Low carb diets may be effective weight-loss strategies, but they may not be as healthy as advertised. According to one recent study, following such diets could increase your risk of death.
Success on a low-carb diet depends on selecting healthy food options and not overeating protein or fat. Fiber should also be plentiful to prevent constipation.
Weight loss
One reason low carb diets are so popular is that they often lead to significant weight loss, more so than other calorie-restricted plans. This is likely because carbohydrates help the body shed water weight more easily while simultaneously burning more fat for fuel. But that doesn’t mean only water weight will disappear; some individuals often lose significant amounts of body fat as well.
Though many can stick with low-carb diets long term, it is essential to remember that eating balanced meals is the healthiest and most effective way to lose weight. This means including a variety of whole foods – whole grains, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, lean meats/nuts/olive oil/other healthy fats as well as limited sugar, salt/processed food intake. Furthermore, alcohol use should be limited with moderate quantities consumed with supplementing vitamins/minerals where necessary.
Fat loss
Eating less carbohydrates can result in significant fat loss, particularly around the belly. By eliminating sugary and starchy foods from your diet, calorie consumption drops dramatically – helping you shed excess pounds while improving health over time.
Studies show that low-carbohydrate diets tend to produce greater short-term weight loss than low-fat diets, although people typically regain most of the weight they lose over time.
Due to several factors, including changes in hormones and metabolism, significant weight loss often results in reduced resting metabolic rate, increased appetite and higher energy consumption; leading to weight regain regardless of which diet plan people follow. Another contributing factor may be that long-term dieting can be difficult since many weight-loss plans involve restricting yourself from key foods that support overall wellness.
Blood sugar levels
Diabetes patients’ blood sugar levels are closely correlated with the amount of carbohydrates they eat, so a low-carb diet can be effective at managing it; however, working with an accredited dietitian to determine an individualized carb load plan.
Keep in mind that long-term low-carb dieting may result in nutritional deficiencies, particularly folic acid deficiencies. Cutting out whole grains, fruit and vegetables as well as fortified foods could mean missing out on essential vitamins and minerals like these.
Additionally, eating solely meat and fats can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance due to their high sodium content. Therefore, it’s wiser to incorporate various proteins such as fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, beans lentils and tofu into one’s diet in addition to carbs for maximum health benefits – between 45-66% of calories should come from carbs in an ideal situation.
Blood pressure
If you have high blood pressure, following a low-carb diet could be detrimental. By cutting out bread, pasta and cereal from your diet altogether, fiber sources could become less accessible – leading to constipation and possibly raising blood pressure further.
As with anything, obtaining carbohydrates through whole foods is also key in order to avoid long-term issues. If you plan to follow a low-carb diet, make sure it includes fruits, vegetables, legumes and fortified whole grains; additionally take a multivitamin supplement for best results.
Once again, restricting food intake increases your risk of nutritional deficiencies, but when combined with following a low-carb diet that severely limits carbs it becomes even more problematic. When carbs are severely limited your body can start breaking down fat for energy which then creates ketones; this process causes side effects like bad breath and fatigue as well as dehydration; therefore it is crucial that when on such diets that plenty of water be taken.
