Carbohydrates make a large portion of your daily diet. From bread to pasta to drinks to sauces, everything has carbs. But, will eating this way let you lose weight? The answer is no! Eating a fat-free version of a chocolate bar will lead you nowhere as it’s full of sugars.
An average American eats 250 grams of carbs per day with 22 teaspoons of added sugar! The situation is quite alarming. The juice bottle you think is healthy might be more damaging than good. Salad dressings full of sugar might be the worst choice for lunch.
Today, we will tell you how nasty carbs are to your health, how to adopt a low-carb lifestyle, and some exclusive tips and tricks for our readers.
What happens when you eat carbs?
When you eat carbs, they are converted into sugar, and your blood sugar level rises. Extra glucose is stored as fat deposits in the body. Insulin is a hormone that directs glucose from the blood into cells.
When you eat too many carbs, cells stop responding to insulin, developing insulin resistance that leads to diabetes. In addition, the increased amount of sugar in the blood is damaging to the body. It causes the fat to deposit.
The stored fat is never utilized for energy when eating carbs because carbs are getting spent for fuel. So to lose stubborn fat from bodies, it is necessary to stop eating carbohydrates. Now you know how nasty these carbs are! The main culprit in fat deposition.
What is a low-carb diet?
A low-carb diet means reducing the number of carbohydrates and eating low GI foods. GI stands for glycemic index. It is a scale that represents how fast carbs will reach your blood. High Gi Foods are bad carbs!
White flour, bakery items, cookies, pasta are high GI foods quickly absorbed in the body and raise more sugar levels. While Whole wheat, brown rice, multi-grain, oats, quinoa, vegetables, and fruits are low GI foods that take time to digest and keep you full for long.
In a low-carb diet, you reduce your carb portions and only eat low GI foods. Aim for four portions of good carbs along with good protein and fats. It may help you lose weight, but the process is long.
Keto Vs. low-carb diet: What is better?
If you want to lose weight fast, then keto, otherwise low-carb will be fine. The keto diet is a very low-carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. You completely eliminate carbohydrates from your diet and focus more on high-quality fat.
In the keto diet, 70% of calories come from different sources of fats, 25% from protein, and only 5% from carbs. Therefore, you are not allowed to eat fruits except berries, certain vegetables, and other carb sources, even if it’s low GI carb!
In the keto diet, your body depends upon fat and burns fat by a process called ketosis. When you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, fats are converted into ketone bodies in the liver. These ketone bodies run in your blood and provide energy. As a result, stored fat is melted, and you become lean.
What are the benefits of a low-carb/ keto diet?
1. Decreased blood sugar and insulin levels:
There is good news for diabetic people that they can treat their high blood sugar levels only by cutting off sugar and eating low-carb foods. In addition, research has shown decreased dependence of diabetics on medicine after six months of a low-carb diet.
People on low-carb or keto diets have a significant reduction in their blood sugar levels and insulin. Decreased insulin allows the fat to burn off, and the body loses weight.
2. Treats High Blood Pressure:
High blood pressure or hypertension is commonly seen in obese people mainly because of high sodium levels. Hypertension can cause stroke, heart attack, kidney failure.
When insulin levels are low during the keto diet, sodium starts getting excreted in the urine and water. With sodium getting excreted, blood pressure gets lowered.
Research has proven that keto diets are effective in the short-term regulation of blood pressure.
3. Increased Mental Clarity:
Low-carb diets, including the keto diet, improve the brain’s cognitive abilities, creativity and focus. They clear mental fog and increase sharpness. The first use of the ketogenic diet ever was to treat epileptic patients.
Ketones produced by the liver in a ketogenic diet are super brain fuel. The ketogenic diet is still used to treat epilepsy and, in some cases, Parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s disease. Results have been marvelous in epilepsy treatment for kids.
How to follow a low-carb/ keto diet?
To follow any diet, you need to take small steps and stay consistent. Following tips can make your low-carb journey easy for you:
Grocery shopping:
We recommend weekly grocery shopping to avoid any unavailability of ingredients beforehand.
Recipe Book:
We advise you to follow any original recipe book or take help from high-quality websites for twists in your meals. It is very necessary as it will create diversity in your food and enjoy your diet more.
Meal Prep:
Meal prep is a crucial step in your low-carb or keto diet. Why? It will save your time, and pre-planning saves you from untimely snacking. This is the best step to keep you on track.
Have a tracking app or diary:
Tracking your food intake and macros is not a thing to overlook. You might eat more or less than what is needed. Install an app like “My fitness pal app” or keep a diary record. Although, prior is more convenient and accurate.
The Bottom Line:
A low-carb diet or keto diet is the fastest way to lose weight. However, before starting your diet, you need to be equipped with sufficient knowledge and meal prep ideas along with approved foods. Low-carb diets are effective for weight loss but also helps in other medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol.
We assure you that with our tips and tricks will stay on track and lose all those extra nasty pounds.