Carbohydrates are a large group of compounds that are in living plants and tissues. This group of foods includes sugars, starches and cellulose. Carbs are very important to your health because they are involved in energy transportation and in the immune system. However, there are good carbohydrates and bad carbs; and like everything, you can overdo the number of carbs that you eat.
Once you eat a food that is high in carbohydrates, it becomes a sugar substance in the blood stream and will boost your output of insulin. Under normal circumstances, this output of insulin happens in response to glucose in the blood stream to help the energy to be transferred into the cells. However, with an over abundance of carbohydrates, and subsequently sugar in the blood stream, the body produces a large amount of insulin and your blood sugar will go up and then immediately down as the insulin takes care of the sugar in your blood.
This high and then a quick depletion of sugar is what is responsible for several things that you can experience, not the least of which is a sugar low. Many people will find that at 2pm, after a lunch heavy in sugars and carbohydrates, they are sleepy, groggy and non-productive. By eating meals that are lower in carbohydrates you can eliminate this depression in the mid-mornings and mid-afternoons.
Low carbohydrate diets will also help to modify your insulin production so it is steady, thus not producing the highs and lows that lead to over eating.
However, your body does need carbohydrates in order to function and low carbs does not mean no carbohydrates. Natural carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables are much better than those found in processed foods or in simple sugars. That’s because the complex carbohydrates will take longer to digest and not create the up and down blood sugar levels that simple carbohydrates will create.
Nutritionists don’t agree on the number (grams) of carbohydrates that you should eat but do agree that the standard western diet contains too much carbohydrates. In some instances you’ll find a solid number of carbs per day quoted and at other times nutritionists will recommend that the carbohydrates are a specific percentage of your overall calories for the day.
Although it is easier to just count the number of carbohydrates, the percentage of carbs is a much better indication of what is required by your body. This is because the calorie requirement of your body will change with the amount of energy you expend in exercise or movement throughout the day.
One of the mistakes that people may make when they start a low carb diet, is not watching the number of calories they eat each day. Although a low carb intake will stabilize blood sugar, reduce your appetite and be more healthy, you can gain a significant amount of weight if you don’t watch the overall number of calories throughout your week.
When you reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, you’ll have to increase both fats and proteins to make up the difference. Be sure that the fats are good fats from plant sources and lean meat and not from processed foods. Both the fats and proteins will keep you satisfied longer and reduce the insulin spikes you can experience with high number of carbs.
You can lose weight with any diet you follow, as long as you follow it. People who choose a low carb diet plan often choose it because it reduces the risk for diabetes and inflammatory response in the body as well as for weight loss. However, like other diets, you can abuse the foods you eat and you won’t achieve the benefits you are looking for.
Resources:
Authority Nutrition: A low carb diet meal plan and menu that ca save your life
http://authoritynutrition.com/low-carb-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/
MayoClinic: Low-Carb Diet: Can it help you lose weight
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/low-carb-diet/art-20045831
Health: 5 Truths about low carb diets
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20359381,00.html
Harvard: Low Carbohydrate Diets
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/low-carbohydrate-diets/
Tom Nikkola: What do 18 Studies Say About Low-Carb Diets
http://tomnikkola.com/what-do-18-studies-say-about-low-carb-diets/
Nutrition and metabolism Society: Low Carb Diet Research
http://www.nmsociety.org/low-carb-research.html
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