Carbohydrates get a bad rap due to the fact that they are associated with sugars. Because of this, many people eliminate them from their diet or drastically reduce their intake in order to maintain their waist size.
However, beneficial carbohydrates are vital for the body to perform all functions in the organs and tissues properly.
It is important to know that only certain types of carbohydrates are harmful to he alth. The rest gives you energy that you can use to lose weight by exercising enough.
Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, for example, are all useful and very important carbohydrates for the body.
In contrast, refined flours, sweets, white bread, pasta, cookies and all other packaged pasta foods are those bad carbs that you're depriving your body of the good ones.
How many carbs per day do you need?
It all depends on your mass and body weight, your physical activity, he alth status and the presence of certain metabolic diseases.
Generally speaking, a person with an average weight of 70 kg needs approximately 0.75 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans study recommends that 45 to 64 percent of your daily calories come from he althy carbohydrates. That means if you're eating about 2,000 calories a day, 900 to 1,300 of those should come from complex carbohydrates, or about 225 to 325 grams.
What are the signs that they have fallen below this he althy limit and you need more carbs?
Your breath is bad
When you constantly avoid carbohydrates, your body always has to get energy from somewhere. It targets proteins and fats, causing the breakdown of these compounds in the body. The process is called ketosis and is fundamental to the ketogenic diet.
If you eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day, it will keep the process of ketosis going, thus your bad breath. However, if you add a little more fruits, vegetables and fiber to your diet, it will make things better.
You have no energy
A large part of the body's energy reserves come from carbohydrates. They stimulate the secretion of serotonin, the hormone of happiness. Also, without enough glucose, the brain cannot function properly.
Frequent headaches
Since the brain needs enough carbohydrates to carry out all the necessary functions, they are impaired when these important substances are insufficiently available. Frequent headaches are a consequence of this fact.
Bloating and Gas
If you're missing out on the he althy carbs that go along with fiber, you're likely to suffer from bloating and gas. It is important to drink enough fluids and include slow-digesting carbohydrates to compensate for this discomfort.
Constipation
Another problem related to low fiber and carbohydrates is constipation. The intestines suffer from difficulty in processing proteins and fats, as a result of which bowel movements become harder and less frequent.
You feel like you're getting sick
You've probably heard of the ketone cold. It's not a real cold, flu or viral infection, it's just that the symptoms are very similar.
On low-carb diets, such as the ketogenic diet, a person has a stuffy nose, sore throat, muscle fatigue, dizziness, joint pain, inflammation, upset stomach, fatigue, vomiting.
To compensate for this condition, increase your carbohydrate intake, or if you don't want to, drink s alt water or bone broth.
