Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

So if we were to think about something on the high end for every 100 grams of protein, your body will generate 60 grams of carbohydrates.

It's probably on the high end, but it's somewhere along the lines of that.

That's exactly right.

Gluconeogenesis.

But dietary protein is an essential macronutrient and you need more of it as you age.

Essential fatty acids, they're only roughly maybe four grams.

So it's minimal.

Now, as Americans, do you know how many carbohydrates we eat on average?

Yes, it's in the 300s.

Damn.

The average American eats 300 grams of carbohydrates a day.

The RDA, take it or leave it, is set at 130 grams.

However, that is two standard deviations above what is felt to be necessary.

What do I mean by that?

80 grams of glucose is what we need.

And that doesn't mean that we need to eat it.

That's how much we need for body function.

So there's the obligatory use, the brain, the red blood cells, the kidney.

then there's the organ systems, then there's muscle, which doesn't burn many carbohydrates at rest.

It burns primarily fatty acids.