Cutting Carbs

When it comes to carbs there is a lot to consider, including that not all carbs are bad.  Part of the problem is: the standard American diet is loaded with far too many carbs, and bad carbs at that, and the American Food Pyramid is not an accurate representation of a "good diet."  More Americans die of obesity than they do hunger.

The Australian Food Pyramid shows a much more accurate demonstration of a balanced, healthy diet.

It is healthy to limit the intake of breads and remove heavily processed and bleached breads/starches from your diet.  Sometimes cutting carbs literally means doing just that!  If you are eating a slice of pizza for example, set a limit on your slice(s) and cut off the crust and throw the crust away (or give it to your dog) before you sit down and eat.  If you leave the crust or excess bread in front of you, the likelihood of you eating it after finishing the rest of your pizza increases.  As a general rule of thumb, make sure you have more vegetables in your diet than fruits, and more "fruits and vegetables" than breads and drink plenty of water to help you stay full.

How many carbs should I consume in a day?

An average person should consume between 100 grams and 150 grams of "Good Carbs" per day based on a 2,000 calorie diet, that is about 15% to 30% of food on each plate (I aim for 15% to 25% to make it easy on a serving plate).  Highly-active athletes are recommended to consume more, around 250 carbs per day.  Diabetics, people with Alzheimer's Disease, metabolic issues, carb intolerance, lacking digestive enzymes, or have blood-sugar issues should aim closer to 60 grams per day, but not lower--- this also works if you are trying to stick with a low-carb approach to good health.  Just like with sodium, however, cutting carbs too low can also negatively benefit your health.  It's okay to do a low-carb diet, but don't do "too-low" or go to the extreme to try to cut out all carbs or you could cause more health problems than benefits.