What Is a "Low Carb" Diet?
A “low-carb” or high fat (“high carb”) diet is the opposite of an overall, whole food diet, which focuses on foods that are relatively high in carbohydrates. The difference between the two diets is that the former focuses on eating foods with less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. However, it does not restrict any dietary fats. With only five grams of carbohydrate intake per day, the goal is for people to consume fewer calories, so they burn off excess body fat.
What Happens If I Eat Too Many Carbs?
When we eat too many carbs, our bodies absorb them as energy. This causes us to store extra carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is a type of stored fuel found primarily in animals, such as beef, lamb, chicken, pork, eggs, and dairy products. We do not produce glycogen in our bodies, which means that there is no need for the stored energy to be released into blood circulation. As the body attempts to break down these carbohydrates, glucose is also produced. Glucose is released into your bloodstream when we take more insulin, especially during times of increased hunger. When insulin reaches its peak levels in the brain stem of your hypothalamus, glucose is quickly absorbed by your liver and muscle tissue. Once the glucose enters the bloodstream it is converted into glycogen. Once you have depleted glycogen reserves, your metabolic rate slows, leaving you hungry more and feeling full after consuming less and fewer calories. These experiences are called satiety.
This article will cover how to meal plan a low-carb diet for optimal long term results. It includes information on the best foods and meals to include in a restrictive diet, as well as several methods used to ensure the effectiveness of the diet. There is also a section regarding specific types of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Meal Goals For Eating Less Carbs
Before beginning one or another ‘low carb’ regime, what should be done first? First, take stock of your current carbohydrate intake, then create a meal plan that will meet those needs. Here’s an example:
Breakfast: Eggs and milk are great protein sources.
Lunch: Lean meat, fish, tofu, tempeh, edamame and egg whites are all beneficial.
Dinner: Veggies, beans, oatmeal and plain rice are all nutritious options.
Snacks: Hummus, nuts and seeds are great choices.
Snail mail: Berries and raisins are tasty.
Snack Snacks
Many people think they can get away without snacking when they follow strict low carb meal plans. But that is not more from the truth. Skipping breakfast can lead to poor blood sugar control. In fact, skipping lunch can cause people to become dehydrated, and even worse, give rise to binge eating later in the day. Although this may seem counterintuitive, there are some ways to snack effectively while following the low carb plan.
First, make your snack choices more appetizing. Avoid sugary beverages, cookies and cakes, fruit like apples and oranges, and soft drinks like soda. Instead, opt for fruits with natural fiber content, whole grains like quinoa, pears, peaches and berries. Consider using homemade granola bars, nut butters, trail mix, hummus and Greek yogurt as alternatives. They provide more filling nutritional value than regular snacks, while allowing you to enjoy something sweet instead of putting it under your tongue. Plus, since they provide a small amount of satiating fibre that is digested slowly, they help keep you feeling fuller longer. Lastly, avoid pre-packaged snacks that you can grab at any time, like crackers and peanut butter. Not only are these unhealthy, but they will quickly fill up your stomach and prevent you from reaching your daily calorie allotment goals.
Another way to improve portion control is to cut back on snacking throughout the day. Skip as many sugary meals and snacks as possible throughout the day. Try to stick with one piece of fruit each morning, one piece of vegetables each day, and skip candy altogether. Additionally, limit your portion sizes and choose smaller portions as needed.
The Benefits Of Keto On Diabetes Management And Losing Weight
Anaerobic exercises like aerobic or resistance training are essential to ensuring the healthy functioning of both the heart and your body. That’s because your cardiovascular system requires lots of oxygenated blood, and your muscles require plenty of oxygen to function correctly. For most of us, the body is able to operate optimally using a combination of aerobic and resistance training. Depending upon your age, gender and fitness level level, you may find yourself preferring one or more of those two training modalities above others. One example of the latter being Keto dieting.
Keto has been shown to be very effective in managing obesity. It helps regulate insulin resistance. Insulin is responsible for regulating carbohydrate metabolism and is often referred to as ‘the master hormone when it comes to maintaining normal body functions.’ Without enough insulin, the cells of the liver begin to shut down, resulting in high blood sugar and subsequent obesity. While you have to maintain a high glycaemic index (GI) throughout treatment, keeping your body at a stable blood sugar level during dieting and exercising will result in better outcomes for your diabetes management and weight loss efforts.
Keto vs Paleo vs Whole 30
Whole30 was started in 2009 and has evolved over the past 17 years or so. Originally created as a product to promote healthy lifestyle choices, more recently the program has expanded to appeal to people who want to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles.
One interesting aspect of Whole30 that made for a good contrast to the original version is the focus on cutting out processed foods. Since there were a lot of misconceptions about Whole30 amongst members before it became popular, including the belief that it was ineffective, the concept gained traction.
The idea is simple: go meatless, eliminate refined carbohydrate foods but also avoid excessive amounts of protein and fat sources. All in all, you’ll reduce your consumption of animal proteins for around 10–15 percent, while increasing your intake of plant proteins. Your main source of protein will continue to come from plant sources, while any animal protein that you do consume will mostly be in moderate amounts. Additionally, your average total fat intake will stay below 21 percent.
Whole30 members are encouraged to try new low carbohydrate recipes each week but are generally restricted to three meals. It takes about 5 days to learn how to cook low carb dishes, but you’re still likely to feel satisfied. After several weeks, you should notice your appetite increasing, and you’re usually able to reach and sustain a reasonable caloric deficit.
In addition to eating low carbohydrate foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and seafood, Whole30 encourages participants to drink water regularly. Water aids in flushing out toxins from your body, and also provides electrolytes to keep your cell work effective and alert.
This approach has been shown to provide long term weight loss benefits. In particular, research suggests:
Reduced abdominal fat loss – One study showed that group of subjects switched to eat half a cup of strawberries per day after 1 month, which resulted in a reduction of abdominal fat.
Improved digestion – Because the digestive tract requires hydration, adding sodium to starchy foods (like potatoes or white bread) may actually hurt digestion. However, since the majority of your daily intake will consist of nonstarchy foods that don’t contain any added salt, it won’t be harmful to your wellbeing.
Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes – Numerous studies have supported the notion that limiting carbohydrate consumption may increase your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. Those individuals that consumed over 150% of their daily carbohydrate intake in just one sitting were four times more likely to develop insulin resistance than people who ate more and kept things steady. Over time, this can lead to type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
Increased appetite control – Researchers also found that restricting carbohydrate intake has the effect of raising your appetite in those same overweight people. Therefore, a person may choose to eat less than they would otherwise, leading to weight gain. By making small adjustments, following a low carb diet can result in an improvement in overall wellness and wellness outcomes. Most importantly though, it may protect against conditions associated with obesity, including type 2 diabetes, cancer, hypertension and depression.
What Are Some Potential Causes Of Obesity Research shows that your genetic makeup plays a role in determining whether or not you’ll develop obesity, but your personal habits also play a part. Having a sedentary lifestyle, having little to no physical activity, and lack of sufficient sleep contribute to a higher likelihood of becoming obese. Also, certain circumstances, such as hormonal imbalances, malnutrition, stress and certain medications can also contribute to obesity.
Some key considerations regarding the potential risks of obesity are outlined. Here are some examples of factors that can negatively impact body composition.
Sedentary behavior – Studies show that those that sit for a significant amount of time experience a lower proportion of fat mass compared to inactive individuals. Moreover, physical activity leads to a greater decrease in fat mass across the board, regardless of body size. Furthermore, active individuals tend to see more improvement in fat distribution and decreased fat mass in response to the changes they make over time. Regularity and consistency in exercise are necessary for losing weight. Exercise can also assist with decreasing body fat, improving blood flow throughout the body, and reducing stress.
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