All About Carbohydrates

People often have lots of questions when it comes to carbohydrates (carbs) and how they fit into the diet. Clients often ask “Should I limit the amount of carbs I eat in the day?” “Should I avoid carbs altogether?” and “Are carbs bad for me?”. The nutrition around carbohydrates can be confusing. So let's talk all about carbohydrates today and hopefully clear up some of the misconceptions you might have around carbohydrates.

Are carbohydrates bad for you? No, absolutely not. Carbohydrates are our brain and bodies preferred source of energy.  The different carbohydrates that we eat will eventually break down into single sugar molecules of glucose, fructose, or galactose molecules. There are two different types of carbohydrates that we often eat. Complex carbohydrates and Simple carbohydrates. The difference between these two carbohydrates is the structure of the carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are often longer structures that take longer to digest, and often have higher fibre content. Simple carbohydrates are shorter structures that often have little fibre. For example, complex carbohydrates include foods such as whole grains like oats, whole fruits, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Simple carbohydrates include foods such as honey, jam, and candies. I’m a believer that all foods can fit and we want to have a balanced diet which can include both complex and simple carbohydrates. I would generally recommend choosing more complex carbohydrates more often, for added fibre and b vitamins, but this doesn’t mean you have to eliminate the carbohydrates you love to eat. 

Should I limit the amount of carbohydrates I eat in a day? No, you probably don’t need to limit the amount of carbohydrates you are eating, unless you are only eating carbohydrates.  Health Canada recommends having about 45-65% of your total daily energy intake come from carbohydrates. That means if we are using a 2000 calorie diet as our estimated daily energy needs, we would need 900-1300 calories coming from carbohydrates each day. One gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories. So in order to get 900-1300 calories from carbohydrates, that would be 225-325g of carbohydrates each day. As a comparison for these numbers, that would be 15-21 slices of bread per day. Your total daily intake of carbohydrates is likely going to come from other sources than bread alone. Take a look at the example below, or you can use Canada’s Food Guide to meet your recommended amount of carbohydrate intake. Canada’s Food Guide recommends having ½ your plate fruits and vegetables, ¼ of your plate grain foods, and ¼ of your plate protein foods. This way, you won’t have to worry about counting calories or carbohydrates during the day and can still have an adequate amount of carbohydrates.

Here’s an example of what a typical day of eating might look like:

Breakfast: 1 cup cooked oatmeal (35g), 1 medium apple (15g), 1 tbsp brown sugar (15g), 1 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon, 1 cup milk or soy milk (15g)

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with 2 slices whole grain bread (30g), 5 slices turkey deli meat, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, mayonnaise, 1 medium pear (15g), ¾ cup yogurt (15g), 1 granola bar (20g)

Supper: 1 cup cooked pasta (40g), ½ cup tomato pasta sauce (8g), 4 meatballs (6g), ½ cup garden salad with 1 tbsp salad dressing, ½ cup ice cream (20g)

Snack: 1 cup blueberries (15g), ¼ cup trail mix (15g)

This would be a daily total of 264g of carbohydrates. This would mean that if you were to have 2000 calories total that 50% of your daily calories would be from carbohydrates. This would fall within the Health Canada recommendations to have between 45-65% of your daily total calories come from carbohydrates.

If you’re looking for more individual guidance on how to include carbohydrates into your day, book an appointment with me here.