Day 72...Carbs continued

"How many carbs should I have in my diet?"  If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that...well, you know the rest.  You should see the looks I get when I answer the question...usually different than what the person asking thought he would hear...or wanted to hear.  

I know, I know...right now you are thinking "So how much carbohydrate should I have?"

To be honest with you, this is not an easy answer.  Your CHO intake is really dictated by your level of activity.  Take for example, athletes...their CHO intake is going to be based on a number of factors such as current body weight, total energy (kcal) needs, the specific metabolic demands of their sport, stage of training, competition schedule, etc. 

Now can you see why it's really not a 'cut and dry' answer?

Remember, the primary role of CHO is to provide energy to the cells...especially the brain.  The RDA (recommended daily allowance) of CHO is at least 130 grams per day for adults and children.  This amount is based on the minimum amounts of glucose utilized by the brain.  So you see...CHO are really brain foods!  Additionally, the AMDR for CHO for males and females above the age of nine years old is 45-65% of total daily calories.  This is the answer that I usually give people when they ask.  And this is the answer that usually causes them to cock their head to the side, and smirk like they think I have no idea what I'm talking about.  Then why ask...right?  The problem is that most people think that CHO are just bread, pastas, and rices.  Of course you wouldn't eat a diet that consisted of 45-65% pastas and breads...well, I wouldn't anyway!

Okay...so maybe you're not an athlete...an elite one anyway, but you still play sports such as tennis and golf, or you are a tri-athlete.  Maybe you are like me...a weekend warrior who rides, and occasionally races, bikes.  You might be wondering how much CHO should your diet consist of.  I will try my best to answer that question now...

Lets take a look at endurance sports.  I chose this because I feel that most sports that us 'weekend warrior types' participate in, are truly endurance based.  Obviously cycling is...golf somewhat...triathlon for sure...tennis, you betcha!  A good rule of thumb to help sustain energy and allow for optimal performance during your sporting event is to consume between 6-10 grams per kilogram of body weight, per day (6-10g/kg/day).  BTW...to determine kg, simply divide your weight in pounds by 2.2...or 2 to make it even easier.  Using myself as an example...185 / 2.2 = 84.09 kg.  Using this method, I should consume a range of CHO daily between 504-840 grams.  This amount will allow me to sustain optimal energy levels throughout the day, train at the appropriate intensity, and provide proper fuel for the brain so that I can sit down and blog.  More importantly, it will allow me to make split-second critical decisions at work, that my fellow firefighters and the public rely on.  

WARNING-PERSONAL OPINION-WARNING!!!

Lets stop to think about something here for a moment.  The Atkins Diet...and every other spin-off, suggests that eliminating all but about 5% of your daily CHO intake is healthy.  What is the brain's source of fuel?  That's right...glucose.  Where do we get glucose from?  Right again!...carbohydrates.  What happens when we forget to put fuel in our cars?  Simple...the engine stops working.  

If we are not fueling our brains correctly, then our brains will not operate correctly.  Low-carb and carb-free diets were very popular within the fire service in recent years, and still are.  Lets take a peek into my day, in order to make a point...you with me?

My shift begins at 0800...that's eight in the morning for you civilian folks :)...it ends 24-hours later.  During those 24-hours, I participate in some pretty physical activity running calls, training, working out, etc.  All the while, my body is burning up CHO for fuel.  Today however, I begin a carb-free or low-carb diet to lose a little weight.  For the first few days I don't experience any problems...I have plenty of energy thanks to muscle and liver glycogen stores.  But like any store, if I don't restock the shelves...you get where I'm going right?  Okay...it's four or five days later now, and I am back on duty performing the same things throughout the day...only today I feel a little tired...even weak.  I push on, realizing that this is where the process of gluconeogenesis (more on that later) is supposed to be providing energy from the breakdown of protein (btw...my muscles are made of protein), and my fat stores are supposed to be being used for energy in place of my glycogen. 

Now, its 0200 and I am awakened by the lights coming on in my bunk room, and the sound of the emergency tones.  I wake up, have no idea where I am, and wonder who turned on my lights.  I finally realize that I am at work, and I scramble to get my clothes on and get out to the truck...wondering just how long it took me, and if my entire crew is waiting in the truck for their fearless leader.  I m ake my way to the truck, check the mobile command terminal (laptop) to see what kind of call we are going  on...chest pain...no problem, I've been on so many chest pain calls in my twenty year career, I could run them in my sleep...we'll see.  We arrive at the house to find an elderly woman complaining that her heart is pounding and she is having chest pain.  We attach a 12-lead EKG to her and find that she  is experiencing a serious cardiac arrhythmia...supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), and her heart is beating over 200 beats per minute.  She too is burning up glucose like its going out of business!  So now it is time for me to determine what to do...should we medicate her, or shock her out of her rhythm?  Okay...let's shock her.  I can't remember how many joules I should be shocking her at because my brain is not functioning correctly.  Oh crap...maybe we should be medicating her!  But wait...I can' think straight enough to do the drug calculations in my head!  Before I know it, she has become unconscious, and her heart has entered into a fatal rhythm...now what do I do!?

Pretty scary huh?  Usually those decisions are made in an instant...due to the correct amount of glucose circulating through the brain...allowing for optimal brain stimulation and processing...but not tonite.  How would you like that to be your mother or grandmother?  That is the danger that lurks behind carb-free and low-carb diets.  It doesn't have to be me either...think about all of the critical decisions that are made every day, by ordinary people, that involve the lives of other people.  I know, you are thinking "But I don't deal with other people's lives."  How about the simple task of driving your car?  Critical decisions are made every time you get behind the wheel.  Think about it.

Okay enough for today.  Check back, and we'll talk more about carbs.