How many carbohydrates should I get?

The carbohydrates are essential for your diet. They provide high levels of energy, which can be more easily deployed in the body than the fats and the protein. However, during the last years they have earned a bad reputation on the net, so many people have started avoid them in their diet.

But not all the carbs are the same. Many people distinguish them in good and bad carbs. The good carbs (also called complex carboidrathes) contains high-level fiber, which makes them faster absorbed by your body. Typically foods are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.

The bad carbs (aka simple carbs), instead contains less fiber, makes them slower to absorb than the complex carboidrathes; with bread, white rice and soda drinks contains high level of simple carbs. We can minimize the health risk of bad carbs by eating fewer refined and processed carbohydrates that strip away beneficial fiber.

The national Academies Institute of Medicine recommended focusing on getting more good carbs with fiber into their diet. To meet the body's daily nutritional needs while minimizing risk for chronic disease, adults should get 45% to 65% of their calories from carbohydrates, 20% to 35% from fat, and 10% to 35% from protein.