Low Carbohydrate Diet vs. No Carbohydrate

These days, we will try all kinds of diet fads to lose weight. Everyone has a different opinion about what works. What definitely does not work is a diet where carbohydrates are cut out completely. A healthy eating plan should include fats, carbohydrates, and protein. To follow a diet without them would be dangerous to your health.

Carbs are the most plentiful of all the nutrients and can be found in most foods that we eat. Carbs are made of simple and complex sugars that are metabolized by the body for energy or stored as fat when no more is needed. Examples of simple carbs include fruits and dairy products such as milk and cheese. Complex carbo are your heavier foods such as pastas, breads, potatoes, rice, and cereals. Eating less of the complex and more of the simple types may be a good way to lose weight.

Diets that advocate no carbs force the body to obtain all of its energy from protein and fats. When protein from food is no longer available to meet the body’s energy needs, the body begins siphoning it from the muscle tissue of the body. In essence, the body begins feeding on itself for fuel. This is no good. The body needs glucose (sugar) to function. Interestingly enough, the glucose needed by the brain must come from carbohydrates and not protein sources.

Lately, carbohydrates have been classified by their glycemic index (GI) number. This method of rating carbs helps people make wiser choices about what they include in their diets. Foods with high GI’s (greater than fifty) cause the body to store fat. Foods with a low GI number (less than fifty); cause the body to burn fat.

On a diet that features low GI carbs, the insulin level in the body is maintained at a steady level. These carbs are processed at a slower rate by the body. The other hormone, glucagon, can work to burn the sugars for energy in the cells. You don’t feel hungry all the time when the insulin hormone level in the body has no major fluctuations. When you expend energy during physical activity, the body starts releasing fat stores to use for energy metabolism. Low carbohydrate diets provide the body with energy without going into crisis mode.

Eat the right carbohydrates. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits. Whole grain or seven grain breads and pastas are best, compared to those made with white flour. Beans and nuts are good for a low carbohydrate diet. If you must have potatoes, try sweet potatoes. The GI number is lower and they are great with non-fat spray butter.

Don’t try to cut out all of your carbohydrates. Reduce them to lose weight, because choosing good quality and smaller quantity is the best way to go.

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