Lowering your carbohydrate intake may be difficult, particularly if you are used to eating high amounts of rice, pasta and bread. Although carbohydrates should compose 40 to 60 percent of your dietary intake, eating too many carbohydrates may result in weight gain, which can lead to any number of health complications. Fortunately, you can implement a few dietary changes to lower your carbohydrate levels and supplement your diet with items from other food groups that you may be lacking.
Step 1
Modify the types of carbohydrates you eat to improve your health and prevent weight gain. Processed carbohydrates, such as white rice, white pastas or white breads, lack many of the fiber and nutrients found in complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, brown pastas and whole-grain breads. Gradually decrease the amount of processed carbohydrates you eat and replace them with whole-grain carbohydrates.
Step 2
Replace carbohydrates with fruit and vegetables. Fruit and vegetables make dietary excellent substitutes because this food group provides your body with fiber, vitamins and nutrients that carbohydrates do not have. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, one half of every meal should be composed of fruit and vegetables. For pasta or rice dishes that you would normally top with vegetables, substitute similar consistency vegetables for the rice or pasta. For example, you can serve spaghetti squash instead of pasta or enjoy a vegetable stirfry without rice.
Step 3
Sublimate your cravings for carbohydrate-based snacks, such as candies, cookies and chips, which tend to offer few nutritional benefits and are typically high in calories. To control your carbohydrate cravings, you must first recognize your behavior of choosing carbohydrate-rich foods. Once the habit has been recognized, replace your carbohydrate-heavy snacks with non-carbohydrate options. For example, instead of bringing a candy bar to work or school, snack on fruit, vegetables or yogurt, which are healthier alternatives. If you choose to snack on carbohydrates, choose whole-grain crackers or chips.
Step 4
Calculate how many calories from carbohydrates you need on a daily basis. Forty to 60 percent of your daily caloric intake should come from carbohydrates, states Medline Plus, of the National Institutes of Health. This equates to between 1,000 and 1,500 calories per day. To properly track your carbohydrate intake, you must look at the nutrition labels on the foods you are eating.
Step 5
Examine the nutrition labels and assess the percent daily values of the foods you are researching. Record your researched percent daily values for carbohydrates over a three-day period. You should not exceed 100 percent of the daily value for carbohydrate intake per day. If you are, you must reduce your intake by the percent that you are exceeding. In addition, you should strive to eat a majority of complex carbohydrates.
Tips and Warnings
- Decrease your carbohydrate intake gradually to control your cravings.
- Do not completely cut carbohydrates from your diet, as they are an important source of energy for your body.
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