On average, how many carbs per day?

May 1st '14 13:45 PM
aboutme
I do not count carbs, I repeat I do not count carbs. I don't want to start either but it seems like everyone is. I might just have to start. Question, how many carbs should we be eating every day? Does it depend on age, sex, weight, etc.? I seem to eat a lot of foods that are high in carbs.
May 1st '14 16:03 PM
TwylaDee
That isn't an easy question to answer. It all depends on which food item it is because not all carbs are equal and your body uses them at different rates. The glycemic index is really important. That tells you how fast the carbs from a particular food converts to sugar and enters the blood stream. The carbs from something like bread or potatoes is going to turn to sugar much faster than the carbs from vegetables. Also, the amount of fiber in an item can be deducted from the number of carbs.
May 1st '14 19:58 PM
Avocado
Well, look there is no one answer because we are all different and our work out regimens are not the same either. But a standard answer if there is one, is about 250 grams per day on a 2,000 calorie diet. Keep in mind, bread is the worst one of all.
May 3rd '14 04:33 AM
MandaBear
Rather than looking at carbs in terms of a raw number (20 grams or 200 grams or anything in between, etc.), look at it in terms of percentages. If you don't have a sugar sensitivity, for example, it's common to have a breakdown where 50% of your calories come from carbs. Thus, how many carbs you're "allotted" per day will depend on how many calories you need to take in. If you go low carb though, that 50% may drop down to as low as 20% with up to 50% of calories coming from protein instead.