Benefits of Low-Carb Diet

The Internet is obsessing over the low-carb diet. It says you could shed all those pounds from your body that is keeping you from staying healthy and fitting into the beauty ideals. You might even have got tempted to jump into the trend. But, do you know everything you need to know about it?

What is this Low-carb diet?

First of all, this is a new discovery or the result of any new studies or experiments. It is trending now for sure, but the low-carb diet has been the lifestyle of many for many decades now already.

Carbohydrates are the starch, sugar and fiber naturally occurring in cereals, milk, vegetables. Fruits, etc. together with proteins and fats, they form one of the essential sources of energy and calories for living things. Out of the three, carbohydrate is the primary source of energy for humans.

Unrestricted consumption of carbohydrates leads to obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance and raises the chances of heart diseases. So, a low-carb diet is recommended for people who ought to watch their weight and what they consume. The aim is to limit the amount of carbohydrate intake so as to use up the fat stored in the body in muscles and under adipose tissues thereby effecting weigh loss.

A low-carb diet as opposed to a low-fat diet primarily focuses on limiting the amount of carbohydrate intake to less than 20%, and it generally comes with increasing the amount of consumption of healthy fats.

The low-carb diet was a revolutionary idea proposed by the Cardiologist, Dr. Robert Atkins. The idea has been evolved over the ages and modified but are always directed to a common goal of tackling issues associated with obesity and fighting chronic diseases and reducing the risks of coronary heart diseases.

Everybody is different, as are every ‘body’ and their needs. No diet would suit all body types. A diet ought to be developed to cater to the demands of an individual’s body and its needs such as the issues of body weights, waist circumference, BMI, and health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.Fiber and good carbohydrates are recommended according to the nature of the individual’s requirements for a healthier lifestyle.

Low-carb diet is usually prescribed as a solution to people suffering from what is called the metabolic syndrome. It is commonly seen in person with thicker weight-gain on the waist, characterizes by high BP, deficiency of the beneficial cholesterol, ie., HDL, high level of glucose and insulin. A low-carb high fat (LCHF) diet is beneficial to them to tackle the problems associated with obesity.

Obesity in a lot of cases is seen in people with apparent intolerance to carbohydrates because of the spiked level of insulin and shows high insulin resistance. Consequently, their body’s insulin and glucose reaction to a certain quantity of carbohydrate is more pronounced and defective. Fatty liver or lipid problems ensure such conditions because of the increased deposit of fat in the liver as a consequence of the low-fat absorption by muscles.

A low-carb diet comes with a lot of sacrifices, especially if you are a foodie with a sweet tooth. If you plan to go on a low-fat diet, you should be prepared to cut off every bit of sweetened beverages from your diet. No more Coke for you! In fact, almost everything that tastes heavenly that you love to dig into should go out of the window. That means, it’s a big NO to bread, white rice, pasta, potato, corn. You might think that you could appease your sweet tooth with an all fruit and veggie diet. Think again! Because, not every fruit and veggie are good for you.

If you suffer from obesity and choose to follow a healthy diet for a healthier lifestyle, these are only minor sacrifices. Indeed, they should not even be deemed as sacrifices. They were never good for you anyway.

The transition to a low-carb diet should be done with extreme care. When you cut all the carbohydrate from your diet, where do you get the energy to go about and be productive during your day-to-day life? The answer is simple; from the healthy fats available naturally are your new best friends. Fats derived from animals, plants, and diary are all good! Stay away from the diary products which say “low-fat.” Because low-fat food tastes bland and unpalatable, the manufacturers so many sweetened additives and synthetic flavours, which are even harmful than the fat they have removed from the natural substance.

Once the transition to a no-carb diet is complete, try to slowly incorporate carbs into your diet in small quantities. You should be careful about what carbohydrate you bring back into your life and the amount of card your body needs so that the healthy BMI of your body is maintained.

Converting to a diet is no child’s play

Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated because cutting all the carb guarantees a definite fall in the sodium index of your body. You shouldn’t take the process of going on a diet lightly and go on a certain diet based on what little snippets and information you get from the Internet or any incomplete sources. You should consult a dietician or doctor- any expert on the subject before you take the big step to a new lifestyle.

Now, let’s look at the BENEFITS OF LOW-CARB DIET and the reasons why you might want to consider it:

1) Tackle Diabetes

If you are diabetic or diagnosed with the symptoms of progressive-resistive exercise-diabetes, then this is a right move to make, as cutting the carbohydrates from your diet will bring down the glucose and glycated hemoglobin.

2) Weigh loss

You might be able to fit into your favorite pair of jeans again if you eliminate a good amount of carbohydrate from your diet. Of course, the amount of weigh loss and its manifestations on the body from person to person, but you definitely get the benefit of a balanced and healthy weight and BMI.

3) Happy Heart

Going low on the carbs is a sure way to a happy and healthy heart as it optimizes the amount of triglycerides in your body. The excess of triglycerides is the central reason for insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes and HDL cholesterol deficiency. A diet with reduced amounts of carbohydrates will reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases by improving the HDL cholesterol and reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol particles and the blood levels of LDL-P in your body. Insulin resistance and high insulin levels are also the consequences of high carbohydrates, which also is a risk factor for coronary heart conditions. Cutting and balancing the amount of carbohydrates is a necessary step for people suffering from metabolic syndrome. It is the right way to a healthy heart.

It is not all sunshine and rainbows. Going on this diet comes with some problems. Now, let’s look at the cons of a low-carb diet.

1) An unhealthy low-carb diet eliminates even the healthy carbohydrates from your diet, the kind derived from beans, legumes, fruits, whole grains and potatoes. As long as you stay away from the buttery or creamed potatoes and go for the baked one, you are good. It is the processed carbohydrates such as the ones found in cookies, cakes and candies that you should eliminate entirely from your diet. Cutting fruits and vegetables will lead to deficiencies and reduce the amount of fiber needed for your body.

2) If you cut all the carbohydrate and rather go on a ruthless all-fat and meat diet, it is even worse for you! Consumption of diary fat and all the meat might up the risks of vicious heart attacks.

3) Anything when extreme is dangerous. Cutting all the carbohydrates from your diet means that your body would lack the energy needed to function properly. Exercise care and method when you switch to a new diet and take a healthy approach to it. Your heart as well as your muscles, brain and kidneys need some amount of carbohydrates to function right. Know the right carbohydrates to cut before you go ahead and do it.

The flaws of the diet aside, the many BENEFITS OF LOW-CARB DIET should be invitation enough to follow it. It helps cut your hunger pangs and overt appetite. It is one of the most welcome and natural effects of a low-carb diet.

Your brain needs glucose. In fact, some part of your brain can only burn glucose. So, if you cut the carb from your diet, where does the brain get the glucose from? Your liver compensates for the low carb by generating glucose from all the protein you consume in lieu of the carbohydrates. Your brain also starts to burn ketones, which are generated when the amount of carbohydrate is low or when you starve. This technique known as the ketogenic diet, a variant of low-carb diet, is an efficient method to treat, even cure epileptic kids who are unresponsive to medicinal approaches. A low-carb diet even treats brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. That right there is the best benefit.

Weigh-loss, healthy heart, lowered BP and insulin resistance, increased brain functionality, the BENEFITS OF LOW-CARB DIET are many. Like mentioned, you shouldn’t jump into a diet impressed by its hefty list of benefits. Find out what your body needs from experts before you make any life-changing moves or take any life-changing steps.