Question

"Research the carbohydrates vs kCalories Controversies and discuss the reason(s) carbohydrates generate so much controversy" forum question

Answer 1

The Carbohydrate Vs Calories controvesy is stems from preference or unit of consideration when measuring a healthy diet and counting the energy intake. before we discuss the reasons why carbohydrates generate so much controvery we must take into consideration a few things:

1. Calories are standard units of measurement to calculate/measure the energy body obtains from a particular food or bevarage. On an average a person requires 2000 calories a day to get energy for a healthy living.
2. Calories in food come from variety of food components like Fats, Proteins, Carbohydrates, etc.
3. According to the FDA advisory a normal human being requires approximately 50g of proteins, 65g of Fats and 300g of Carbohydrates per day.

The reasons carbohydrates generate so much controversy are as follows:

1. Carbohydrates form a major item of the normal diet we take everry day. Carbohydrates are consumed by us in the form of Bread, Fruits, vegetables, milk, etc. Carbohydrates are often considered synonymus to sugar intake in normal diet. This consideration leads to wide perception to avoid carbohydrate and not in the form of calories taken in the food.
2. For weight loss/reduction is calculated in terms of calorie intake and instead mislabed into cabohydrate intake reduction. Here we have to consider that cabohydrates are essential as they form a majoroty part of the healthy diet. Reducing cabohydates as a whole is not same as reduction in fat/sugar intake or calorie intake. Here the controversial mislabeling of reducing calorie intake versus cabohydrate intake is in focus.
3. Most people who undergo weight loss procedure opt for low carbohydrate diet/ ketogenic diets which limit the carbohydrate intake to 50-100g instead of 300g. However avoiding carbohydrates in such amount can also lead to low intake of associated macronutirents. This can adversely impact the health outcomes. Here lower calorie diet is consused with low carbohydrate and resultant chaos has serious implications on health.
4. Other controversial aspect is the balance of carbohydrate, proteins and fats in the diet and resultant calories that are consumed by a person. A calorie deficient diet has to encompass all the food groups and not be targeted at the carbohydrates solely. Focus on reducing intake of carbohydrates can lead to excess consumption of fats and proteins which can lead to increase in body weight. So reducing the number of calories as a whole is the way to go.