Page 59 - The Skinny On Your Diet Plan

In addition, when people with underlying insulin resistance eat

moderate and high-GI foods, their bodies produce more insulin than a

healthy person’s.

Okay, enough about all that science stuff, how many carbohydrates
should you be consuming?

How Many Carbohydrates do I Need?

Our brain, the most energy-greedy of all our organs, consumes about
20% of our total daily resting energy expenditure, and its preferred energy

source is from carbs. The daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

for carbohydrates to meet the brain’s energy needs is about 125-130 grams
(500-520 calories) per day for adults and children. However, carbohydrates

are not an essential nutrient (or macronutrient) in the same way that certain

amino acids or fatty acids are essential.

Strictly speaking, we don’t need carbohydrates to function, and our
bodies can make them from other things, such as amino acids (via

gluconeogenesis) to meet the body’s need. If we manufactured that 125-130
grams of glucose in the absence of dietary carbohydrate, about 40% of that

glucose would come from fat, and about 60% would come from proteins
(putting your hard-earned muscles at risk). However, as with protein,

adequate is not necessarily the same as optimal.

• Some people, especially most athletes, will feel, perform, and

recover better with relatively more carbohydrate in their diet.
How much more for the athlete depends on the sport, position

played, and a few other factors.

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