In an era of low-carb and no-carb fad diets inundating the public consciousness, the importance of carbohydrates in a healthy diet is often overlooked in favor of rapid, yet unhealthy weight loss. Found in foods such as bread, pasta and raw vegetables, carbohydrates are essential to your body's ability to function in a healthy manner. Examining the importance of carbohydrates in your diet is crucial to eating for optimal health.
Carbohydrates: A Macronutrient
Macronutrient is the scientific term for three specific types of nutrients your body needs in especially large amounts. They are necessary for healthy metabolism, growth and bodily functions. Carbohydrates are one of these vital dietary macronutrients, which work along with the other two macronutrients -- fats and proteins -- to keep you healthy from day to day and over the long term.
Function of Dietary Carbohydrates
Exercising, moving around and simply enjoying good health are the result of the presence of carbohydrates in your diet. The main function of carbohydrates is to fuel your body with energy, through providing calories your metabolism will burn to do its job -- regulating bodily processes such as body temperature, muscle contraction and digestion. Lack of sufficient carbohydrates in a healthy diet can lead to feeling weak and fatigued.
Complex and Simple Carbohydrates in Diet
Carbohydrates come in three forms: sugar, starches and fiber. Starchy foods are the main dietary source of complex carbohydrates, or fiber-rich carbohydrates that take longer for your body to digest. Examples of dietary sources of complex carbohydrates include whole grains; starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, potatoes and cauliflower; and legumes, including kidney beans and lentils. Simple carbohydrates process more quickly through the digestive system, and foods rich in vitamins and minerals that contain simple carbohydrates include fruits such as apples and grapefruit as well as milk and other dairy products. Even sweets, such as hard candy and table sugar, provide your body with simple carbohydrates.
Healthy Caloric Intake from Carbs
Getting the proper amount of carbohydrates in your diet is a key aspect of maintaining a healthy metabolic rate, keeping you energized throughout your day and helping your body process muscle-building proteins and use healthy fats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you follow a meal plan that provides your body with 45 to 65 percent of your total daily caloric intake from carbohydrates. For example, following the standard, FDA food label model daily caloric intake of 2,000 calories, this means taking in 900 to 1,300 calories from foods rich in carbohydrates -- emphasizing complex carbohydrates for their healthy content of fiber and essential vitamins.
Recommended Daily Serving Amounts
Getting enough carbohydrates in your diet involves understanding how many servings you need in a day, as well as how they are measured. The USDA recommends six to 11 servings of whole grains to provide you with plenty of healthy dietary carbohydrates. A serving of complex carbohydrate-rich foods is equivalent to one slice of bread, 1 cup of cooked pasta or rice or 1 cup of cereal. Additionally, three to five servings of vegetables are vital in your diet. One cup of leafy green vegetables, 1/2 cup of raw vegetables and 3/4 cup of vegetables juice each constitute a serving of nutritious foods that contain both complex and simple carbohydrates. Include two to four servings of one fresh fruit, 1/2 cup of canned or chopped fruit and t3/4 cup of fruit juice in your diet as well. Eat sweets sparingly -- although candy and sugar both contain calories from simple carbohydrates, they are empty calories, meaning that they lack fiber and other nutrients essential to any healthy diet.
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