The document discusses carbohydrate recommendations, providing that the RDA for adults is 130g per day. Recommendations vary between 45-65% of total calories coming from carbs. A healthy diet can include around half carbohydrates. The document also examines fiber needs, sugar intake recommendations, and provides an example meal breakdown assessing macronutrient balance.

1. Carbohydrates:
How Much Do
We Need?
Section 4.6

2. Carbohydrate Needs
RDA is 130 g per day for adults.
Recommendations vary:
• Food and nutrition board: 45% to 65% of total kcals.
• Nutrition Facts panel: 60%.
Eat these carbs: Fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, beans
Limit: Refined grains, sugars
Fats
15 to 30%
Carbohydrates
45 to 60%
Protein
10 to 15%
This is the minimum amount to keep your brain
functioning. Exceeding this is fine as long as it is in
balance with other nutrients.
Bottom line: Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient, and
a healthy diet can include about half carbs! Surprising,
given all the hype out there??

3. Bottom line:
Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient, and a
healthy diet can include about half carbs.
Are you surprised, given all the carbohydrate-avoidance hype out
there??

4. How does this meal stack up to recommendations?
Looks pretty balanced, compared to
recommendations. This is a great
way to see if a menu is balanced.
Fats
30%
Carbohydrates
59%
Protein
11%
You can get this type of data for yourself on the
ReportMacronutrient Distribution on NCP

5. How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
Diet quality declines when sugar intake is excessive.
Upper limit of 25% of total kcal intake from added
sugars has been set by FNB.
Diets above upper limit are likely to be deficient in
vitamins and minerals.
American Heart Association upper limit:
• 100 calories added sugar for women. (6 tsp)
• 150 calories added sugar for men. (9 tsp)
Review: Make
sure you know
what an Upper
Limit (UL)
refers to.

6. How Much Fiber Do We Need?
AI is ________per day for women.
AI is ________per day for men.
Goal of ________ per 1000 kcal.
DV is 25 grams for 2000 kcal dietary pattern.
Average U.S. intake: 17 grams per day.
©Nancy R. Cohen/Getty Images
Fun facts
25 g fiber = 5 apples or 21 bread slices
38 g fiber = 8 apples or 32 bread slices
Fill in the blanks
with these choices:
14 g
25 g
38 g
Answers on p. 145
(Section 4.6)

7. Case study
Amalia discovered the joy of juicing! She didn’t always enjoy eating
fruits and vegetables, but she found it fun and delicious to run them
through her juicer and drink the colorful results, while avoiding the less-
tasty pulp.
• How might Amalia’s juice-drinking habit improve her nutrition?
• What are some possible nutritional
drawbacks?
Submit your answers in the ICA quiz!