That’s quite the hot topic lately. It seems that low carb diets are all the rage. Keto. Low Carb. Atkins. There are many names for this type of a diet, but let’s dig in and analyze this a bit…
I would say, without a doubt, Americans eat way too many processed foods, mainly in the form of carbohydrates (carbs). While carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source, most people eat way more than they need to support their activity level. The excess gets stored as fat. In fact, when you eat a high carbohydrate meal, a hormone called insulin spikes. Insulin is actually nick-named the “Fat Storage Hormone”, so it stands to reason that the over consumption of carbs is a great way to pack on extra weight in the form of fat. Not many people I know are looking to do that.
Foods fall into one of three macro nutrient categories: Fat, Carbohydrate and Protein. If a person consumes high amounts of carbohydrates (carbs), they are consuming less protein and fat. It’s like a pie. The more you eat from one category, the more you take away from another category. Over the years, there are many “experts” that have suggested a proper ratio for each category. A pretty typical recommendation has usually been about 60-70% carbs, 20-30% protein and 30% fat or something close to that. Is that a good ratio?
I want to preface the rest of this article by saying that people are obviously all different. The thing that works best for one person won’t necessarily be perfect for another. There is a time and a place to work one on one with a functional healthcare provider if you fall into the category where you have generally tried the things I talk about in this article or my other articles and still having issue. However, for most people, I have discovered a “sweet spot” if you will when it comes to macronutrients.
Really low carbohydrate diets can be very helpful where a significant amount of weight needs to be lost (50 plus pounds) or in some cases where disease processes need to be starved (cancer for example). For most people, however, a super low carb diet is very restrictive and eliminates many foods that although a bit higher in carb are still healthy (apples, beets, sweet potatoes, beans, lentils, etc). For that reason, I believe the right ratio is as follows:
- 25% carbs
- 25% protein
- 50% HEALTHY fats
Let’s break this down a bit further and talk about each of those categories:
The protein component is pretty fixed. A body can only absorb so much protein. If excess is consumed, it can be very hard on the kidneys to eliminate. I have see this a number of times in my practice. Weight lifters who are consuming very high amounts of protein and “Recovery Drinks” that contain super high amounts of protein only to realize that their kidneys are struggling to keep up with eliminating all of the excess. There is a healthy range for protein, and for most of us, it’s 25% of our calories or so. If you are super active maybe a bit more, and specifically timed to be consumed after a workout is helpful, but consuming super high amounts will not help and may actually hurt.
That leaves us with fat and carbs. Healthy fats should account for about 50% of your diet. You may still have memories from the last few decades where the health “experts” were all about the benefits of a low fat diet. If you look around at the levels of diabetes and heart disease, you will understand that this advice really is not all that beneficial. If you lower the fat, and keep the protein about 25% which we have already discussed is sort of a “fixed” number, then all that is left is carbs. A low fat diet is essentially a high carb diet and those cause increases in insulin production which is a known pre-cursor to diabetes and signals the body to actually store fat. It can be a bit difficult to wrap your mind around at first, but most people actually gain fat on a low fat diet and lose fat on a higher fat diet. That is because fat does not cause an insulin response the way carbs do.
Let’s talk about what healthy fats are: Avocados and avocado oil, coconut products, olive oil, nuts (not roasted in vegetable oil), grass fed and organic meats, fatty wild-caught fish like salmon, farm fresh eggs, grass fed butter. These are all natural, non-processed foods. We want to be avoiding vegetable oils, fried foods, processed junk foods with zero nutritional value.
Last, but not least are the carbs. If you stick to 25% protein and 50% healthy fats, that leaves about 25% of your calories coming from carbs. That allows for some higher-carb healthy foods like beets, sweet potatoes, apples, etc. to make it into your diet. You can’t eat them all on the same day, but you still get to enjoy the taste and the nutritional benefits these foods. I think it’s important to note that not all carbs are created equal! You want to focus on consuming whole foods that are unprocessed. The majority of your carbs should be coming from vegetables. Throw in a small amount of fruit and you have most likely met your daily quota. Although grains are tasty, in my opinion they are not of any nutritional value. Very small amounts of gluten free grains like quinoa, rice, etc. can be worked into diet rich in vegetables, healthy fats, small amounts of fruit and adequate protein. I find that good health is correlated with the reduction or elimination of grains, however. Grains also have are relatively high on the glycemic index meaning they cause a sharp rise in insulin production. The less you cause this reaction in your body, the better!
If you break down the 25%, 25% 50% equation a bit further, you will find that for a diet of about 1600 calories per day, this breaks down into about 100 grams each of protein and carbs and about 89 grams of fat. For a 2000 calorie per day diet, the breakdown is 125 grams each of carbs and protein and 111 grams of fat. There are many apps and trackers that will help you keep track of that, but that gives you a general idea of where you should be.
I hope you will find that helpful. This is the macro formula I follow in my diet and what I advise most of my clients to follow. I have seen great results with this and I think you will to!
If you would like to reach out to a member of my team to discuss a health concern you are struggling with, we would be happy to talk to you to see if we can help. You can use this link to access our schedule and book a time for a free call.
To your health!
Dr. Jeni
