365 Ways #150–Balancing carbs vs. protein

#150–If you haven’t been metabolically typed, it’s still easy to balance the ratio of carbohydrates to protein and fat in your diet. At every meal or snack, all of the macronutrients should be represented. A good rule of thumb: use a one to one ratio of carbs to protein if the carbohydrates are high glycemic. If you’re eating low glycemic carbohydrates (above the ground veggies, some fruit, etc), you can use a two to one ratio of carbs to protein.

Remember that fiber, fat content, solids vs. liquids, quantity, and even your activity level can affect your insulin response to a particular food. Fuel from a meal will be slower to enter the system (and drive up insulin levels) if is coupled with fiber or fat, if it's solid (and must be chewed/broken down), or if it's a smaller in volume. Additionally, exercise mutes the insulin response. Thus, high carbohydrate foods are better tolerated during or immediately following exercise.