Low Carbohydrate diet is any diet in which the daily absorbed carbohydrate content of the food is reduced. The
meals consist mainly of protein and fat containing products. If only a few carbohydrates are added to the body, it is forced to use stored fat to generate energy.
Barely any diet has been discussed so controversially in scientific circles over the past twenty years as the low-carbohydrate diet which has become widespread in the fitness industry. In the context of the hard-fought debate, the health pros and cons, advocates and opponents made many arguments, often based only on assumptions and half-truths.
Key Features of the Low Carb Diet –
- Low in carbohydrates
- Many variants of diet are present from Keto to Atkins diet
- Suitable for children, adolescents, and adults as well as for physically active and non-active
- Promotes fat burning / activates fat metabolism
- No calorie counting necessary
- Feeling hungry and food cravings unlikely
What is allowed on the low carb diet?
With low-carb diets, the consumption of all foods with a low glycemic index is allowed. Depending on the diet, however, the daily schedules can be very different. However, in all variants, the meals consist mainly of vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products.
While the carbohydrate content of the typical meal is around 50%, it varies with these diets depending on the concept and can only be much lower between 15-25%. Fat and egg whites are usually eaten without restrictions.
The following foods have no or very low carbohydrate content and are therefore permitted to be eaten in abundance
- Meat
- Fish
- Egg whites
- Dairy products and milk
- Legumes
- Soya products (e.g., tofu)
There are many amazing benefits of a low carbohydrate diet plan.
- Low carbohydrate diets reduce appetite
The most feared impact of a diet on the human body and especially on the psyche is the atrocious hunger due to the severe restriction of calories, which means that many are giving up their weight loss projects. The low carbohydrate diet reduces this effect because the carbohydrates in the Healthy Diet Plan are replaced by proteins and fats that undergo a much slower digestive process and, therefore bring permanent changes.
In addition, the decrease in the consumption of short-chain carbohydrates stabilizes the levels of sugar in the blood, so that the desire for a diet is not compromised.
- You lose more weight
Although losing weight is not necessarily synonymous with loss of body fat, it is still an indicator of the success of any diet. Basically, you lose a lot of weight at the start of a low-carb diet, which is not always the case with a low-fat diet, which can be justified by the fact that each gram of carbohydrate is accompanied by approximately 2.7 grams of water. Studies have shown that low-carb diets help to eliminate excess water stored in the body, leading to significant weight loss, especially in the first few weeks.
- Low-carb diet melts visceral fat
Although the degradation of visible subcutaneous adipose tissue is a priority, it should be remembered that the visceral fat surrounding the internal organs can be harmful to the body and, therefore, should be reduced to a healthy level. Research has demonstrated that a higher than normal level of visceral fat not only restricts cardiac and hepatic function but also promotes insulin resistance, which can lead to many serious metabolic disorders. It has been proven that the low carbohydrate diet helps the digestive process much better than similar diets, which helps prevent the onset of common diseases such as type II diabetes.
- Low-carbohydrate diets reduce triglyceride levels in the blood
Triglycerides are certain fat molecules that significantly increase the risk of heart attack. Given this fact, it would be perfectly understandable to reduce the consumption of fat and replace it with carbohydrates as was previously practiced. However, recent studies show precisely the opposite. According to the research of scientists, triglyceride levels are decreasing in people who reduce their carbohydrate intake compared to those who do not. It can be concluded that the risk of heart attack can be overcome with a Low Carb Diet Plan.
- Reducing carbohydrates increases HDL levels
HDL is part of lipoproteins and ensure the transport of cholesterol molecules from the periphery of the body back to the liver, while LDL lipoproteins maintain the opposite mechanism. Among other things, recent studies suggest that the increase in HDL reduces the risk of heart attack, which is why the increase in HDL should be accelerated a diet. In this context, the low carbohydrate diet has been shown to be particularly useful as it dramatically increases HDL levels through the increased fat intake.
- Low carb diet lowers blood sugar levels
Regardless of the type of carbohydrates you consume, they all have one thing in common: they break down into short-chain glucose molecules that increase blood sugar levels. However, as modern society consumes large amounts of carbohydrates, in some cases insulin spikes occur, which leads to an increase in blood sugar, which often leads to a decrease in insulin sensitivity. In the worst case, diabetes II opens up. The fact that a low-carbohydrate diet can help stabilize blood sugar levels has been confirmed by studies that have shown that the daily insulin dose in diabetics can be reduced by using a reduced-carbohydrate diet.
Conclusion
It is basically possible with any low carb diet to reduce fat reserves and successfully lose weight. Depending on the degree of carbohydrate reduction, dietary deficiencies and damage to health may persist over a very long diet as the body is forced to use not only fat stores but also proteins to generate energy, which can affect metabolism and digestion and damage cells.
Therefore, it is advisable not to lower the carbohydrate too fast. Also the increased protein and fat content of the food can have adverse effects. For this reason, care should be taken to supply the body with the highest possible quality proteins and mainly unsaturated fatty acids.
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