Low Carb Diet: What It Is, Pros and Cons

sugar content of foods low in carbohydrates

For whom are the amounts of protein, fat and carbohydrates specified on the products? Of course for those who follow any diet. So people who follow the low carb option, first and foremost, notice that the carbohydrate content of the product does not exceed a certain amount.

Who needs a low carb diet and why?

Such a diet is a reduction or complete rejection of foods that contain carbohydrates. Initially, the diet was developed for athletes. Now such food is most often used by 3 groups of people:

  1. Those who want to lose weight.
  2. Diabetes.
  3. The athletes themselves.

Carbohydrates in food are sugar. It does not matter that some carbohydrate-rich foods are not sweet at all. When it is processed in the body, all carbohydrates become sugar. As a result, diabetics, people with high blood sugar, follow a carbohydrate-free diet.

Scientists have also proven that there is an excess of sugar in food that is stored in the human body in the form of fat. Therefore, those who want to lose weight also use a low carb diet. Athletes just need to stay in good shape. Other names for low carb are ketone or protein systems.

foods for low carb diets

When people eat a low carb diet, people reduce their intake or eliminate their diet:

  1. Bakery products.
  2. Sugar and any confectionery.
  3. Some vegetables: potatoes, pumpkin.
  4. Sweet fruits: bananas, apricots and berries: cherries, grapes.
  5. Store juice.
  6. Some cereals: rice.
  7. Pasta.

And this is not an exhaustive list. But does everyone need a similar diet? After all, each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros pros

Nutritionists and general practitioners recommend a low carb diet not only for people who are losing weight and are sick. You can also limit your carbohydrate intake to regular unloading. But in general, such a diet has many benefits:

  • Support for the body. Everyone, not just the sick, should stay healthy because too many carbohydrates act as a slow bomb. Constant overeating of carbohydrate-rich foods gradually destroys the body.
  • With a low carb diet, the body's sensitivity to insulin increases and therefore the pancreas produces less insulin. This allows you to protect yourself from an incurable disease - diabetes. Therefore, a big plus of the diet is to prevent serious illness.
  • For those who are losing weight, the plus is that you can eat a lot of food without carbohydrates and still lose weight. Some people find it difficult to limit their food intake, so eating a low-carb diet is a great option. Meat, for example, contains no carbohydrates.
  • You can lose weight in a short time.
  • Low carb foods do not have to go to a specialty store or buy something special. All food is sold in regular supermarkets near the house in any city or village: I got it and bought it.
  • The price of the issue. It does not require a lot of money for diet. You buy the usual healthy products you are already used to: meat, fish, vegetables, dairy products. On the contrary, if you give up sweets then there will even be savings.
  • Even a low carb menu is easy to find online. There is a lot of information with tables, recipes and other useful tips. You do not have to think for yourself what and how it is. And even more so to visit nutritionists to prepare a diet. Just download and print your daily dose.
  • You can stick to such a diet for a very long time. Over time, the craving for sweets will disappear and after a few years, normal doses of sugar will appear sugary.
  • Such a diet is considered the lightest and "softest", unlike some others. If everything is done correctly, there will be no stress for the body and avoid the disadvantages.
lose weight on a low carb diet

Minuses

It is not without reason that students are advised to eat chocolate bars before the exam. Sugar is energy and sweets are a quick way to get it. Therefore, a low carb diet is not good for everyone. Some people should keep in mind the disadvantages of the diet and avoid a low carb diet.

  • Employees with a lot of mental or physical work should not be distracted by such a diet. And one, and the other needs the same energy that one does not get without carbohydrates.
  • Diabetics, although they should limit their carbohydrate intake, need to be aware that their complete absence can lead to low blood sugar - hypoglycaemia, which is very dangerous.
  • It is worth avoiding such a diet and those who suffer from frequent edema. It is recommended to drink plenty of water on a low carb diet and this will lead to even more bloating.
  • You can not stick to such a diet for children and adolescents (except those who are obese). The body during the growing season needs ordinary, rather than small, carbohydrates to develop.
  • Pregnant women, as well as breastfeeding mothers, do not go on a diet. You may want to lose weight after birth, but the health and development of the baby is more important.
  • On a low carb diet you eat more protein and fat. It is harmful for heart patients and those with kidney problems. Kidney stones have been reported in the diet.
  • Sometimes the treatment is accompanied by headaches and constipation. If these side effects occur, you should stop eating carbohydrate-free foods.
  • With a low carb diet, when there are restrictions on sugary foods, the craving for them becomes very strong. Not everyone is able to resist this urge, as a result they fail and all the benefits of the diet go through the drain.
  • Due to drowsiness at the beginning of the diet, the driver and people in charge of important things should use it with caution.

Outcome

Every diet, including a low carb diet, is stressful for the body, so you should not suddenly stop eating foods that contain sugar. The transition to a low carb diet should go smoothly and monitor your reactions. Only in this case, there will be some benefits to the diet and all the stated disadvantages will be avoided. It's worth trying to see if a low carb diet is right for you.