Low carb foods are very much popular amongst the weight loss aspirants.
Diet, rather a balanced diet, constitutes an important part of all the weight loss programs! With the help of researches and studies, health and fitness experts all over the world have found out that high protein foods, low calories foods and fibrous foods are an effective and healthier option for losing weight quickly. And that too in a natural way, without the use of weight loss supplements and pills! Another diet form, that I haven’t mentioned above and which needs a special mention is the low carb diet!!
What is a low carb diet anyway? Actually many of you might be knowing it, as it is a very popular and effective form of diet. However, for the ones, who have just heard of low carb diet and are new entrants in the weight loss party, I’ll explain the concept of low carb diet in brief and also speak about the recommended daily carbs in low carb diet!
What is a Low Carb Diet?
Well, we all know how important carbohydrates are to our body? Apart from being an important part of our balanced diet, they are useful in providing instant energy to our body, to perform rigorous physical activities. These can be stored in our muscles for exercises and also keep away fatigue by proper functioning of all the body parts.
Now, there are two types of carbohydrates, the ones which are simple carbohydrates, that get broken down easily and provide energy in a very short time and the second type are the complex carbohydrates, that do not get digested easily and break quickly for energy supply. So, it’s obvious, that you need to prefer simple carbohydrates, as one of the components of healthy life!
Although carbohydrates are important, consuming high carb foods in excess quantities, can actually lead to various health problems. This is where the concept of low carb diet emerges! Okay… but what is low carb diet? Low carb diet is a diet form, which poses a restriction on the carbohydrate intake, thereby stimulating weight loss and also prevents obesity. As the carbohydrate intake goes down, so does the calories intake!
There isn’t any specific definition for low carb diet, as each and every expert has defined it in his or her own way. However, the bottom line is to achieve weight loss through intake of low carb foods. Low carb diet gained popularity in the United States, somewhere towards the end of the decade in the early 2000s. This soon became a rage all over the world, as many people were benefited from it.
Why a Low Carb Diet?
Yes, this is a good question! The reason behind promoting low carb diet, according to many scientists, was the working of high carb foods. High carb foods lead to an increase in the blood sugar levels, which in turn results in production of insulin that transports essential nutrients to the cells for energy. If the sugar content in the blood is excess, it gets stored in the form of fats. Low carb diet prevents excess sugar in the body and therefore prevents fat deposition.
This is however an ongoing debate, as many experts believe that fat deposition is a result of high calorie intake! So the above said is just information for knowledge and one should not conclude that it is only high carb foods that cause excessive weight gain. Whatever, low carb diets have turned effective for many people and this is the truth!
What is the Recommended Daily Carbs Intake?
Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question, as there have been many recommendations and these all depend upon the level of activities and also the way research has been done. However, let us know about some recommendations for the amount of daily carbs needed.
- Atkins diet, which is one of the most popular diet forms, recommends somewhere about 20 – 22 grams in the beginning, which constitutes less than 5 percent of the overall diet.
- Apart from Atkins, the National Academy of Sciences, has also made a recommendation. It has recommended somewhere around 120 – 125 grams of carbohydrates everyday.
- Recommended daily allowance (RDA) advises approximately 300 – 305 grams of carbohydrates / 2000 calories.
- As said earlier, this also depends upon the physical exercises and cardio workout you perform. For people indulged in regular weight training exercise programs, 70 – 75 grams is the recommendation.
So how much should be the daily carbs in low carb diet? Well, it is up to you to decide! Contact a dietitian, discuss your lifestyle, eating habits, allergies, etc., and get the perfect recommendation for yourself. Believe me, that’s the only way to know this recommendation.
Because, after all the dietitian will prepare the diet program, assessing your body needs and also determining, what suits your body type! Remember, balanced diet, exercises and rest are all important to bring in weight loss and promote healthy living. So do not just rely on low carb diet and wait for results!! Eat Healthy Live Well!!!
