Daily Calorie Intake

Carbohydrates are loaded with vitamins that our body needs for healthy cell growth and repair as well as for immune, circulatory, endocrine and other vital bodily functions. They also provide the main fuel for muscular movements, which is why our diet must include a large proportion of carbohydrates to provide the much-needed energy for our daily activities. If you are physically active or work out frequently, then you must consume more carbohydrates to enable your muscular system to work harder, burn more calories and maintain weight. If you want to shed off some weight, you must not do it at the expense of adequate nutrition.

A low daily carb intake can make your exercise program really difficult, especially if your workout is anaerobic which demands increased bodily movements or greater effort. Anaerobic workouts such as weight training or running burn more calories resulting in increased oxygen demand. As we gasp and try to catch our breath, our muscle cells start to burn carbohydrates because this nutrient burns easily without the need for oxygen. During this process, up to ninety-five percent of the fuel used will come from carbohydrates. A low carbohydrate diet can make our workout tough resulting in decreased desire to engage in further exercise, which can in turn, reduce our physical fitness.

Ideally, our diet should provide a daily carb intake of anywhere from forty-five to sixty-five percent of our total daily energy requirement. Of this, a large portion should come in the form of complex carbohydrates that can be derived from low calorie food sources such as vegetables, cereals and grains. There are a lot of processed foods that are also high in carbohydrates, but they also tend to have a high calorie and fat content. If you are trying to shed some weight, you should limit your consumption of these food items. Consuming fresh natural foods is a good part of your daily carb intake program. If you want to purchase processed foodstuff off the shelf, make it a habit to check package labels for calorie and fat content. As a general rule, if the packaged food has a fat content of more than fifteen grams per 100 grams of the food item, then you should consume a much smaller portion of the packaged food item.

Remember that it is not advisable to reduce your daily carb intake when you are on a weight loss program and there is much wisdom in consulting your dietitian or doctor because there is no standard healthy eating plan that prescribes a fixed amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein calories. A healthy and safe weight reduction diet may entail a lower or higher carbohydrates content depending on your bodily needs, lifestyle and taste.

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