When carbohydrates (carbs) are consumed more than what the body requires, they are turned into fat deposits in the body.
If you are looking to lose weight naturally, one of the best things you could do is to reduce the amount of carbohydrate intake in your food. It reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (keto) is a very low-carb and high-fat diet, very similar to Atkins’ fat and protein-focused meal plan.
Importance of Low Carb Diet
Over the years, most weight loss management specialists have strongly recommended that we follow a low-carb diet to avoid excess fat accumulation in our bodies. They say that it can help you lose weight.
However, diet planning based on a low-carbohydrate diet had mixed results. Most of the people on a low-carb weight-loss diet did not experience satisfactory results.
Fruit diets had been an alternative solution to avoiding carbs intake. Consuming less food that has a high rate of sugar and starch is essential.
Many studies and research have suggested that the effects of a low carb diet on body composition have shown the ability to suppress appetite. Feeling satiated with an even less amount of food help in greater weight loss with strict avoidance of a carbs-rich diet.
There have been numerous comparisons of the results of low-carb versus low-fat diet groups. It was found that a randomized trial group of people on a low-carb diet reported significantly more weight loss results compared to the low-fat diet group.
The low carbohydrate diet has many other added benefits for the body.
Studies show that low-carb diets can help manage type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Since carbs raise blood sugar, eating fewer carbs will help people with type 2 diabetes to maintain their blood sugar levels more efficiently.
According to the American Diabetes Association, a diet focusing on fewer carbs can improve blood sugar management and decrease medication needs.
It brings about a healthy and balanced rate of blood sugar, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
Another notable benefit of a low-carb diet may be that it improves good cholesterol (HDL) and reduces and manages the presence of bad cholesterol (LDL). Reducing bad cholesterol is key to preventing heart disease.
In the weight loss community, most of the popular dieticians are for keto diets rather than low-fat and calorie-restricted diets. This theory also has several scientific pillars to support it.
Good and Bad Carbohydrates
It should be clearly understood that following a low-carbohydrate diet has two benefits. It promotes good health and keeps your weight under control.
All sources of carbohydrates are not healthy. Some of the junk foods that come with the “low-carb” label may not be “good-carb” most of the time.
Most healthy carbohydrate sources are those that include fiber. You can also have fish, meat, eggs, nuts, and healthy fats for a balanced and healthy diet along with a low-carb meal. Other good sources of moderate carbohydrates are potatoes, oats, and rice.
The unhealthy carbohydrate sources are wheat and added which need to be avoided as much as possible, especially if you are obese with poor metabolic health.
It is easy to lose weight with a simple meal plan and by following a physically active and disciplined lifestyle.
How Many Carbohydrates’ Intake Per Day
It is tough to point out exactly the amount of carbs required by each person. It is also not an easy task to determine what constitutes a low-carbohydrate diet. Each one’s requirement will certainly vary from the other.
Some of the broad criteria that could be adopted to decide upon the right intake of daily carbohydrates will depend on body composition, activity levels, age, gender, and metabolic health.
A person who lives a sedentary life requires a very small amount of carbohydrates. A person who engages in energetic physical activities requires more carbs. For example, a sportsman’s intake of carbohydrate-rich food should be much higher than that of regular office workers.
It is a known fact that obesity issues are mostly caused by poor metabolism. A healthy metabolism promotes a high rate of fat burning and wards off type II diabetes.
Persons with poor metabolic health are at high risk of obesity-related health issues if they consume a lot of carbohydrate-rich food. They should strictly follow a low-carb diet to avoid obesity issues.
Each one needs to estimate the number of carbs their body requires according to the work they perform.
Low-Carb Diet Rules
One of the easiest ways to reduce carbohydrate intake is to avoid sugary foods and wheat-based processed foods from your menu. It is the first step on your way to countering overweight issues.
To stay healthy, cabs in your menu can be substituted with a variety of non-starchy vegetables and foods high in protein and fat.
Every other source of carbs must also be limited or adjusted according to your dietary needs.
There are no scientifically verified measures to be followed regarding carbs intake quantity. However, there are a few commonly accepted carbohydrate diet plans that have proven to be beneficial. These regular diet patterns are randomized according to the specific needs of different people.
Group 1: A moderate amount of carbohydrate consumption should be limited to no more than 150 grams per day. This amount is enough for people who are already lean and active and want long-term weight loss maintenance. They should, however, maintain their required levels of calories with fruits and healthy starch diets like potatoes, oats, whole grains, etc.
Group 2: The people who are carb-sensitive must limit their net carbs consumption to less than 100 grams per day. It will accelerate the weight loss process. This must be supplemented with the intake of lots of vegetables, a few fruits, and a minimal amount of starch-rich food.
Group 3: Persons who are looking for extra-fast weight loss should limit their daily carb eating to less than 50 g. This dietary plan is well-suited for those with adverse metabolic health, overweight, or diabetes. Intake of fewer than 50 grams of carbs per day will turn your bodily functions into ketosis mode. It will initiate the suppression of appetite, which will lead to faster weight loss.
To maintain a healthy calorie level, they should eat plenty of low-carbohydrate vegetables, berries, avocados, nuts, seeds, etc.
Dangers Of Low-Carb Diets
As I have said before, one should not follow mindless low-carb diets without estimating the daily requirements of carbohydrates according to their way of life.
Low-carb diets for weight loss are useful for countering obesity issues. However, this weight-loss meal plan can also bring about unwanted health problems if you are not careful.
A sufficient amount of carbohydrate intake is necessary for maintaining healthy levels of insulin in the blood. Insulin is the hormone that supplies glucose to the cells, but at the same time, they also convert the extra glucose into fat.
A low-carb diet leads to the reduction of insulin, which reduces the supply of glucose to cells. Less amount of insulin also affects the functioning kidneys; an excessive amount of water will be shed from the body.
A low-carb diet helps to reduce weight by curbing stored fat and letting out a massive amount of water from the body while dangerously suppressing insulin. In most cases, in a low-carb diet plan, the weight loss is seen only for a few weeks, and then reverse fat storage will take place.
Some studies show that low-carb diets are beneficial in reducing belly fat.
Low Carb Diet Warning
One should not mistake the low-carb diet plan for the “no-carb” diet. Carbohydrates are essential for healthy living. We only meant to say, that each person should limit their carbs ingestion according to the requirements of their lifestyle.
A healthy and non-obese person needs not care much about the intake of carbohydrates until she does not face any obesity issues. One should fix the carbohydrate ingestion between 25 grams to 200 grams per day according to their physical needs and obesity level.
One should not follow the above-suggested carbohydrate intake plan blindly. If you are already taking medication for some ailments, a diet regimen should not be followed without consulting your doctor.
Conclusion
You need to avoid some foods and choose others. A well-planned low-carb diet that exactly fits into your daily requirement of carbohydrates is good. However, extremely low-carb eating can cause many health hazards. Your body must receive a sufficient amount of carbohydrates according to the activities it has to perform daily. Your weight loss efforts will be safer and faster if you combine a low-carb diet with good natural supplements.