WE Nutrition UK

2 days ago

“How many carbs should I be eating?” is a common question posed by many people. However, the answer is not always so simple…⁣
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🤓Public health guidelines, which are created from research and form the basis of healthy eating in the UK, suggest that about a third of our daily diet should be made of carbs. This means having some carbs at every meal (which is often the case in most cultures). ⁣Aiming for a quarter of the plate to be carbs, as well as having some fruit in the day should do the trick.
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🍎 If we want to get a little more technical, then it is recommended that 50% of our total daily energy should come from carbs. For an “average woman” this equates to about 250g and for an “average man” about 300g. To put this into perspective, 20g of carbs is a generous handful of fruit; a slice of bread (white or wholegrain); two tablespoons of pasta or rice; two egg sized potatoes or two digestive biscuits.⁣
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🧐 Now, please raise your hand if you’re the average man or woman? Exactly. We need to bear in mind that these guidelines assume that we are taking into account the activity guidelines too (which most of us may struggle to realistically achieve). As well as activity levels, the amount of carbs you need also depends on your age, current weight and overall health. We also need to think that day to day, our energy levels, food preferences and factors affecting our choices will change.⁣
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🍽 The best advice? Have an awareness of the amount of carbs, but also focus on the type of carbs. Choose more wholegrain, high-fibre carbs and fewer processed carbs. This means more wholegrain bread, pasta, rice and boiled potatoes and less white bread, mash potato, chips, biscuits, sweets and chocolate. This will give you more nutrients and have greater health benefits i.e. more fibre for gut health; slow release energy, and keep you fuller for longer. ⁣
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