The Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve
Yesterday, low-carb blogger Dr. Michael Eades (he of Protein Power) posted a message from his friend and fellow low-carb guru Richard Feinman as sort of a call-to-action in public policy-making for upcoming 2010 USDA guidelines. Dr. Eades and Dr. Feinman have suggested that we ought to quickly find a way to help the USDA arrive at a sensible recommendation for carbohydrate consumption. Feinman asked:
“how can the benefits of carbohydrate restriction that you have experienced personally or in your immediate environment be translated into reasonable recommendations that the USDA could put out?”
In conjunction with my forthcoming book “The Primal Blueprint”, I have been working on an easy-to-understand explanation of how carbohydrates impact the human body and the degree to which we need them (or not) in our diet. I have also developed a chart (not the one above) that is intended to assist those who want to go “Primal” in visualizing the impact of carbs consumed within certain ranges. I was going to hold off on releasing this information until my book is published, but decided to introduce it here in response to Dr. Eades’ post. Since the choice of how many and what types of carbs in one’s diet depends on the context of one’s life (current weight, disease condition, activity levels, etc), I see carb intake as a “curve” ranging from “allowable” to “desirable” to “unhealthy”.
The following descriptions illustrate how carbohydrates impact the human body and the degree to which we need them, or not, in our diet. The ranges represent daily averages and are subject to variables like age, current height and weight and particularly training volume. For example, a heavy, active person can be successful at a higher number than a light, moderately active person. In particular, hard training endurance athletes will experience a greater need for carbs and can adjust their personal curve accordingly. This is a topic I address further in the book (e.g. – experimenting with adding 100g of carbs per hour of training per day), on MarksDailyApple.com and in a future “primal” book dedicated to endurance athletes. Here then is my “Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve.”
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
Easy to reach with the “normal” American diet (cereals, pasta, rice, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soft drinks, packaged snacks, sweets, desserts). High risk of excess fat storage, inflammation, increased disease markers including Metabolic Syndrome or diabetes. Sharp reduction of grains and other processed carbs is critical unless you are on the “chronic cardio” treadmill (which has its own major drawbacks).
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
Continued higher insulin-stimulating effect prevents efficient fat burning and contributes to widespread chronic disease conditions. This range – irresponsibly recommended by the USDA and other diet authorities – can lead to the statistical US average gain of 1.5 pounds of fat per year for forty years.
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
This range based on body weight and activity level. When combined with Primal exercises, allows for genetically optimal fat burning and muscle development. Range derived from Grok’s (ancestors’) example of enjoying abundant vegetables and fruits and avoiding grains and sugars.
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
Minimizes insulin production and ramps up fat metabolism. By meeting average daily protein requirements (.7 – 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight formula), eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous servings), and staying satisfied with delicious high fat foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), you can lose one to two pounds of body fat per week and then keep it off forever by eating in the maintenance range.
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
Acceptable for a day or two of Intermittent Fasting towards aggressive weight loss efforts, provided adequate protein, fat and supplements are consumed otherwise. May be ideal for many diabetics. Not necessarily recommended as a long-term practice for otherwise healthy people due to resultant deprivation of high nutrient value vegetables and fruits.
Drop me a line in the comment boards. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
Further Reading:
The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan
The Definitive Guide to Insulin, Blood Sugar and Type 2 Diabetes (and You’ll Understand It)
Subscribe to Mark’s Daily Apple feeds
Posted By: Mark Sisson
I take in 50-100 g per day and I have found through experimenting that is where I need to stay! It’s funny how some people are so different with their cab allowances. I blow up if I take in more than 120 for too long.
Sorry for my ignorance and my bad english, Then, if i eat 100gr of carbs or less i will not win weight NO MATTER how many calories i eat? Just curious, Thanks
Hey Hector, I think it depends on the person – for me if I keep it around 50g or so I can eat a heroic amount of calories and not pack on the pounds. Some people are less sensitive and can go up to 150g or so. I like having the wiggle-room with the carbs just in case I end up under-estimating…
The great thing is – with all the fat and protein you get that ‘satisfied’ feeling much quicker than with carb-y nutritionally-empty foods. So even on days where I think I’m eating massive calories, its nothing like what “massive calories” would look like for a high-carb “conventional” meal.
I am a nutritionist – and I love this carbohydrate curve – it is spot on in my experience. I am an RN who discovered the zone diet some 12 years ago, did some uni papers a couple of years ago to get to degree level in human nutrition, discovered they still push the whole grains a lot – though the carb / protein ratios are being explored in some of the papers. I’m still not convinced about grains. I’ve gone way more paleo, virtually no carbs now since starting crossfit 2 months ago. I can say definitively that the very best diet for me now is primal with a ratio of 1:1 carbs and protein and some good fats, (not too much though). I am 110 lbs and 5′ 2″ almost 50, I have arund 80 – 100 gms of both carbs and protein a day. I supplement with a range similar to Marks multi, plus omega 3, vitamin D and probiotics.
I’m never felt better. As a result of these cahnges, right now I am at pretty much ideal weight, but still want to see my abs (working on it!) All the things I suffered prior to diet, exercise and supplements have gone – cravings, PMS, severe menstrual pain, low energy, excess weight, reactive hypoglycemia, pre- menopausal symptoms, constipation. Also gone swollen knees (auto-immune, vit D and omega 3 helped here). ALL gone.
I for one will help spread the word through my work.
That’s great Julianne. I had severe chronic fatigue and buy eating lots of healthy fats and limiting carbs I too have seen a great improvement in my health.
If I eat a few too many chips or something it starts going downhill pretty quick. I am getting certified as a nutritional counselor so I can share this vital information more effectively.
We are here as a testimonial that this way of eating really works!
One question I have is on fiber. If I eat 30-40 grams of fiber a day (which is where I have been the last few days) do I subtract that from the carbs that I have eaten. For example, I ate 175 grams of carbs yesterday. Do I subtract the 34 grams of fiber and apply it to my chart above? So am I really in the 141 gram range, or on the 175 gram range?
Primal Blueprint looks at gross carbs, so you are at 175. 30-40 grams of fiber a day is a lot of fiber.
I need to stay below 40 because I’m T2 diabetic and my BG is still int he 120s even with metformin 500 XR twice daily!
I think I need to cut them even lower until I lose my fat at least. I need to lose 150 lbs still.
If you say all carbs get turned into sugar whats makes the carbs from berries and fruit any different than grains, if two people get 1500 calories from primal and one gets 500 from grains the other 500 from berries do you think their will be an body composition changes? I don’t.
Mark I doubt you will answer this or even consent to the posts existence.
Bob, if I responded to every comment here, I would never have time to work (to pay for this “free” site). Most of the time my knowledgeable readers do very well answering questions in the comment section without my input. Also, in most cases, we’ve covered the topic ad infinitum over the past three years and 3,000,000 words. This post is just a snapshot. That’s why I wrote the book.
All carbs do turn to “sugar” as you put it. But…the 500 calories from grains will also contain gluten, phytates, lectins and other antinutrients in addition to the glucose load. You can get 500 calories of pasta, bread or cereal in a fairly small amount of food. Conversely, 500 calories of berries is a significant bulk of food (it would take over six cups of blueberries)…and even if you did eat it all, you’d get antioxidants, polyphenols and other beneficial phytonutrients along with some low-glycemic fructose. It’s not always just about the carbs.
Great site here! Anyone care to take a stab at how many “net” carbs I should eat daily? I’m female, 5’5 1/2, 231 pounds, 38 yrs old, just joined a gym where I’m walking 1 hour, 3-4 times a week building up to 5-6 times a week. I’m on Benicar for high blood pressure. Doc said I can get off the med if I loose 40-50 lbs. I’ve done Sugar Busters in the past and lost 18 pounds in 6 weeks so I know my body responds well to lower & better carbs. I hope it’s okay to ask this here. If not, sorry in advance.
Hey Irene,
If you decide the MDA approach is the way to go, I would wager heavily that next 4th of July you will love “the new you.” Please do give yourself this gift that you so deserve ! Best wishes with your health and wellness.
Eddie
As a Type 2 diabetic of 24-years, I found that I needed to keep my daily carb level at 50 or less. By doing so, I have been able to get off all my diabetes meds (Byetta, Metformin & Levemir). I was in fair control before I started this in January of this year (2009), but I expect to have the glucose numbers of a young healthy person soon.
Hi David,
That’s great! You’re are making real progress. Proving that taking control of your own health really works.
I suggest a few things that should really make your efforts take off. If you make sure not to eat too much protein, you will also help control your blood sugar because 1/2 of all protein can be converted to glucose. I know this because I help my husband with this. Also, make sure that your fat intake is around 80% of your daily totals. Why? Because this will really lower your blood sugar and it’s how sugars were controlled before insulin was developed. There is a doctor in Europe who helps people who are so sick that they are facing amputation and he brings them back from the dead doing this. His name is Dr. Jan Kwasniewski, M.D. He is a Polish Doctor who created The Optimal Diet. Just make sure the fats are healthy. See my fat page for this.
Thanks, Louise,
One day last week I converted my diet into calories by macronutrient and, that day, my diet was about 70% fat. I’m sure it was inaccurate but was probably in the ballpark. I do eat coconut oil and will be interested in seeing my lipid panel at the end of this month. Hopefully the numbers will back up the good things I’ve read, and not the dire predictions of the cardiologists I’ve mentioned it to. I also eat almonds and, tomorrow, I am driving to pick up 1/2 of a grass fed cow – the farmer is about 1.5 hours away. I have read The Optimal Diet. I don’t think the total amount of protein in my diet has changed much, perhaps a little. Thanks again for your tips.
Thanks so much for this information! I was looking all over for a daily carb intake listing, and this was perfect! I now now that I’ve been maintaining pretty well in the Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range.
HEY READ THIS!!!!
i’ve gone through the charts and the USDA recommends i eat 130 g carbs a day, which actually hits inside your maintenance range. i’m currently doing about 50-60 g carbs a day, and i would say that is best for me, but still… what exactly is the problem with the USDA guidelines, as is? who cares about the USDA, anyway? booo, i say!
The USDA wants you to base your diet on grains and 45-65% carbs
Just started the book and was wondering about the “whole grain issue” as it relates to having Oatmeal every morning…. which I do. Some diets close to the Primal concept like the Zone think Oatmeal is a “good carb” and an exception to “the rule”….. What say anyone else on this?
Hey Tom,
oatmeal is technically gluten free, though most manufacturers do it on lines where other gluten products are processed so if you aren’t buying gluten free oatmeal…it still has gluten in it.
Also, oatmeal has avenin protein in it, which appears to have similar effects to gluten. I would just stay away from grains as much as possible, all of them…including rice, corn, quinoa, etc.
it still is a carb, so choose wisely what you choose for the day!
Quinoa is not a grain.
grain, kernel, seed…it is the part of the plant that it needs to reproduce itself and should not be eaten because it contains toxins.
Coffee and cocoa, soy, peanuts fall under that category, too. So do nuts.
But, MDA allows Chocolate, coffee and nuts in small amounts.
Hi all, Im on a doctor restricted diet and doing well 18 pds down last month. Im 152lbs ’5ft 5″ so im going on vacation and its imperitive to my diet that i dont gain more then 2 lbs. from what i gathered from this site is if i stay around 50 carbs i should be able to maintain my current weight? thanks for any input. michelle
Sam
you’re very wrong with your analysis as there’s no way to determine wether humans ate animal or plan sources from bone scans.
That being said the norm was not ketosis but fat metabolism (which involved ketones anyway, no matter if you eat lot of carbs) at rest and carb metabolism during spurts of energy. As Jared Diamond noted the majority of hunter-gatherer societies that live in condition almost identical to the one paleo humans ate, are very organized in gathering and they’re in hunting and they always have a supplies of nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables. All the primitives Jared interviewed said they thought leaves were the healthiest curative foods and that no human could do without them.
I read a book about the traditional Innuit culture and they not only ate berries and Nikkaru (the veggie-based stomach contant of caribou) but they also made huge efforts to make sure they have plant matter to eat other than meat.
Incorrect. Bone isotope analysis can determine what ratio of plant and animal foods were in a a diet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotope_analysis
Glucose is not a poison.
It seems to me that the concept that every carb turns into “sugar” (well, glucose) is used as a way to suggest that eating whatever carb is like eating white sugar.
But the point about glucose is not what glucose does per se but whether we allow the body to make good use of it.
According Dr. Jan Kwasniewski there’s no point in forcing the body to convert proteins into glucose and it’s therefore better to eat as many carb as much glucose is needed to fuel the brain.
This is perfectly in tune with Mark figures.
So we’re supposed to get enough carbs to fuel our brain and certain bursts of intense activity and to get energy at rest, at night and between meals from fat metabolism.
So glucose per se is harmless and usefull. In fact not only every carb becomes “sugar” but also at least 50% of protein, when a very low carb diet is followed, are turned into sugar.
So eventually everything turns into sugar. The point though is whether you’re using that sugar to fuel needed process, or wether that sugar is in excess and is going to be stored.
Sugar is a quick-burning fuel that can’t be stored in any big amount.
Hence by its very nature it is supposed to fuel short-term intense activity.
Fat on the other hand is a slow-burning fuel that can be stored without limit and even thin people have enough fat to survive for 30 days without eating.
Hence by its very nature it is supposed to fuel us at rest, between meals, at night.
The problem with poor high-carb eating is that people switched the two metabolism, training their body to expect sugar to fuel everything including at rest. That’s why people are suffering from low-blood sugar, hypoglycemia at night, mood swings and tiredness after a meal; because their body is accostumed to burn sugar exclusively but the body quickly runs out of it burning also the glucose that should be needed for the brain.
If we just train the body to burn fat at rest and between meals again, we won’t need an ultra low carb diets or revolting no carb diets and won’t even need to call sugar (aka glucose) a poison.
How do you train the body to use fat as a fuel source other than not over eating carbs?
You don’t even need to train the body to use fat. It just will in the abscence of “sugar”.
Why people think that 100-150 grams of carbs is “low-carb” is beyond me. It is kinda hard to even reach 150 grams if you are not eating food with added sugar.
I should have said “retrain”
Anyway you re-retrain the body to burn mostly fat by stopping eating more carbs than you can use.
Since the brain alone burns around 90 grams of carbohydrate and glycolitic enzyme are upregulated and angry for sugar immediately after a bout of intense activity, 100-150 grams of carbs is a good amount to fuel those processes that are better suited for carbs and letting the body burn fat at rest, preventing the sugar crash many people experience nowadays.
Eating nuts, veggies and fruits you can easily reach those numbers without problems. In fact dieters in the first stages of Atkins complain of how hard is to maintain their carb low enough even eating just veggies. They quickly add up.
Sounds pretty logic to mee. Good stuff, made me think that ketosis may not be that good? Maybe more ideal to stay just out of it?
I believe in the long-term health benefits of low-carb eating. That said, I’ve always been ‘slender’ (NOT skinny, I hate that word!) and have to work to maintain my weight. I’m a very active 5’4 and 117lbs. How does a person like me keep my weight with meat, vegs, nuts and fruit? I always end up losing. Any suggestions welcome.
Raw dairy is your friend.
All wild mammals have a dietary consumption of 3-5g of protein per day. This is obtained by either direct consumption in carnivores or gut fermentation in herbivores.
On a natural grass diet cattle They obtain nearly all their energy in the form of amino acids and volatile fatty acids via gut fermentation. Cattle despite being strict vegetarians gain about 25% of their energy from protein and 75% from fat. They get virtually no energy from carbohydrate. Grass fed cattle have a body fat content of <1%.
I have 20 years experience as a food scientist.
Only your red blood cells, retina and a tiny part of your brain require glucose – no more than 60g per day. Many cells such as those in the heart muscle and the cells lining the gut can only use fat for energy.
I am having a hard time locating a good plan to follow and this one seems simple enough for me. My problem is though do I just watch how many carbs i take in or do I need to watch how many calories as well? I was planning to take in 1200 calories plus only 50 carbs But i’m finding its going to be hard making meal plans for this. What is your advice?
Lisa, if you cut the carbs to 50, the calories should take care of themselves. Try sketching out a few meal plans of what you might like on fitday.com and see how they work out calorie-wise
Lisa, I’ve been working on 55 carbs/day for the last 6 wks and never consider the calories. If you concentrate on getting your protein for each meal (eggs, chicken and fish are my main go to’s), then the rest of the meal comes together. Just remember, 4oz of protein and 15 carbs per meal with a snack or two. It really does start to make sense after the first couple of weeks and ‘meals’ aren’t hard to plan once you ‘see’ the amounts. The Dr.’s Eads have some recipes in their book to help if you want to look it up.
Quick note: ratio of protein/carb vary for each person of course.
Bingo… weight loss or not, NO ONE really needs more than 100g of carbs per day. You also need to be aware of the TYPE of carbs.
Some people respond well to the new age carbs such as wheat and potatoes and some respond better to the Paleo lifestyle (sh*t only cavemen were able to eat… such as meat, berries, fruits etc.)
Not everyone in this day an age is evolved enough to efficiently handle white bread. *barf*
I have another question, I have seen in a couple of diets that they have a cheat day. Like one day a week eating sweets or things wont ruin your whole diet. Is this true? Can they same be done on a low carb diet?
Hello. I have a question about the societal structures and this nutritional information: how long can we continue to eat at the top of the food chain on a regular basis (meat)? Food is going to become much more scarce, with meat being the most expensive because of its high energy-input ratio. I’m not a vegetarian, but I am curious if this is an issue anyone here has thought about.
Of course, around this same time, food in general will be less available, so I assume that like Cuba when peak oil hit them, the average citizen lost 20 lbs. The good news, was that farmers and grow-it-yourself movements grew, and the average citizen ate a lot healthier than before.
I am also against agribiz.
Just speculating about high meat diets, the cost of those food choices, and what we will do when meat is too expensive for the average citizen to eat several servings a day of it.
Mark
I found your book on Amazon and back tracked to find your website. Your Book
Primal Blueprint is in print only Any
chance via Amazon you will offer it in digital form? Amazon now has free software for download.. Kindle for the PC
making digital accessible to anyone with a IPhone, netbook or coomputer. Digital is my way of going green and saving the paper/trees … I hope you will consider Digital format
I am a 34 year old female 5’4″ I have tried to loose the last 10 pounds that I am holding on to, just can’t seem to get rid of it. I do p90X and go to the gym I am 130lbs but want to be 120 I do have alot of muscle, but don’t want to look bulkey. How can i get rid of this and feel lighter?
You may be working out too much.
Have you cut calories (have you read the Primal Blueprint?) Have you tried IF’ing? Have you incorporated sprinting into your routine? Sometimes you have to shake things up a bit to lose those last few.
just ordered the book Primal blueprint very excited about it, what is IF’ing I do go on the treadmill, stair climber, bike and i go up a level every min maybe i am platoing I will try to sprinting however can i do it on a tredmill? I count all my calories and weigh my food I thought I should have so much protien and so many carbs in one day i usually have 1550 calories one day 1369 one day and 1118 another day and some days i only have protien shakes. I eat low green veggies I am very stricked with my diet. will protien make me fat or bigger muscle wise?
mark, im trying to find where i fit in on the carb curve. i have seen a lot about increasing carb intake for endurance athletes. i am assuming endurance athlete means runner or long distance cardio of some kind. i am an mma fighter, so i wouldnt put myself in that same category, but i was wondering if my carb requirements would also be higher. i tend to lose weight and even lean muscle mass when i eat mostly veggies for my carbs. what would you recommend so i dont wither away to nothing! haha. do you have anything in the book about trying to increase mass and strength on primal diet? or am i doomed to be skinny since i burn so many calories working out every day?
Hey Mark,
Even since I lowered my carbs my calories are through the roof. Before watching the carbs I used to eat about 1700 a day, with carbs in the insane 200+ range. Now I’m trying to keep them under 100, which I’ve successfully done for the past week. However, I was shocked to do some tracking and realize that I’ve been consuming 2000+ calories a day. I eat about the same things you eat, omelette for breakfast, salad for lunch, meat and veggies for dinner with a snack of nuts, fruit or yogurt in between. The thing is, I don’t feel I’ve been eating too much at all. If anything, I feel like I don’t eat enough, but I’m afraid to up my caloric intake. Am I just being silly?
Maria, I wouldn’t say it’s “silly” to feel that way. It’s a normal fear when you first start eating Primally. I would say to eat what you need to from Primal foods to feel satisfied at your meals. Then have a Primal snack to take the edge off if you get really hungry (like those nuts). In a few weeks, you’ll notice that your appetite will subside and it will be easy to “fill up” on fewer calories. Meanwhile, it’s unlikely that you will gain weight (fat) as long as you keep the carbs under 100.
My carbs are in the 80s right now, so I’m good. Don’t want to go too low. I’ve noticed a difference in my appetite patterns already, even though it’s only been a week. There’s zero appetite right after I wake up. This sometimes happened before Primal, but now I tend to go much longer before I eat my first meal. Once I eat, I’m satisfied for a good 5 or 6 hours, which never happened before. I just don’t think about food as much, and when I do eat, it’s more enjoyable and I’m more focused on it.
Thanks for the answers, Mark. You’re an inspiration!
I’ve found the same thing to be true of myself. I would eat dinner around 9pm and wouldn’t feel hungry until noon – but moreover, I didn’t feel “hungy” as I used to know it. No stomach roaring, just a calm “hmm.. maybe I should eat something.”
The longer I stay away from carbs, the more I realize that “hunger” is just a symptom of a high carb diet. I think that’s why it’s so much harder to maintain other diets – the hunger pains are artificially induced by the carbs we eat.
I’ve also been fixated on the fact that we are not alone.. we have over 500 different kinds of bacteria in our intestines, and they outnumber the cells in our bodies by a factor of 10 to 1. I rarely see anyone say how diet cultivates different bacteria populations – I have to imagine that on a low carb diet, some starve out while others begin to flourish. On the wikipedia entry for gut flora, it says some bacteria can influence us into storing fat, and if they take the bacteria from fat rats and put it into thin rats, those rats get fatter, too.
I’ve also tried eliminating lectin containing foods. Peanuts, soy, wheat – grains in general – as their natural defenses against being eaten cause small holes in our intestinal lining that lets in bacteria – some studies are suggesting that this can cause chronic illness like MS.
Yesterday I ate a vending machine blue berry muffin. It pretty much made me ill for about 5 hours, which makes me wonder if I do have glutton sensitivity and the lack of it in my diet has lowered my defenses to it.
I’ve found that one cure for such snacking (besides the pain) is to take a bite of whatever it is you think you want to snack on.. and chew it until your saliva starts to break down the sugars and starches.. and you start tasting the chemical preservatives that the sugar and salt were hiding.. it’s really not so appetizing after that.
Lastly, in the December 2009 issue of National Geographic, was a great article about a tribe in Africa that still lived a pretty Groky lifestyle, living in clans of about 30 people (about as many as can be fed on one kill). They worked up to six hours a day collecting and preparing food and spent the rest of the time on relaxing and social matters. If they wanted meat, they hunted for it.
He joins them on a hunt for a baboon – very dangerous critters. They throw it on the fire. Everyone basically shuns the lean meat, going for the fat and internal organs.. bashing open the bones for the marrow. And the leader boils the brains (a very high fat source) in the skull and offers the reporter some. It’s a nutritious treat.
My mom lived 12 years with the Eskimos in Alaska – she was married to one. Dried fish, seal oil, whale blubber, caribou, salmon, gull eggs, bear, and moose were all on the menu. In the winter, dried fish would be mashed in the seal oil. In the spring they would take fresh fern fronds and soak them in oil to preserve them for later consumption.
Those Groks did have a harsh lifestyle -they would trek for miles through the snow on a high fat, mid protein diet. They have to be sharp and alert at all times. When it comes to polar bears, it’s about 50/50 on who’s eating who – “depends on who spots the other first” she said. “Especially if you’re both hunting seals and you’re too focused on a blow hole in the ice.”