How Many Carbohydrates Do I Need Each Day?

Question: How Many Carbohydrates Do I Need Each Day?

Answer: The United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human services publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years. They currently suggest that about half your daily calories should come from carbohydrates, so you can determine how many grams of carbohydrates you need base on your calorie intake.

• Start by determining your daily calorie need and divide that number in half. That's how many calories should come from carbohydrates.
• Each gram of carbohydrate has four calories, so divide the number from the first step by four.
• The final number is equal to the amount of carbohydrates in grams you need each day.

For example, a person who eats approximately 2,000 calories per day should take in about about 250 grams of carbohydrates (2,000 divided by 2 = 1,000 and 1,000 divided by 4 = 250).

Carbohydrates include complex carbohydrates, like starches, and simple sugars such as white sugar, high fructose corn syrup and honey. Choose 100% whole grains and fruits and vegetables for most of your carbohydrates. Balance your carbohydrate choices with protein sources such as lean meat, poultry, eggs, or fish, and some healthy fat such as olive oil, avocado or nuts and seeds.

Plan your meals and menus for a few days at a time and stock up on healthy high-fiber carbohydrate sources. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes all contain carbohydrates and are high in fiber, which is good for your digestive system and can help you lose weight by keeping you feeling full between meals.

Avoid foods that contain large amounts of refined (white) flour and sugar, such as sugary snacks, pastries, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, candy, cookies, and greasy chips. A lot of processed foods contain added sugars. These foods contain too many calories while offering little or no nutritional value. Some of these foods also contain saturated, trans-fats and sodium that may be bad for your heart.

Keep track of both your calorie and carbohydrate intake if you want to lose weight. You can also track the of the amounts of protein and fat you consume, along with fiber and sodium.

Additional Tips for Tracking Your Carbohydrate (and Other Nutrients) Intake

• Find the carbohydrate grams on the nutrition facts labels on packaged foods. You'll find calorie information there too, but sure to double-check the serving size and number of servings per package.
• Use the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference to calculate carbohydrate amounts for fresh foods. This is a large database that's updated regularly.
• Use a food diary to keep track of your information. You can print out your own pages and keep them in a notebook.
• Or make it very easy and join Calorie Count to track calories, carbohydrates, and all the other nutrients, plus you'll find suggestions for a healthy diet. They also have a great smart phone app so you can track your calories when you're away from your computer.

_Source:

_{United States Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Health and Human Services. "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010." Accessed September 9, 2011. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010.asp}