Low carb diets

A low-carbohydrate diet is based on reducing carbohydrates, giving preference to fats and proteins.

It is a plan to lose weight with a significant loss of body fat and weight that meets its objective thanks to the fact that it generates an acceleration of the metabolism.

How Low Carb Diets Work

There are different diets that are within the so-called low carb diet (low in carbohydrates) that helps the body use fat reserves to generate energy and significantly improve thermoregulatory capacity.

But the interesting thing is the operation of low-carbohydrate diets that, contrary to what many people believed, are not harmful to health and fulfill certain essential physiological functions.

Before proceeding we would like to clarify that carbohydrates are not in themselves harmful to health and in fact fulfill some essential physiological functions.

However, it should be remembered that carbohydrates cannot be the main source of energy because that is where the problem lies. Too much carbohydrate consumption generally leads to weight gain and atrophy of the body’s natural ability to burn fat.

The operation of this type of diet is simple because by significantly reducing the consumption of carbohydrates, the energy requirements will be covered by the fat consumed and by the fat deposits that the body has stored.

Also, when carbohydrates are consumed, the insulin hormone is released to maintain blood sugar levels, but that release blocks the ability to use fat for energy.

Low Carb Diet: Foods Allowed and Forbidden

In general, it can be said that the less carbohydrates are consumed, the greater the loss of fat and to know how to design the menus of this type of diet it is necessary to know the allowed and prohibited foods.

• Allowed foods : Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, high-fat dairy products, healthy oil, gluten-free cereals and drinks such as water, tea and coffee.
• Prohibited foods : Sugar, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, diet products, highly processed foods.

One of the most famous low-carbohydrate diets is the Atkins Diet, which proposes to lose weight by eating foods that are low in carbohydrates, more protein and more fat.

An atkins diet menu allows you to eat lean red meat, chicken, fish, and other sources of lean protein and fat, as well as vegetables and fruits that are rich in fiber.

Divided into four phases, the Atkins Diet has an introductory phase that lasts two weeks, a phase to continue losing weight progressively, in addition to a previous maintenance phase ideal for those who only want to lose a few kilos and the last maintenance phase that teaches you to maintain your ideal weight.

Why follow a low-carbohydrate diet
There are several reasons to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, including:

• Change eating habits.
• Learn to enjoy low carb foods.
• Losing weight progressively and without a “rebound” effect.
• Prevent or improve the problems caused by certain diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, hypertension.

Low carb but balanced diet

Following a low-carbohydrate diet for a certain time helps to lose weight, but it is necessary to bear in mind that if carbohydrates are severely restricted, there may be problems of nutritional deficiencies due to not eating enough fiber.

Also, it is necessary to avoid diets that restrict carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per day can generate ketosis, a phenomenon that appears when you do not have enough glucose to generate energy with side effects such as mental fatigue, headache, nausea and even fatigue mental.

Finally, those who start a low-carbohydrate diet should make sure that they are able to maintain the new eating habits as returning to the old habits will cause weight gain and loss of motivation to stay in shape.