It's NOT low Carb!

One of the most common responses I get from people when I tell them the way I have chosen to eat is, "Oh, so you don't eat carbs." This really grates on me. When I tell them that I do eat carbs, they then tell me that I eat a low carb diet.

Well, I certainly eat a lot less carbs than the normal person eating a traditional Australian diet, but I would argue that they eat a high carb diet. I like to think that I eat an appropriate Carbohydrate diet. I eat sufficient carbohydrates to fuel my activity level and strongly believe that this is all anyone should eat.

I have told you numerous times that all carbohydrates break down to sugar. It doesn't matter whether that carbohydate comes in the form of Bread, Pasta, Rice or Fruit and Vegetables, it all ends up as sugar. The ammount of sugar that we consume in our diet has grown an unbelievable ammount since the change of the century. The standard American diet is very similiar to the standard Australian diet (which is why both countries are suffering from an obesity epidemic!). In the years 1887-1890, Americans consumed an average of 5 pounds of Sugar per day. Nowadays, Americans are consuming upwards of 130 pounds of sugar per day.

I find this quote scary:

  In a paper published earlier this year, USDA researcher Shanthy A. Bowman, of the Agricultural Research Service, reported that heavier consumers of refined sugars (more than 18 percent of calories from added sugars) typically consume more calories but less of 15 different nutrients than do lighter consumers (under 12 percent of calories). The high consumers consumed 15 times more soft drinks and fruit ades per day than the lower consumers.

     USDA has stated that the average American, who consumes about 2,000 calories per day, can eat up to 10 teaspoons of added sugars, if he or she eats a healthful diet containing all the recommended servings of fruits, dairy products, and other foods. In fact, though, the average American is not eating that healthful diet and consumes 20 teaspoons per day of sugar.

For the full article see here.

Now I stated earlier that I consume enough carbohydrates to fuel my activity level. I am an active guy who works 2 jobs, CrossFits 5 times a week, walks his dog and plays with his son. Therefore, my activity level would be higher than most people, but still lower than a lot of people. If your activity level is lower than mine, then you should probably eat less carbohydrates than me. If your activity level is higher than mine, then you might need to eat more carbohydrates than me.

By default, when you switch from the standard Australian diet to a more Paleo way of eating you will eat less carbohydrates. This is because you will avoid a lot of those foods that are very dense in carbohydrates (Breads, Pastas etc). Once you have found a comfortable level of adherance to a paleo way of eating (and only then!) you might want to have a look at your activity level and compare that to how much of your diet is made up of carbs. (Remember that fruit and vegetable like sweet potato can still pack a high carb whack!) Once you have those two criteria lined up properly you will be flying. You will look, feel, and perform close to your optimum. Then, when people refer to your diet as a low carb diet, you can smile and hit them with the reply:

"I prefer to call it  carb appropriate diet!"