Carb Intake Calculator

The carb intake calculator or carbohydrate intake calculator) evaluates the daily dosage of carbohydrates for you according to your age, weight, and height. Whether you want to lose or gain weight, it is necessary to keep a strong check and balance on your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates are simple sugars that play a main role in balancing a proper body mass index.

A carb intake calculator is an important tool to assess the healthy amount of carbohydrates. In addition, a carb intake calculator will determine the daily need for healthy carbohydrates for a balanced and healthy diet. A healthy diet will surely help you to achieve your dietary goals.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are one of the essential macronutrients of food like protein and fats. It is an important ingredient to provide energy for various functions. Carbohydrates break down into glucose in the body to provide enough energy. After this, glucose can be converted into glycogen, which provides energy during energy crises like fasting.

What is the daily requirement of carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are the necessary ingredient of your daily diet. The carb intake calculator helps to evaluate the daily requirement of carbohydrates to fulfill body demands. You cannot neglect the daily demand for carbohydrates. In addition, carbohydrates are the rich source of several foods and come in the form of starches, sugars, and fibers. Moreover, carbohydrates should provide approximately 45 to 65% of daily calorie intake.

According to the carb intake calculator, a minimum carb intake of 130g daily is beneficial for adults. A rough estimate dictates that 1g of carbohydrates offer 4 Kcal of energy.

• The minimum recommended percentage of calories from carbohydrates should be 45%. It states that almost half of your body’s energy should come from carbohydrates. You can calculate the minimum lower levels of carbohydrates with a carb intake calculator.
• The maximum recommended percentage of calories from carbohydrates should be 65%. Exceeding this limit, you may lack other macronutrients like protein, fats in your body. A carb intake calculator will suggest to you the best amount of carbohydrates according to your physical activity.

There are different diets that contain different percentages of carbohydrates intake out of the total calories. Let us have an example about these diet plans.

• Keto diet – 10%
• Zone diet – 40%
• Low lipid diet – 60%
• Low carb diet – 25%

The carb intake calculator determines a bit higher range of carbohydrates for athletes. As carb intake calculator also depends on daily physical activity. The normal carbohydrate ranges from 6-10g per kg of weight for athletes.

What are the types of carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are ranging from simple sugars to complex starches and fibers. There are three common types of carbohydrates known as simple sugars, starches, and fibers. Carbohydrates are a rich source of energy. Let us have a look at these common types of available carbohydrates to know better details about the carb intake calculator.

Sugars

It is the simplest form of carbohydrates that are readily available in the body. These sugars are commonly present in fruits, dairy products, and vegetables. Moreover, it is also present in the processed form in cookies, cakes, and beverages.

Starches

These are complex carbohydrates that break down into simple sugars to provide energy. In addition, it is usually present in legumes, beans, grains, and vegetables.

Fibers

It is a complex type of carbohydrate that is usually present in grains and vegetables. In addition, these fibers also help in the digestion of various foods.

What are the qualities of good carbohydrates intake?

Good carbs must be part of your daily diet plan. According to the carb intake calculator, good carbs provide low energy but are highly nutritious. Good carbohydrates contain the below-mentioned characteristics.

• Good carbohydrates provide a low to moderate quantity of calories.
• They are high in nutrients
• They do not possess refined sugars or processed foods.
• They are usually high in natural fibers.
• These carbs have a lower amount of saturated fats and sodium content.
• They do not contain cholesterol and trans fats to make your diet unhealthy.

What are the best types of carbohydrates for losing weight?

Good carbs are of importance during the weight loss journey. Complex carbs like fibers are important for weight loss. They break down slowly and provide a regular energy spike. In this way, it will surely lower down your appetite. Complex carbohydrates include sweet potatoes, fruits, veggies, and beans. They also help in better but slow digestion to help you to lose weight. 

How to know about bad carbohydrates?

Bad carbohydrates are usually a part of refined and processed foods. Moreover, bad carbohydrates are just the opposite of good carbs. The most common characteristics of bad carbohydrates are:

• Bad carbohydrates usually provide a high calorie percentage, according to the carb intake calculator.
• They usually contain low nutrient ratios.
• Bad carbohydrates include refined or processed sugars like corn syrup, white sugar, etc.
• Bad carbohydrates are low in fiber content.
• They usually contain high levels of sodium and saturated fats.
• They can also contain high levels of cholesterol and trans fats.

What are the best carbohydrates to build muscles?

Bad carbohydrates can be used to gain muscle strength. You can use bad carbohydrates during resistance exercises or after exercise. It will surely help you to build muscles. These carbohydrates help you to restore muscle glycogen quickly. In addition, it also ensures the maximum calorie intake during exercise.

What are the diseases associated with increased carbohydrates intake?

There are several diseases that occur due to increased carbohydrates intake. Simple sugars are easily available in the bloodstream because of no further breakdown. These simple sugars may cause several diseases that are fatal to human health. These diseases include:

• Obesity – due to simple sugars intake
• Non-insulin dependant diabetes mellitus – increasing obesity
• Cardiovascular diseases – coronary heart diseases and atherosclerosis
• Gastrointestinal disorders – digestion problems
• Dental caries due to increased sticky simple sugars intake
• Inherited conditions restricting dietary carbohydrate intake
• Some types of cancer like colorectal cancer

How can I determine the carbohydrate quantity in my food?

You can easily determine the carbohydrate quantity in your food. Simply you can read food labels behind the food items to know about the number of nutrients. You can also weigh your food at any food scale to know the quantities of the nutrients.

How to calculate daily carbohydrate intake?

As we know, we require about 45 to 65% of body energy from carbohydrates. In addition, 1g of carbohydrates provides about 4 Kcal of energy. The daily carbohydrate intake or calorie demand can be determined by the basal metabolic rate (BMR) formula. This BMR formula is best to maintain the current weight indexed by the level of activity.

There are two formulas according to gender that will help you to calculate the daily calorie demand for your body. In this way, this carb intake calculator provides the detail of calories and carbohydrates.

BMR (females) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (years) +5
BMR (makes) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6. 25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (years) – 161

These formulas will help you to determine your daily calorie intake. If you divide the given answer by 4, it will provide you with the carbohydrate intake in grams. As 1g of carbohydrate provides 4 Kcal of energy.

This formula can further accurate the calorie demand or carbohydrates intake according to your physical activity. The physical activity options are:

• Sedentary or no / little exercise
• Exercise of 2-4 times per week
• Moderate level exercise of about 4 times per week
• Active exercise of about 5 times per week
• More active exercise of about 5 times intense exercise per week
• Day by day exercise
• Day by day intense exercise or twice daily
• Daily exercise and physical activity or job

These carb intake calculators can also help you to decide about weight gain or loss. First, you have to check your ideal weight according to your age and height. It will help you to maintain your current weight. Moreover, it will also help you to decide whether to lose or gain weight.

Conclusion

The carb intake calculator helps you to determine the daily amount of carbohydrate intake. It evaluates the accurate amount of calories you require in a day. There are different formulas for males and females to determine the daily calorie demand. The institute of medicine states that 1g of carbohydrate provides 4 Kcal of energy. In this way, you need to divide the calorie count by 4 to get the daily carbohydrate intake in grams.

Carbohydrates are the macronutrients that provide about 45 to 65% of daily energy demand. In addition, carbohydrates provide about half of the daily total energy demand. There are good and bad carbohydrates according to their qualities. Bad carbohydrates are usually simple sugars present in refined foods. Excess of this bad carbohydrates intake can cause various diseases. You really need to maintain a proper check and balance on your carbohydrate intake demand.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)