What Is a Low-Carb Diet?
As the name suggests, a low-carb diet is the type of diet in which carbohydrates are present in fewer amounts. Low carb does not mean that the person needs to completely cut down on carbohydrates. Instead, the person consumes food items rich in proteins and healthy fats. The body contains three types of macronutrients, mainly proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These macronutrients provide energy to the body organs and keep them healthy.
Carbohydrates, also known as carbs, are a type of macronutrient found in various food items and drinks. Starch, sugars, and fibers are the three different types of carbohydrates. When a person eats carbohydrate-containing food, it is broken into glucose. This glucose is absorbed by the blood because it provides energy to the organs of the body. Unused carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and converted to fats by the body. The problem arises when carbohydrates are consumed in excess.
The blood sugar levels rise and make the person vulnerable to hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac diseases. Along with these diseases, the person starts gaining weight because of the conversion of carbohydrates to fats by the body. To overcome the problem of weight gain and obesity, people switch from a normal diet to a low-carb diet. This diet has gained a lot of popularity among people over the years. It is important to know about the diet, types of low carb diet, and the foods to be eaten and avoided before starting with the diet.
What Are the Different Types of Low-Carb Diets?
A low-carb diet is the one in which the person consumes only 25 to 150 grams of carbohydrates daily. The different types of low-carb diets have been described below:
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The Usual Low-Carb Diet - There is no official definition of a low-carb diet. It is simply a diet that contains fewer carbohydrates than the normal one. The diet plan is such that the person eats protein-rich food items like meat, fish, eggs, and nuts. The advantage of this diet is that the person gets to choose the number of carbohydrates he wants to eat. There is no strict plan that tells the person when and what should be eaten. So, the ones who like freedom would definitely opt for this diet. The recommended daily intake of carbohydrates is listed in the table below:
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Keto Diet - A keto diet or the ketogenic diet is the strictest type of low-carb and high-fat diet. The person is allowed to consume less than 50 grams of carbohydrates daily. In this diet, the body sends a large number of fatty acids to the liver. The liver, in turn, converts these fatty acids to ketones. As a result, the body goes into a state of ketosis. The person needs to consume fewer proteins and more fats because the proteins reduce the ketone levels. The keto diet has become popular over the past few years because the results are great. The person following this diet starts losing weight immediately.
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Low-Carb and High-Fat Diet - It is similar to a keto diet, but the person is allowed to consume carbohydrates in the range of 20 to 100 grams. This diet is preferred by people compared to a keto diet because the keto diet is too strict and difficult to follow. The person following this diet needs to eat meat, fish, eggs, healthy fats, dairy products, nuts, and berries.
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Atkins Diet - The Atkins diet is one of the best low-carb diet plans introduced by Dr.Atkins. The diet is divided into the following phases:
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Phase 1 - The induction phase - Follow a ketogenic diet, that is, consume only 20 grams of carbohydrates daily for two weeks.
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Phase 2 - The balancing phase - Start eating nuts, fruits, and vegetables that contain fewer carbohydrates.
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Phase 3 - The fine-tuning phase - If the person starts losing weight, he is allowed to have carbohydrates.
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Phase 4 - The maintenance phase - The person is allowed to have as many carbohydrates as he wants, but they should be healthy and not processed foods.
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Low Carb Paleo Diet - The diet has been named the paleo diet because the person is expected to eat foods that belong to the paleolithic era. The paleolithic era denotes the time before the industrial and agricultural revolutions. It is one of the most popular diets followed globally. It is believed that returning to the diet of ancestors improves health, and humans have grown and adapted to eating foods included in this diet. The person is allowed to consume meat, seafood, eggs, fish, vegetables, legumes, and dairy products. One must stay away from processed food items.
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Eco-Atkins Diet - A modified version of the Atkins diet is the Eco-Atkins diet. Only plant-based food products high in protein and fats like soy, gluten, and plant oils are to be consumed.
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Zero-Carb Diet - As the name suggests, a zero-carb diet is the one in which people eliminate all carbohydrates. Only animal foods like meat, fish, and egg are consumed. As the person consumes only highly processed foods rich in fats, he is deprived of the essential nutrients. People also face digestion issues because they are deprived of fibers as no fruits and vegetables are included in this diet. Consult a dietician before switching over to this diet.
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Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet - It is a popular diet among doctors and includes foods from Mediterranean countries. In this diet, unsaturated fats are replaced by saturated fats. It means the person is required to eat fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, and seeds instead of butter, cream, and cheese.
How to Start a Low-Carb Diet?
It requires time and extra effort for people to start a low-carb diet. However, the following tips help to start a low-carb diet:
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Before starting the diet, know about the foods that contain fewer carbohydrates. The following foods contain low carbs:
- Olive oil.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Chicken breast
- Fish.
- Green leafy vegetables.
- Coconut oil.
- Apples, strawberries, and blueberries.
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It is important to know about the right amount of carbohydrates to be consumed. For example, the person following a keto diet needs to consume only 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates daily.
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Make a proper meal plan to make things easier. The meal plan can be made on a daily or a weekly basis. The diet plan helps one to stick to the diet so that it can be followed properly.
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The person can prepare his meals in advance and store them in containers so that they can be used whenever required. Egg muffins, protein pancakes, and chicken lettuce wraps can be prepared in advance as they are both healthy and tasty.
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If the person has a habit of having snacks between meals, he can have unsweetened yogurt, carrots, and nuts instead of processed foods.
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Do not make the diet boring. Introduce changes in the diet like carb cycling, which means a low carb diet for some days followed by a high-carb diet for a day.
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Replace foods that contain large amounts of carbohydrates with the ones containing no or fewer carbohydrates.
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Do not forget to exercise along with a diet, but avoid strenuous exercises or those exercises which are beyond the limits of the body.
What Foods Are Included in a Low-Carb Diet?
A low-carb diet mainly focuses on food items that contain high amounts of proteins, fats, and fewer amounts of carbohydrates. It is important to have knowledge about the food items to be included in the diet before starting with it. The foods included in a low-carb diet are listed in the table below:
What Foods Must Be Avoided in a Low-Carb Diet?
Refined and highly processed foods must be avoided on a low-carb diet. The other food items to be avoided are listed in the table below:
What Are the Benefits of a Low-Carb Diet?
If a low-carb diet is followed properly, the person benefits a lot. Some of the benefits of a low-carb diet are listed below:
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A low-carb diet keeps the person away from cardiac diseases. It is because it helps reduce triglyceride levels. The triglycerides are a type of fats that accumulate in the veins and block the blood supply to the heart.
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It is one of the best options for people to lose weight. As the person consumes fewer carbohydrates, the insulin levels become low, leading to weight loss.
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The carbohydrates get converted to sugars after they are digested. These sugars are absorbed by the blood and used as a source of energy. However, when carbohydrates are consumed in excess, blood sugar levels rise, leading to diabetes. So, a low-carb diet helps to reduce blood sugar levels and the risk of diabetes.
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A low-carb diet helps to increase good cholesterol levels to lower the risk of cardiac disorders.
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Low-carb diets are one of the most effective methods to reduce blood pressure. High blood pressure or hypertension is an open invitation to several diseases.
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It helps to keep the metabolism under control and fight metabolic diseases.
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As no processed foods are included in a low-carb diet, stomach problems like bloating and diarrhea are not experienced at all.
Conclusion:
As the name suggests, a low-carb diet includes those foods that contain high amounts of proteins and fats and fewer carbohydrates. This diet has become popular over the years because of the benefits associated with it. The biggest misconception related to a low-carb diet is that the person needs to stay hungry, which is not the case. A low-carb diet means incorporating the nutrients that contain fewer sugars, which are beneficial for the body, and also keep the body away from diseases. There are a variety of low-carb diets, the keto and the Atkins diet being the most popular.
The keto diet is a strict one wherein a person is required to consume only 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates. On the other hand, the Atkins diet is somewhat similar to a keto diet, but it is divided into phases. Once the person starts losing weight in the Atkins diet, he can return to his normal diet keeping in mind the weight maintenance phase. A low-carb diet comes with many benefits like it reduces blood sugar levels, maintains the metabolic rate, and keeps the body away from cardiac disorders. So, consult a dietician before starting the low-carb diet to know in detail about it.