Remember the Carbohydrates rule?
The rule is to limit your Carbohydrates for a day to X cups
(X for you will be calculated in your App: click the sidebar and then 'What is your Daily9').
This question is worth 2 points! So a 'Yes' answer to this wins you 2 points, a 'No' wins none :(
Read on to understand:
What counts as Carbohydrates for the D9
Why you should limit your carbohydrate intake
How much is 1 cup of Carbohydrates in real food terms (eg, in number of idlis, rotis, slices of bread etc)
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibres that are the main source of energy in our bodies. We get it from most staple foods, mainly grains like rice and wheat.
Almost all foods that we eat contain carbohydrates in some amount. We need to distinguish foods that have little carbohydrates and foods that are mostly carbohydrates.
The foods that are mostly comprise of carbohydrates are:
All grains (eg. wheat, white rice, brown rice, millets, quinoa, barley, oats, muesli, rye, spelt)
Certain vegetables like roots & tubers (eg. potato, sweet potato, raw banana, corn, taro, yam, green peas, colocasia (arbi), cassava (tapioca, sabudana))
Anything made from the above foods will also be mostly carbohydrates. For example, chapati/roti is made from wheat, idli and dosa are made from white rice, corn tortillas are made from corn - and are all therefore mostly carbohydrates.
In addition, legumes (including channa, rajma, chickpeas, sprouts, lentils such as yellow/black dal, etc) are high in carbohydrates but also contain some protein. As part of your Daily9, vegetarians who do not eat eggs can include up to 1 cup of legumes (except peanuts) as a Protein source. Any excess over this specified portion should be considered as Carbohydrates. Note: If you are vegan, you can count these fully as a protein source.
Why should I limit my Carbohydrate intake?
Our diets tend to be very heavy in carbs and that is a major contributor to an increase in weight and body fat, and being at an unhealthy weight may eventually lead to serious health issues. Instead of filling up on the carbs, you should be selecting more nutrient-dense foods such as Vegetables and Proteins.
Here is an example to show this. Imagine a day where you eat the following:
Breakfast - oats.
Lunch - rice with dal & veggies.
Dinner - roti with rajma & veggies.
The oats, rice, dal & rajma are all carbohydrate-rich, apart for some Protein in the dal/rajma! We don’t realize it, but its likely that many of us are having 4-8 cups of carbs in a day every day.
It’s no surprise that excessive carbs is one of the main contributors to excessive fat gain. So to reverse this situation, the D9 caps your Carbohydrate intake for a day to X cups (check your App for your X). Also, most forms of carbs have very few nutrients, so you won’t miss much by reducing it! You can also get your fibre from other foods such as vegetables and fruits.
We compensate by giving our body higher quality food that has more nutrients in the form of more vegetables and protein 😊.
How much is 1 cup of Carbohydrates in real food?
As a broad indicator, all of the following are the equivalent of 1 cup of carbohydrates:
1 cup rice
3 homemade chapatis (small)
3 idlis
2 homemade dosas
2 slices of bread
As some of the above (like idli/dosa) can vary considerably in size, you should measure the batter using the cup so you will know for sure how many cups you are using 😊. This will also help you decide quantities when eating out.
Got questions?
Just use the google-like search bar that appears in the D9 Help Center in your 'Home' page. For example type 'carbohydrates for lunch or dinner' and see what comes up!
Here are some relevant articles you can check out: