How Many Carbs Per Day Do We Really Need

In the last twenty years, low carb dieting (8) has become one of the most popular, if not the most popular, way to lose weight. Depending on who you ask, low carb diets are either a panacea that can not only help you lose weight but also help with cardiovascular functioning and hypertension or they are a dangerous quick-fix weight loss method that create more nutritional problems than they create benefits. So, why all the controversy and why all the contradictory opinions on low carb diets? To answer that question we first need to understand carbohydrates (1), their role in the body and how many carbs per day we need to keep our body performing in top condition.

Carbohydrates are our bodies’ fuel. Carbohydrates create glucose, which gives us the energy we need for all of our basic functioning (2). After the body converts carbohydrates to glucose, it is either used immediately or stored in the liver and muscle tissue for future use. In terms of the types of carbohydrates that we consume, carbohydrates can be broken down into so-called “good” carbs and “bad carbs.” Simple sugars consist of the three basic type of sugars, glucose, galactose (found in dairy products) and fructose (found in fruit) and double sugars. Double sugars are those that are made up of two of the simple sugars. An example is sucrose (4) (table sugar), which is made up of fructose and glucose. Complex carbohydrates (3) or “good carbs” are those which are made up of three or more sugars. These carbohydrates are called oligosaccharides and polysaccharides and are found in starchy foods such as legumes, starchy vegetables and whole grains.  So, how any carbs per day do we really need?

The USDA recommends that the average adult eats 6 ounce equivalents of grains each day with half of those servings coming from whole grains (5). The Dietary Guidelines (6) for Americans suggest that 45% – 65% of our total calories should come from carbs. This means that in an average 2000 calorie diet, 900 to 1300 of your calories should come from carbohydrate foods. Both simple sugars and starches provide the body with energy but sugars do so while adding little other nutritional benefit. Consuming complex carbohydrates in the form of vegetables and whole grains ensures that you meet your energy requirements while also benefiting from nutrient-rich food items such as whole wheat, oats, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Does this mean that low carb diets are dangerous?

A person who is on a diet that does not meet the minimum dietary guidelines is considered to be malnourished. Low carb diets should only be followed with the advice of a trained physician, dietician and dietetic technician. The reason for this is that low carb diets put your body into what is called ketosis (7). Ketosis, increased ketones in the blood, occurs when your body burns fat for energy instead of the carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) stored in the liver and muscles. Ketosis begins when your intake of carbohydrates falls under 40% of your total dietary intake. Side effects of ketosis include gout, kidney stones and, in extreme case, kidney failure. Research has suggested that low carb diets can help patients who suffer from epilepsy (9) but it is important to understand that in these cases, patients are under strict medical supervision. The safest course of action is to always follow the official dietary guidelines in order to make sure that you meet the minimum daily requirements for daily carbohydrate intake.