You must have heard about a low carb diet. However, no one seems to understand what exactly the diet is. Some have tried this diet and didn’t like it while others decided this was going to be a lifestyle change instead of a diet.
Others also prefer the “low calorie, take out the fats, so forth and so diets instead.”
This article will describe the different aspects of what a low carb diet is to help you understand the low carb diet. You’ll learn:
- What a low carb diet is
- The various types of carbs
- How many carbs you should eat daily
1. What Is a Low Carb Diet
A low carbohydrate diet is where you cut down on the carbs you are eating. Dietary Guidelines for Americans have stated:
- 45-65{6f6325e81006090c67b24799731aac0121cbc6cbed9a6704f5a30a9474cd8037} of calorie intake should be carbohydrates.
- If you eat less than this, it is considered to be low carbs.
- Low carbs could be 50-150 grams each day.
- You can use it to lose weight.
- How you make your carbohydrate diet is up to your lifestyle, needs, and wants.
Here is what you’ve to remove and replace while on the low carb diet:
- All of the bad foods, fats, non-organic (soda, sweet, sugar, starches, so forth and so on).
- Veggies, fruits, some starches but not a lot, organic foods, grass-fed beef and poultry, water, so forth and so on.
2. The Different Types of Carbs
The various types of carbs depend on the diet you want to do.
Do you just want a lifestyle change without losing weight?
Do you want to lose weight?
Our bodies are completely different from each other. Some may be able to handle a low carb diet while others cannot.
This plays a significant role in the menu that you’ll choose for your low carb diet.
Because those factors play into the diet, it also plays into the amount of food you get to eat, and what types of foods they are.
Before you start, ask your doctor if your body can withstand this kind of diet. The different kinds are:
- Under 20 grams a day is 4{6f6325e81006090c67b24799731aac0121cbc6cbed9a6704f5a30a9474cd8037} of energy from carbs.
- 20-50 grams a day is about 4-10{6f6325e81006090c67b24799731aac0121cbc6cbed9a6704f5a30a9474cd8037} of energy from carbs.
- 50-100 grams a day is about 10-20{6f6325e81006090c67b24799731aac0121cbc6cbed9a6704f5a30a9474cd8037} of energy from carbs.
Carbohydrates You Can Eat
20-50 Grams Each Day
- Nuts, avocados, and seeds
- Whipped cream with berries (only a little bit of whipped cream)
- Vegetables (try only eating the low carb veggies)
50-100 Grams Each Day
- 2 or 3 pieces of fruit per day
- Vegetables (low carb veggies but can add a few more)
- Moderate amount of starches (sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, so on)
100-150 Grams Each Day
- Vegetables (you can add any and all)
- Several more pieces of fruit per day, about 4 or 5
- You can add more starches but not a lot (it is easy to go overboard with starches)
3. How Many Carbs Should You Eat Daily
If you wish to lose weight by using a low carb diet, there are two groups that you can follow.
The groups are split up by body type:
- Healthy people who do exercise: 1-3 grams each pound of your body weight with 1-2 grams protein each pound of your body weight with also 30-40 grams of the healthy fats each day.
- People who have diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, breastfeeding, etc.: 50 to 150 grams each day.
Once you’re done and have lost the weight, you can add the daily intake of grams but still stick with the low carb diet. Most people will add but stay around 100-150 grams of carbs per day if they want to continue with the low carb diet/lifestyle.
Remember, the average carb intake is about 45-60{6f6325e81006090c67b24799731aac0121cbc6cbed9a6704f5a30a9474cd8037}, anything lower is typically called “low carb.”
4. Calculate How Many Carbs You Should Eat
If you are unsure about how much carbs you should consume each day, here is a website that will help you do the calculation.
Even when you are not on a diet, calculating how much you consume is always important. You want to eat the right amount of each food group to have a healthy diet and life.
Here are some things you need to remember when it comes to cutting carbs from your diet.
- The carbohydrates you consume turns into energy for your body.
- Carbohydrates also help replenish glycogen and glucose to help prevent fatigue.
- Eating more or at the wrong time can allow carbs to add adipose tissue to your body.
- Never eat late at night, especially carbohydrates.
- Instead, eat early in the morning and consume less as the day passes.
- If you have to eat late at night, try switching to proteins instead of the carbs.
Conclusion
Low carbohydrate diets depend on several variables for instance, what are your goals, what are your needs, your current weight, do you suffer from any disease, do you’ve a gym membership, etc.
Carbohydrate diets are more effective than low-calorie, low-fat diets.
People feel a lot better when they have some carbs in their diet. Low carbohydrate diets eliminate all of the “bad carbs” that you do not need and give you all the “good carbs” that your body can use and need.
Studies have shown and proven that using a low carb diet does work. The low carb diet is a diet that people want to stay on when they accomplish their goals because they are not starving themselves like most diets.