 grams of carbs with each of your 3 meals a day.
Remember, for physically active people, a 2000 calorie diet is likely skimpy, so the carbohydrate needs become greater as energy needs increase.
(This is different from added sugars, where the recommendations are to limit added sugars to 5-10% of calories consumed each day.)
Guidelines for Athletes
Carbohydrate needs for athletes are often based on grams of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight. These recommendations range anywhere from 4 grams of carb per kilogram body weight to 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight. As an example, if we have a 175 pound athlete, this could be anywhere between 320 - 960 grams of carbohydrate every day, depending on the intensity of training. If you eat 3 meals a day, this could be anywhere between 106 - 320 grams of carbohydrate per meal! Of course, if you are requiring the upper end of this range, you will probably need to eat more frequently to achieve that level of intake.
Before you write yourself off from being an athlete, remember that if you participate in athletics in any way – whether dancing, running, playing tennis or strength training – you are an athlete. It is much better to shift your mindset away from “diet and exercise” to a mindset of “fueling and training”. When you begin to define yourself as an athlete, you begin to form a lifestyle that tracks towards enjoyment of physical activity, rather than checking off the box of going to the gym a few times a week. Mindset matters! Adopt the athlete mindset for yourself, and begin to fuel your body with adequate amounts of carbohydrates that fuel your physical activities.
These are just two examples of carbohydrate recommendations based on longevity, disease prevention and exercise-promotion. Many people are scared to eat 75 grams of carbohydrate each day, let alone with each meal! If you are shocked by this, consider reevaluating your food philosophy around carbs.
The bottom line: you are probably not eating as many carbs as you think. And if your goal is to strive for good health, a carb-limited mindset is only holding you back.
To learn more about your individual needs and how to choose the types of carbohydrates that fit into your healthy diet, consider working with me! Schedule a FREE discovery call here.