Carbohydrate Calculator

How does this carbohydrate calculator work?

This is a health tool that computes the daily carbohydrate necessary based on the user data and certain particularities in their life.

The carbohydrate calculator comprises of two tabs, each customized for the English and Metric units, with the following fields:

■ Age;

■ Gender;

■ Weight in lbs or kilograms;

■ Height in feet and inches or centimeters;

■ Activity level – varying from a sedentary lifestyle to different levels of exercise and a very active lifestyle.

The following  Mifflin-St Jeor formulas are used to compute the daily calorie recommendation:

■ For women: BMR = 10 x [Weight in kg] + 6.25 x [Height in cm] - 5 x [Age in years] + 5

■ For men: BMR = 10 x [Weight in kg] + 6.25 x [Height in cm] - 5 x [Age in years] – 161

The above results are then multiplied by a coefficient varying for each level of activity which can be found in detail in our calorie intake calculator.

Carbohydrates are one of the main sources of energy in the diet and it is essential to establish a daily intake, especially if there are certain weight goals to be attained, such as loss of a certain amount or controlled weight gain so that to achieve an ideal weight, BMI and body fat percentage.

Daily intake carbs replenish glucose and glycogen resources and help the body sustain efforts and prevent fatigue.

Because the carb intake needs to be split during the day, the calculator allows the user to choose the number of meals in order to be provided an exact amount, both of calories and grams of carbohydrate necessary.

Excess carbohydrates, above recommended ratios for individual characteristics lead to the build up of adipose tissue and weight gain.

Healthy sources include whole grains, low fat dairy, fruits, vegetable, legumes and nuts and seeds.

Dietician recommendations for carb intake account for 45 to 65 percent of the daily caloric intake, alongside proteins and fats. However, different diets allow for different percentages, some of which are given below:

■ Moderate: 45%;

■ Moderate II: 55%;

■ Zone diet: 40%;

■ Low fat: 60%;

■ Low carb: 25%;

■ Very low carb – Ketogenic: 10%.

Every gram of carbohydrate produces approximately 4 calories which means that by dividing the daily calorie need to 4 you will obtain the number of grams required.

However, there is also an alternate guideline that sais at least 130 grams should be eaten and although it might seem logic to decrease carbs and increase protein intake in order to loose weight, it appears that keeping a healthy proportion of carbs, approximately 50% of diet works better. Of course, if the subjects stay away from bad sources such as refined grains and added sugars.

Example of a calculation

Let’s take for instance the case of a female aged 25, weighing 134 lbs at a height of 5ft 4in with a sedentary lifestyle and 45% of diet comprising of carbs.

Her daily calorie intake and the carbohydrate requirement in her case, for maintenance, weight loss and weight gain, if she eats 3 meals per day is:

References

1) Merchant AT, Vatanparast H et al. (2009) Carbohydrate intake and overweight and obesity among healthy adults. J Am Diet Assoc; 109(7):1165-72.

2) van Dam RM, Seidell JC. (2007) Carbohydrate intake and obesity. Eur J Clin Nutr; 61 Suppl 1:S75-99.

3) Burke LM, Cox GR, Culmmings NK, Desbrow B. (2001) Guidelines for daily carbohydrate intake: do athletes achieve them? Sports Med; 31(4):267-99.