Carbs, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

By Rachel Conner

Over the past couple weeks I've been thinking, "I eat healthy food and work out a lot...why am I not losing weight and toning up as quickly as I want to be?!?!" Then I read my dad's (Tom Conner) blog below and I realized that my old man is putting me to shame in terms of fitness and nutrition! In comparison, I'm doing about half as much cardio and I'm really not eating as well as I should be. This all got me thinking about everything I've eaten over the last few days. My biggest weakness? CARBS! I've never had a problem with sweets, but bread is my kryptonite. Then my wheel really got to turning. I thought, "I wonder how many carbohydrates I'm really supposed to consume each day..." And where better to find the answer than the world wide web! So I did a little research and found that before I can calculate my daily carb intake I need to calculate my daily caloric intake. Here's the calculator I used. It's not super scientific but it told me that based on my age, height, weight and exercise level, I should be consuming about 1,788 calories a day. On the upside, that's very close to my actual intake each day. On the downside, I'm 100% sure my food pyramid is way off kilter. Next, I went here and found out this info:

Most medical experts say that 60 percent of the calories you eat every day should come from carbohydrates. To find out how many carbohydrates you need, multiply the number of calories you need by .6. For example, if you need 2,000 calories per day, 2,000 multiplied by .6 = 1,200. So you know you need 1,200 calories from carbohydrates. There are 4 calories in a gram of carbohydrate. Take your 1,200 calories and divide by 4 = 300 grams. Knowing the calories and the carbohydrate grams you need will help you when you're reading a food label.


Once the calculator on that same website did the math for me, I learned that I need 1,072.8 calories from carbohydrates, which equals 268.2 grams of carbohydrates each day. Here are some interesting facts I discovered about carbohydrates on MyFoodDiary.net while surfing the web:

Carbohydrates are separated into simple carbohydrates (sugar), complex carbohydrates (fiber) and starch. Carbohydrates can also be separated into groups based on the Glycemic Index, which measures how high and how quickly blood glucose levels change after eating carbohydrates. The higher the Glycemic Index, the higher the rise in blood sugar and the longer it takes to return to normal. For a healthy diet, it is best to focus on foods with a low Glycemic Index (e.g., whole grains, oats, and whole wheat pasta). Foods with a high Glycemic Index have been linked to elevated risks of heart disease and diabetes.

Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. They are easily digested and broken down into glucose, which the body uses to perform its numerous functions. In contrast, protein and fat are more difficult to digest and are needed to build tissues and cells in the body. For this reason, most of your energy (calories) should come from carbohydrates.


The following is a list of foods that are classified by their Glycemic Index.



Low Glycemic Index:
Pumpernickel Bread, Pasta (whole wheat), Bran Cereal, Soybeans, Lentils, Baked Beans, Peaches, Apples, Oranges, Milk/Yogurt, Chocolate






Moderate Glycemic Index:
Sourdough or Rye Bread, Shredded Wheat, Banana, Pineapple, Orange Juice, Ice Cream




High Glycemic Index:
White bread, Short-grain Rice, Cornflakes, Waffles, Potatoes, Carrots, Watermelon, Soft Drinks, Jellybeans, Honey





Because these tidbits of information on carbohydrates have now been brought to my attention thanks to the internet, I have decided to keep a week-long food journal to keep me accountable to balancing out my food pyramid. I will soon post this for the world to see, so keep a lookout for that entry!