How much carbs or sugar should we have in our diet?

This post is in answer to Kristen’s question posted on the article about metabolism. The question posted was: “what is the required daily amount of carbs that we should be consuming?” See the comments for the post: You can speed up your metabolism naturally!

Carbs create energy and are necessary for all daily functions. The total sugars are reduced by the amount of fiber. For example black beans may have a carb count of about 30 grams yet have a fiber content of 12 grams. (I am just guessing at the numbers.) In the above example the net crabs are only 18. This indicates the importance of eating whole foods. Whole foods contain all the fiber that nature intended. Carbohydrates with fiber move thought the system faster and therefore three things happen:

1) Our bodies are capable of absorbing more nutrients from them.
2) We burn more calories in the process.
3) We stay satiated longer.

Processed grains have been stripped of their bran and germ. This means that they do not have any fiber or nutrients left. The are really just sugar and man-made vitamins. They move through our system so quickly that our body could not pull anything out of them, even if there was some value to them, which there is not. Processes carbs like natural simple sugars (honey, table sugar, etc.) give more calories than they gain and they produce a craving or addictive effect for three reasons:

1) They are full of chemicals which are addictive.
2) Our bodies are nutrient deprived and therefore are demanding more.
3) They are gone as quickly as they are swallowed.

Carbohydrates require less water to digest than proteins or fats and are the most common source of energy. Carbohydrates are not essential nutrients to building muscle and bones yet the brain cannot burn fat or protein and needs glucose (sugar) for energy. The body can make this glucose from protein but it is easier to do so from carbohydrates. A totally carb free or long term minimum-carb diet would compromise a person’s ability to maintain good health.

There is not a RDA (required daily allowance) on sugars or carbohydrates. Your sugar or carbohydrate intake need is determined by your lifestyle. Being more active requires more carbs. Generally though, when carbohydrates are whole and are fiber rich, there is no limit to the quantity that is healthy. It is just processed carb that are out of control. Example: Broccoli (just guessing again) is maybe 8 gram carbs for a normal portion. Yet it could have 7 or more grams of fiber. So the net carb is only 1. Some carbs are actually a negative calorie carb. Examples of negative calorie carbs are cabbage, celery, and possibly broccoli. For an average healthy person, who has a reasonable amount of exercise, and focuses on whole food, I would guess that a good RDA for carbs might be 30 crabs per meal and 18 or so per snack or 150 per day. On the MDI side of the equation, the same person would want a minimum of say 100 carbs per day. (Just guessing)

Also for your information, the RDA as a means of measurement is being phased out. The new method will be the DRI or daily requirement intake. Some places it is referred to as the MDI minimum daily intake. These are the most recent set of dietary recommendations established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine.

So there you have it! TMI (Too Much Information) Deb

For more information on carbs and your metabolism