How Many Carbs Should You Have in a Day?
We’ve all heard it or thought it at one point: “Carbs are the enemy!” They make you fat, lead to blood sugar problems, and a whole host of other problems. Right?
What if I told you that isn’t actually the case?
For as long as I can remember, the diet industry has told us carbs are bad, avoid them at all costs. But what if I were to tell you that you can enjoy carbs and not have to worry about eliminating them from your diet?
Stick with me because I’m about to change the way you look at (and enjoy) carbs!
You can either read the article straight through or click on one of the following six icons to jump to one of the sections within the post.
What is a carbohydrate?
The different kinds of carbs
The misconception about carbs
Why carbs aren’t bad for you
Should you limit your carbs?
How many carbs should you consume each day?
What is a carbohydrate?
As Live Science explains, “Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products.” Despite what the diet industry has told you, this basic food group is actually an essential part of a healthy diet.
Carbohydrates are macronutrients, one of the three main ways your body obtains energy. They provide your body with glucose, which it converts into energy used to support bodily functions and physical activity.
The American Diabetes Association says that carbohydrates are your body's best source of energy. They are called carbohydrates because they contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
The different kinds of carbs
When I refer to “carbs” I’m talking about fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains – the quality carbohydrates. No, I’m not encouraging you to eat processed snacks, baked goods, and other foods full of carbs and refined sugars.
In fact, nearly 90% of American’s exceed the recommended amount of sugar intake. That might seem like a lot but think about this: EWG found that 98 of the popular cereals on the market exceed the American Heart Association’s daily sugar intake in a single serving.
So, if we want to lump everything that’s not a protein or fat into one category, then yes, there are good carbs and bad carbs. For the sake of this post, we’ll be recommending the former type of carbs (i.e. fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains) and not the ladder (i.e. processed snacks, baked goods, and other foods full of refined sugar).
Harvard Health explains the difference between good carbs and not-so-good carbs:
Good carbs (i.e. healthy carbohydrates)
These include unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. Healthy carbohydrates promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients.
Bad carbs (i.e. unhealthy carbohydrates)
Unhealthier sources of carbohydrates include white bread, pastries, sodas, and other highly processed or refined foods. These items contain easily digested carbohydrates that may contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss, and promote diabetes and heart disease.
The misconception about carbs
Diabetes currently afflicts an astonishing 30 million people in the U.S. alone – 1 out of 4 people don’t even know they have it. Even more astonishing, over one-third of all U.S. adults have prediabetes. That’s more than 84 million people, 90% of whom are unaware of their condition.
Current medical advice advocates a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet for anyone suffering from diabetes or prediabetes. But as Cyrus Khambatta, Ph.D. and Robby Barbaro, MPH – the duo behind Mastering Diabetes, an online coaching platform for people living with diabetes – explains, this is not the answer.
A low carb diet may improve your short-term blood glucose, it also increases your risk for many chronic diseases. Dr. Khambatta has accurately explained today’s misguided dietary advice: “Nutrition has become complicated. The amount of advice — sometimes conflicting — can leave you feeling confused and hopeless, unsure of how to eat to control your blood sugar and minimize your risk for long-term complications of type 1 or 2 diabetes.”
Plant-based, whole foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. They’re packed with six important classes of nutrients, including:
vitamins
minerals
fiber
water
antioxidants
phytochemicals
Eating a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet is a simple way to maximize your nutrient intake, which reduces total body inflammation, and boosts the health of all tissues in your body.
Why carbs aren't bad for you
As previously explained, healthy carbohydrates promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients. They provide your body with the glucose that it needs in order to create energy to support bodily functions and physical activity.
I think we can agree: carbs are not the enemy.
Should you limit your carbs?
When it comes to whole plant-based sources you don’t have to be as concerned about limiting your daily carbohydrate intake. In fact, Dr. Khambatta once made it a personal goal to capture the world record for mangos consumed in a day. Currently, there is no governing body that will give him the official title. But he ended his 24-hour self imposed challenge having consumed a grand total of 50 mangos.
When we’re eating whole foods our bodies know what to do with the nutrients found in those foods.
But what about fat storage? You’ve probably heard that an increased amount of carbohydrates will lead to unwanted weight gain. A study recently published asked if high-carbohydrate intake would lead to an increased risk of obesity?
You’ll be happy to read their answer.
The research found that “It cannot be concluded that a high-carbohydrate diet or increased percentage of total energy intake in the form of carbohydrates increases the odds of obesity.”
How many carbs should you consume each day?
When it comes to deciding on a daily number of carbohydrates, you should be less concerned about a specific number and more concerned about consuming whole foods.
Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM, is the founder of NutritionFacts.org and the author of New York Time’s Best Seller, How Not To Die, where he writes about foods scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease. According to Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen, a list of the healthiest foods and how many servings you should get, he recommends you consume the following:
3 servings of beans: 1 serving of chickpeas is 60.5 grams of carbohydrates
3 servings of fruit: 1 serving of bananas has 27 grams of carbohydrates
2 servings of greens: 1 serving of spinach has about 1.1 grams of carbohydrates
1 serving of flaxseed: 1 serving of flaxseed has 3 grams of carbohydrates
3 servings of grains: 1 serving of brown rice has 45 grams of carbohydrates
1 serving of berries: 1 serving of blueberries has 21 grams of carbohydrates
1 serving of cruciferous: 1 serving of broccoli has 10 grams of carbohydrates
2 servings of vegetables: 1 serving of carrots has 6 grams of carbohydrates
1 serving of nuts: 1 serving of almonds has 6 grams of carbohydrates
That’s potentially more than 451 grams of carbohydrates in one day!
On a ketogenic diet, you’re told not to consume more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.
Click here for a copy of Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen.
Conclusion
The diet industry has fed us a lie that carbs are bad. The truth is that carbohydrates are essential for your body’s energy creation. Yes, there are good carbs and bad carbs. But when you consume unprocessed or minimally processed carbs your body is able to get the vitamins and minerals it needs to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Limit the unhealthy processed carbohydrates and enjoy all the healthy unprocessed (and minimally processed) foods you can load up on your plate!
Excluding pastries and sodas (the unhealthy carbs), which carbs are you excited to enjoy more of?
Additional sources:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist-2/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-is-a-better-breakfast-cereal-or-oatmeal/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-recommended-daily-added-sugar-intake/
About the author:
Kara Swanson is a certified nutritionist and founder of Life Well Lived. She is married to her best friend and the proud mother of three. Her passion is to make nutrition simple+easy+delicious!