Carbohydrates occupy a big part of the standard American diet and most Americans get over half of their calories from carbohydrates, eating as much as 250 to 350 g of carbohydrates a day. If you are following a low-carb diet to lose weight or to improve your blood sugar control with diabetes, determining the right amount of carbs to eat is important to help you achieve your goals.
Carbohydrate Requirements
The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends the consumption of a minimum of 100 g of carbohydrates a day to supply the brain with the glucose it needs. The "Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids" released in 2005 also states that "the lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed."
Typical Low Carb Diets
Different low-carb diet plans will propose different carbohydrate intakes. Most low-carb eating plans recommend between 50 and 150 g of carbohydrate a day, which correspond to 10 to 30 percent of the calories based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A lot of low-carb diets also recommend drastically lowering your carbohydrate intake during the first phase to jump-start the weight loss process and get rid of carbohydrate cravings as soon as possible. During this first phase, some low-carb diets will recommend a carb intake ranging between 20 and 50 g a day.
Finding the Right Amount of Carbs For You
If your goal is to drop weight by following a low-carb diet, you can try to determine the right amount of carbohydrates that will work best for you. Everybody is different and what works for somebody may not work for you. Start counting your carbohydrates and tracking your weight on a weekly basis to see how your body reacts and adjust accordingly. Some dieters may do fine with 100 g of carbohydrates a day, while other will need to restrict their carbs to 50 g a day to successfully lose weight. Remember that weight loss should occur at a rate of 1 to 2 lbs. a week to ensure the lost pounds don't come back.
Completing Your Low-Carb Diet
A safe and healthy low carb diet should be based on a foundation of non-starchy vegetables to obtain the fiber your body requires. You will also need to base your meals on a sufficient amount of protein, either from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, tofu or other soy-based low-carb vegetarian options. Accompany your meals with a small amounts of fat from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado to help you avoid getting hungry between meals.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Low-Carb Diet
- Harvard School of Public Health: Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way
- "Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids"; Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board; 2005
- "Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids"; Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board; 2005
- "The New Atkins for a New You"; Eric C. Westman, et al.; 2010
- Mayo Clinic: Weight Loss: 6 Strategies For Success
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