Low Carbs diet: Cont
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Dec 21, 2018
- 3 min read
Why you should not cut on carbohydrates:
Introduction:
Low carbohydrate becomes popular as the weight loss results are great. Not all people can follow a low carbohydrate diet, especially diabetic patient and pregnant women. Results are faster than high carbohydrate diet during the first 6 months. But let us know why do we need carbohydrate first and why we should not cut on them.
1 Carbs Are Your Primary Source of Energy.
You may start your morning with a quick meal rich in carbohydrate to fuel your body with energy and help you stay active. A brain is a main consumer of glucose just to be on normal working. You can get your energy from few carbohydrate intakes but this will eventually affect your feeling as you replace carbs with a less efficient nutrient for fuel.
2 Carbs Help You Power through Tough Workouts
Studies have been shown that low carbohydrate affects your endurance level. As enough intake of carbohydrate is important for glycogen storage before and after a workout. Before exercise, you may have a banana as fast acting for fuel energy and after a workout you may need both protein and carbohydrate like sliced chicken breast with cooked rice.
3 Carbs Are a Good Source of Dietary fibre.
Healthy sources of dietary fibre like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Fibre is really important for frightening hunger as it helps you feel satisfied for a longer period. In addition, fibre helps in maintaining a balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut. Low carbohydrate intake means the low dietary intake of fibre and as result health problems may occur like constipation and heart disease.
4 Carbs Provide Essential B-Complex Vitamins.
Food rich in carbohydrate provides B vitamins for your body. Vitamin B 9, for example, is important in red blood cells development while thiamine is important for normal cell growth.
5 You'll Miss Out on Fruit and Its Benefits.
Cutting on carbohydrates means the low intake of fruits, not only they are rich in natural sugar, but also in fibre, potassium, vitamin C and many antioxidants that boost immunity. Even a little bit of fruit each day offers health benefits, and the US
DA recommends one-and-a-half to two cups per day as part of a balanced diet.
6 Starchy Veggies Are Nutritional Powerhouses.
Low carbohydrate intake means the low intake of vegetables and missing their nutritional benefits. For example, sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, vitamins B-5, B-6, thiamine, niacin and riboflavin and due to their orange colour, they are high in carotenoids, which are antioxidants that have cancer-fighting properties. Protein-rich veggies like peas and beans are rich in fibre, B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and potassium. One or two serving per day is key to getting the nutrients you need.
7 Grains Are Loaded With Phytonutrients.
Grains are rich in antioxidants too, for example, red quinoa is packed with antioxidant that doesn’t get affected by baking or cooking. Choosing coloured grains as black quinoa, burgundy rice, and red wheat add more antioxidants to your diet.
8 Carbs Make You Feel Good.
Low carbohydrate diet has been linked with fatigue and mood swings and this is due to a serotonin-a neurotransmitter that helps in boosting brain. In addition, carbohydrate intake affects tryptophan-an amino acid related to mood.
9 Carbs Can Help You Sleep.
Good quality of sleep requires sufficient intake of carbohydrate. Including one or two servings of carbohydrate four hours at dinner, meals improve your sleep and help you sleep faster.
10 Carbs Help Maintain Dietary Balance
Carbohydrate is an essential nutrient yet adding it to your diet help you in having a well-balanced lifestyle. Cutting on simple carbohydrate rather than complex ones is better to ensure a well-balanced diet. Always ask your dietitian before following a low carbohydrate diet as long-term will result in ketosis and may affect your health as it is deficient in many important nutrients.
Sources:
https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/ketosis-ketogenic-diets-misleading/
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