Carbohydrates, or carbs, are frequently misunderstood. Over the past few decades, diet trends have shifted from the low-fat trend of the ‘80s and ‘90s to today's focus on low-carbohydrate eating. Much like fats once were, carbs have now become the subject of intense scrutiny.
Low-carb diets like the ketogenic diet and Atkins, which emphasize minimal carb intake, have taken the world by storm. This has led to widespread confusion and concern: are carbs truly "bad" for your health, or is this just the latest swing of the diet trend pendulum? Read on to learn the answers.
This article will talk about the role carbohydrates play in your body and how different types of carbs can affect you differently. We'll also delve into the impact carbs can have on your health and weight and help you determine your daily carb intake needs.
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are a type of macronutrient – and your body’s main source of energy. Your body needs large amounts of macronutrients, or macros, to function properly. When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into glucose (blood sugar), which your body uses as its energy source.
There are three main types of carbohydrates found in food:
- Starches: Found in some starchy vegetables like peas, potatoes, pasta, rice and lentils.
- Sugars: Naturally occurring in some fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Added sugar is often found in processed foods like cookies and candy.
- Fibers: Comes from plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
- ## Recommended daily carbohydrate intake
According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, between 45% to 65% of a person’s daily calories should come from carbohydrates. So, for someone who’s on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s equivalent to 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of dairy and 6 cups of whole grains per day.
Determining your daily carbohydrate needs
Figuring out your daily carb intake needs starts by figuring out how many calories you should be consuming each day. Typically, the recommended amount of daily calories for healthy adults is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men. However, your daily caloric needs may vary depending on your age, height, current weight, gender, lifestyle, goals and additional factors, like pregnancy.
To determine your daily carbohydrate needs, start by calculating 45% to 65% of your ideal daily caloric intake to find out how many calories should come from carbs. Then, convert these calories into grams by dividing by 4, since each gram of carbs has 4 calories. This simple two-step process will help you understand how many grams and calories of carbs you should consume each day. You can find the grams of carbs per serving on the nutrition label of most food items.
Examples of daily carbohydrate needs: - For a 2,000-calorie diet: 900 to 1,300 calories from carbs per day, which translates to 225 to 325 grams of carbs. - For a 2,500 Calorie Diet: 1,125 to 1,625 calories from carbs per day, which translates to 281 to 413 grams of carbs.
Individuals with certain health conditions, like epilepsy or type 1 and type 2 diabetes, may have different daily carb intake needs.
The two types of carbohydrates
Not all carbs are created equal. Different types of carbs will fall into one of two categories: complex carbs or simple carbs. The measurement of a specific food's effect on blood sugar levels is determined by the glycemic index (GI) scale, ranging from 0 to 100. A food's GI number indicates how much it increases blood sugar levels. A higher GI number means a greater impact on blood sugar levels. For example, glucose has a GI of 100, while salmon has a GI of 0.
Complex carbohydrates come from whole and unprocessed plant-based foods. They are generally considered better for your health than simple carbohydrates because they provide additional nutrients like fiber and vitamins. It takes longer for your digestive tract to break down complex carbs into glucose. Therefore, complex carbs typically will not cause your blood sugar levels to spike and drop as dramatically as simple carbs.
Simple carbohydrates come from high-processed foods or foods and drinks with added sugar. Typically, simple carbs provide calories without any nutrients, or "empty calories." Simple carbs are digested and absorbed quickly and can cause sudden spikes and drops in your blood glucose levels. These sugar spikes don’t tend to last long and often result in a sudden energy crash.
Heart health and complex carbs
Complex carbs can fit into a balanced diet and can have many health benefits. Foods containing complex carbohydrates and whole grains are rich in fiber and other essential nutrients and vitamins. Fiber plays a key role in your heart health and can help lower your cholesterol levels and protect you against heart disease.
A few examples of healthy, complex carb-rich foods include:
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Sweet potatoes
- Oats
- Farro
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Butternut squash
- Peas
- Black beans
Do carbs make you gain weight?
Eating carbs doesn't automatically cause weight gain. In most cases, weight gain is the result of eating excess calories. Those excess calories can come from any macronutrient, not only carbs.
When it comes to weight management, the kinds of carbs that you eat play a large role. Eating too many simple carbs is one of the main factors contributing to obesity and excess weight gain around the globe. Simple carbs are low in nutritional value and get digested quickly. This may lead to getting hungry shortly after eating and potentially consuming extra calories. Simple carbs are typically found in high-processed foods with little to no nutritional value like candy, white bread, sugar-filled cereals and sugary drinks, like soda.
Complex carbs, on the other hand, are a part of many healthy diets that help promote weight management and weight loss. Let’s take a look at the Mediterranean diet as an example. It promotes eating high amounts of complex carbs like cereals, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, moderate amounts of fish and poultry (chicken and turkey) and limited amounts of sweets, red meat and dairy. It’s also known for its ability to help reduce the risk of certain conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The Mediterranean diet— which promotes eating a balanced mix of healthy fats, protein and complex carbs — is one of the most effective diets to help manage obesity. So, it's not carbs themselves that are "bad." Instead, it's the quality and kinds of carbs we eat that can influence our body weight and overall health.
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