Know Your Daily Carbohydrate Needs To Avoid Diabetes Risk

Illustration of rice as a source of carbohydrates (Unsplash / Mgg Vitchakorn)

JAKARTA - As we know, carbohydrates contain a glycemic index in addition to fiber, especially complex carbohydrates. To avoid the risk of diabetes or control the glycemic index to remain normal in the blood, you need to know the number of carbohydrates needed per day.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by frequent consumption of carbohydrates and foods that contain a high glycemic index, so the body's natural insulin does not function effectively to convert it into energy. In the end, the level of glucose in the blood is too high and can lead to other diseases.

In order to maintain the health of your body, it is necessary to follow a carbohydrate diet. A carbohydrate diet or low-carb diet is beneficial for weight loss and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Each person will certainly have a different dose of carbohydrate needs every day.

This is motivated by the condition of the body's metabolism and the health level of each person. Referring to the Nutritional Adequacy Rate (RDA) published by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in 2020, below is a breakdown of carbohydrate needs per day:

Infant/Child

0-5 months: 59 grams

6-11 months: 105 grams

1-3 years: 215 grams

4-6 years: 220 grams

7-9 years: 250 grams

Women

10-12 years: 280 grams

13-15 years: 300 grams

16-18 years: 300 grams

19-29 years: 360 grams

30-49 years: 340 grams

50-64 years: 280 grams

65-80 years: 230 grams

80 years and over: 200 grams

Man

10-12 years: 300 grams

13-15 years: 350 grams

16-18 years: 400 grams

19-29 years: 430 grams

30-49 years: 415 grams

50-64 years: 340 grams

65-80 years: 275 grams

80 years and over: 235 grams

For women who are pregnant and breastfeeding, they need to increase their intake of carbohydrates. Because the nutritional needs of the fetus and breastfed baby depend on the intake consumed by the mother. The following are additional carbohydrate needs per day for mothers who are pregnant and breastfeeding:

Pregnant

1st trimester: need to add 25 grams of needs according to age

2nd trimester: need to add 40 grams of needs according to age

Trimester 3: need to add 40 grams of needs according to age

Breastfeeding

The first 6 months: +45 grams

Second 6 months: +55 grams

From the list of carbohydrate needs per day above, you can adjust your daily menu. To meet all nutritional needs and not only carbohydrate needs, but it is also recommended to eat foods that contain complex nutrients.

Illustration of balanced nutritional needs (Unsplash / Drew Taylor)

What needs to be considered further is body weight. If the body mass index exceeds the normal size or is overweight, then the above measurements need to be reduced. And again it needs to be adjusted to the level of your daily activities.

The more activities that are carried out every day, the body needs an adequate source of minimal energy based on the RDA measurement above.

In calculating the daily carbohydrate needs, 1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories. This means that if you are a 35-year-old woman, you need 340 grams of calories and 1.360 calories per day, which includes 65 percent of the carbohydrate needs according to the RDA.