What is the first thing that comes to our mind when we think of losing weight? Apart from exercise, the most common trend these days is to go low carb.
Without consulting anyone or researching much, we are quick to suddenly eliminate all the carbs in our diet whether they are chapatti, rice, bread, fruits etc. While this can give good results initially, but it is not the best way to lose weight and if done for a long time can actually be unhealthy for us.
What is a low carb diet?
A low carb diet diet is typically a diet which restricts the amount of carbohydrates to be consumed in a day and consuming majority of the calories through protein and fats.
Carbohydrates can be simple or complex. They can further be classified as simple refined (table sugar), simple natural (lactose in milk and fructose in fruit), complex refined (white flour) and complex natural (whole grains or beans).
Common sources of naturally occurring carbohydrates include:
- Grains
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Milk
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
Your body uses carbohydrates as its main fuel source. Complex carbohydrates (starches) are broken down into simple sugars during digestion. They’re then absorbed into your bloodstream, where they’re known as blood sugar (glucose). In general, natural complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly and they have less effect on blood sugar. Natural complex carbohydrates provide bulk and serve other body functions beyond fuel.
Rising levels of blood sugar trigger the body to release insulin. Insulin helps glucose enter your body’s cells. Some glucose is used by your body for energy, fueling all of your activities, whether it’s going for a jog or simply breathing. Extra glucose is usually stored in your liver, muscles and other cells for later use or is converted to fat.
The purpose behind the low-carb diet is that decreasing carbs lowers insulin levels, which causes the body to burn stored fat for energy and ultimately leads to weight loss.
Advantages of a low carb diet
There are many advantages of a low carb diet like-
Weight Loss– low carb diets help in weight loss as when we consume less carbs, there is less insulin spike and overall less intake of daily calories. Cutting calories and carbs may not be the only reason for the weight loss. Some studies show that you may shed some weight because the extra protein and fat keeps you feeling full longer, which helps you eat less.
Helps control blood sugar levels– Since we are consuming very less amount of carbohydrates, there is lesser insulin spike in blood which helps to manage blood sugar levels.
Good for the heart– Low carb diets reduce triglycerides (a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease) and increase the concentrations of HDL (known as the “good” cholesterol). They lead to reduced blood sugar, insulin, and inflammation in the body; all of these things can be damaging to the heart. As well as this, another big advantage is weight loss, since heavier weights and obesity increase cardiovascular risk.
Now comes the disadvantages of low carb diets
Since you have seen the few advantages, lets now see the disadvantages of low carb diets
Low energy and weakness– Carbs are the primary source of energy for our body. When we limit the amount of carbs, there is a sudden drop in our energy levels throughout the day.
Affects digestion– Low carb diets affect the digestive system since we are limiting the amount of whole grain foods which give us most of the fiber.
Lost weight comes back– One main issue with low carb diets is that the weight which you lost comes back the moment you start eating carbs again. It is not the best technique to lose weight and is useful for temporary weight loss only.
Not sustainable for long time– The best diet is one which you can follow for long that is why flexible dieting is better than low carb diets. Low carb diets cannot be followed for long time and people often give up because of being low on energy and hungry all the time.
Hungry all the time– Low carb diets are very low in satiety and fail to keep us feel full for long times. This makes the person hungry for most part of the days which leads to mood swings, decreased performance and more chances of quitting the diet.
Verdict
So after knowing what are low carb diets, their advantages and disadvantages, lets see whether these diets are actually worth or not.
One thing is clear that these diets are not suitable to be followed for a long time i.e. they are temporary diets which can be followed for 2-3 months to show results which can be more or less temporary too. So if you are thinking of adopting a diet and sticking on to it for a longer time low carb diets are definitely not one of those.
But if your aim is to lose weight for a specific purpose in a short time, then low carb diets can actually be a good way to lose weight quickly.
Health and fitness 