HOW MANY CARBS DO YOU NEED DAILY?

FOR THE LOVE OF CARBS! (1…2…3)

Pull up a Chair while I get out my soapbox.

Repeat after me…

 

Carbs are not bad…

Carbs are not bad…

Carbs are not bad…

 

I feel better, and you will too once we discuss your most optimal relationship with Mr. Carb!

 

QUICK PAUSE TO JUST STATE THE OBVIOUS, OR NOT SO OBVIOUS IF YOUR BRAND SPANKING NEW TO A NUTRITIONAL JOURNEY…

IF YOU DO NOTHING/NADA/ZILCH/ZERO BUT SIT ON YOUR TOOSHIE, THEN YES….CARBS COULD MAKE YOU GAIN BODYFAT. IT WOULD BE SIMILAR TO PUTTING GAS 3 TIMES A DAY INTO A PARKED CAR WITH A  FULL GAS TANK. MAKE SENSE? OK GOOD… MOVING ON…

 

Carbohydrates are made up of 3 parts:

1. Fiber (complex)
2. Starch (complex)
3. Sugar (simple)

I feel better, and you will too once we discuss your most optimal relationship with Mr. Carb!

 

The ‘quality’ of the carb depends on the ratio of these 3 components.

We need carbs for energy.  What happens when we eat carbs?

 

1-When we eat carbs they are either used immediately for energy

OR

2-Stored in the muscle tissue or Liver as glycogen

OR

3-If the muscle tissue and liver stores are full of glycogen, the rest is stored as fat

 

“Good Carb” vs. “Bad Carb”

 

Let’s try to soften our judgment just a touch, shall we? Or maybe we can label them more like high quality vs. low quality.  We want to aim for mostly high-quality carb intake. However, leaving space in our lives to enjoy the cake at the wedding, knowingly indulging in the low-quality carbs on those special occasions.  Life is about balance.  Having a good balance comes from knowing how to utilize food to your advantage to meet your goals.

 

Being active and exercising means you will burn through these stores faster so you will need to replenish them regularly.

 

TIMING MATTERS

 

What’s the 3 best time to eat high-quality carbs??

 

1. Breakfast: Makes sense. Your body is looking for energy and glucose after sleeping all night. When you eat the right carbs first thing in the morning your body puts those right to work and they don’t get stored as fat.  My breakfast always consists of protein and carbs.
2. Before your workout: Pre-workout supplements aren’t needed unless you like them. I focus on eating normally prior to working out and make sure complex carbs are included in that meal.
3. Post Workout: There are ALL kinds of theories of belief here… let’s not complicate things (I will dig into this in a future blog post) Carbs help with recovery. The main purpose to eat carbs post workout is to replenish the glycogen stores in the muscle.

 

Here are my 2 cents

 

If you’re an ACTIVE female tracking your nutrition, (and NOT manipulating your nutrition for a specific athletic event) you should be hitting 125 grams of carbs at a MINIMUM.

*Worth noting- I’ve worked with females that consumed 600+ carbs at a maintenance state.  Carb metabolism can be influenced by many factors such as activity level, types of activity, stress, and genetics.

Carbs are necessary for workout recovery, healthy hormone function, and digestion/elimination. (via fiber) Make sure you’re getting at least 25grams of fiber daily.  Fiber equals healthy, daily bathroom habits.

 

Don’t skip your fruit.  Fruits are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber! However, fruit breaks down to fructose, which is stored only in the liver as glycogen vice muscle and liver.  Therefore, fruits servings should be limited to 1-3 per day.

 

Here’s a quick cheat sheet of HIGH-QUALITY CARBS to check in on your daily carb intake.  (including but not limited to…just in case I miss one)

 

FRUITS SERVING SIZE OF 100 GRAMS

FRUIT	CARBS IN GRAMS	CALORIES
Apple	14	52
Banana	23	89
Blackberry	10	43
Blueberry	14	57
Grapes	18	69
Nectarine	14	59
Peach	9.5	39
Pear	15	57
Plum	11.5	46
Raspberry	12	52
Strawberries	8	32

 

 

STAPLE HEALTHY CARBS 1 CUP COOKED

*ranges here, esp. breakfast cereal

GRAINS	Carbs IN GRAMS	Calories
Brown Rice 1cup	45	216
GF Breakfast Cereal	55	307
Grits 1 CUP	31	143
Jasmine Rice	46	210
Lentils	39	230
Oats	29	166
Quinoa	39	222
Rice Cakes 1	8	35
Sweet Potato	40	180
White Potato	64	281

 

VEGETABLES AND ROOTS 

Veggies + Roots	CARBS IN GRAMS	CALORIES
Acorn Squash	11	40
Broccoli	2	31
Butternut Squash	8.5	38
Carrots	6	28
Green Beans	8	38
Spaghetti Squash	6.5	27
Yellow Squash/ Zucchini	3.5	16

 

Remember what is said at the beginning of this post, carbs are made of fiber, starch, and sugar.  Processed carbs contain more sugar than anything else, plus they pale in nutrient comparison. Dumping excess sugar into our body beyond what we use or store (liver/muscle) causes fat storage.

 

Which brings us to my magical conclusion.  Eating high-quality carbs from whole food sources guarantees that you will have the fuel you need for your workouts plus steady mental and physical energy.  You will also have a healthy metabolism, burn body fat, and support a fit physique. (Wowza! sign me up! right?)

 

*MY CURRENT REGIMINE FOR AN EXAMPLE

(IM IN A RANGE BETWEEN 200-250CARBS)

HITTING 25GRAMS OF FIBER MINIMUM + 600-800GRAMS VEGGIES

 

BREAKFAST:

1 SERVING OF GF OATMEAL

100GRAMS BLUEBERRIES

200 GRAMS OF BROCCOLI + ASPARAGUS IN EGGS

 

POST WORKOUT:

1-2 RICE CAKES

 

LUNCH:

200 GRAMS YELLOW SQUASH

200 GRAMS SWEET POTATO

 

SNACK:

1 ORGANIC FUJI APPLE

 

DINNER:

200 GRAMS GREEN BEANS

1 CUP LENTILS

 

I would love to know your current relationship with carbs! How many grams are you getting daily?