Carbohydrates Guide

Learn strategies to meet your carb needs based on your macro breakdown, and check out our list of recommended carbs that fit your macro goals.

Strategies and food guides based on your carb ratios:

• Moderate Carb
  50-55%

• Reduced Carb
  40-45%

• Low Carb
  25-35%

• Ketogenic Diet
  5%

This is good for a flexible, varied diet. It’s easy to follow and especially helpful for weight maintenance, maintaining muscle mass or slow and steady weight loss. It's also ideal for people who follow a light-to-moderate exercise regimen.

Examples of moderate carb diets include the USDA Recommended and the High Protein diet.

Helpful Strategies

• Plan meals around your carb source.

• Choose high-fiber carbs for the main part of your meal.
  High-fiber carb options have a slower rate of digestion, resulting in a gradual release of energy and making you feel full for longer.

• Your protein and fat sources should make up a slightly smaller portion of your plate.

• Enjoy leafy vegetables as much as you want.
  Leafy vegetables contain very minimal carbohydrates and are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. No need to count them—they’re carb freebies.

What to Eat

Try a combination of these high-fiber carb-dense foods and adjust portion sizes to meet your goal.

Manage sugar cravings without eliminating any food groups and maintain a varied, balanced diet with this macro goal.

If you’ve had trouble losing weight or are looking to support general fitness, slightly decreasing carbohydrates and increasing your protein can make you feel full for longer and support muscle growth.

Helpful Strategies

• Build meals around a protein source.
  Balance meals with a carb source about the same serving size as your protein.

• Choose high-fiber carbs.
  While high-protein options can help with satiety, high-fiber carbohydrates help regulate digestion.

What to Eat

Try a combination of these high-fiber carb-dense foods and adjust portion sizes to meet your goal.

Low carb diets are a good option if you’re looking to kickstart weight loss, build muscle quickly, or don’t mind passing up certain foods. Some people can eat low carb and succeed while others struggle with feeling full and satisfied.

The key is to pick foods you love, and if you find it unsustainable or unsatisfying, try a different carb breakdown that better suits how you feel.

Helpful Strategies

• Build your meal with protein first.

• Load up on fruits and vegetables.

• Choose complex carbs for your carb macros at least one meal a day.
  Complex carbs are high in fiber (more than 5g per serving): sweet potatoes, beans, lentils or whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, farro, etc.

What to Eat

Try the following high-fiber carb options.

It is crucial to eat within the carb macro limit to hit and maintain ketosis and reap the benefits of this diet.

Because of the strict food restrictions and side effects (Keto Flu, unknown long-term effects), we recommend only trying this diet for about 2 months at a time, and then transitioning to a low- or reduced-carb diet.

Helpful Strategies

• Focus on a fat source for the main portion of your meal.

• Complement with a protein source.

• Complete your meal with a small serving of vegetables or low-sugar fruits.

• Don’t worry about finding a carb source for your meal.
  You'll be meeting carb needs through your protein and fat sources.

• Count net carbs.
  Keto is most effective counting net carbs instead of total carbs. (Net carbs = total carbs - fiber.)

What to Eat

Try these high-fiber low-net carb foods to maintain a state of ketosis.