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Understanding the Low Carb Diet
Many low-carb diets have gained popularity in recent years under various names, such as the Atkins Diet and South Beach Diet. A low-carb diet, also known as a ketogenic diet, aims to drastically reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed. This puts the body into a state of ketosis. In this article, we explain what this entails and the advantages and disadvantages of a low-carb diet.
Table of Contents
- What is a Low Carb Diet?
- How Does a Low Carb Diet Work?
- Starting a Low Carb Diet
- Is My Body in Ketosis?
- Conclusion
What is a Low Carb Diet?
The name says it all—a low-carb diet involves eliminating or nearly eliminating carbohydrates from your daily diet. Another term for a low-carb diet is the ketogenic diet. This refers to any diet that induces ketosis, where the body uses fats instead of carbohydrates for energy. Ketosis is achieved by eliminating carbohydrates, causing the body to tap into fat reserves for energy. Because this burning process is less optimal, people on a low-carb diet often have a scent resembling acetone. There are various types of ketogenic diets, including the standard ketogenic diet, the cyclical ketogenic diet, and the targeted ketogenic diet. The difference between the three mainly lies in the amount and timing of carbohydrates.
How Does a Low Carb Diet Work?
The low-carb diet works much like other diets. You reduce the number of calories you consume daily to create a calorie deficit or negative energy balance. This is the basis for weight loss and is no different in a low-carb diet. The difference between a low-carb diet and other diets is that it helps keep blood sugar and insulin spikes under control.
When you consume carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels rise, prompting your pancreas to produce insulin to remove the excess blood sugar. This, in turn, makes you hungry again and prompts you to eat more. When following a diet low in carbohydrates or devoid of them, your blood sugar levels remain stable, preventing hunger attacks.
In addition to avoiding hunger attacks due to the lack of carbohydrates, consuming a lot of protein increases the thermic effect of your food. The thermic effect is the energy needed by your body to break down and convert nutrients. In the case of carbohydrates and fats, this effect is much lower than when consuming proteins. Furthermore, proteins and fats keep you full for a longer period, reducing your cravings while following a low-carb diet.
Starting a Low Carb Diet
Following a low-carb diet is also very simple. You simply eliminate items such as bread, grains, wheat, rice, pasta, and all types of sugars from your diet. This means that the distribution of macronutrients will change from before your diet. You should get about 60 percent of your nutrients from fats, 35 percent from proteins, and the remaining 5 percent from carbohydrates. Keep in mind to keep the number of carbohydrates per day to less than 50 grams to induce ketosis, allowing the body to tap into fat reserves for energy.
Is My Body in Ketosis?
To check if your body is in ketosis, you can use Ketostix. When your body enters ketosis, it excretes ketones through urine, sweat, and breath, hence the acetone smell. With Ketostix, you can check if ketones are present in your urine. If so, you are on the right track, and eliminating your carbohydrates has been sufficient. If not, you need to further limit your carbohydrate intake.
Conclusion
Following a low-carb diet can have several benefits. It is a relatively easy diet to follow because you only need to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. It is a diet that allows you to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass due to the higher intake of proteins. This higher intake of proteins also means you feel full longer, and the thermic effect of your food will be much greater. Finally, when following a ketogenic diet, you stay full longer and eat relatively less throughout the day. The only downside is that you may have a slightly less pleasant odor. Is it worth it to you?
