If you’re considering overhauling your current lifestyle and starting a healthy, low carb diet, it’s well worth learning about the science behind low carb diets. As you’ll soon discover why low carb diets are so effective and can help you achieve sustainable, long term weight loss.
How do low carb diets work?
When your body processes carbohydrates, your body will begin breaking down the carbohydrates which you’ve consumed into simple sugars. This process occurs during digestion. Once your body has successfully broken down the carbohydrates which it has digested into sugar, the simple sugars are then absorbed into your body’s bloodstream. Which will, in turn, increase the amount of your blood sugar levels, which will encourage your body to produce a greater amount of insulin.
How does insulin affect your body? Insulin assists glucose to be absorbed by your body’s cells. While a small amount of glucose can be useful to your body and can help fuel your day to day activities, any extra glucose which is produced which is not quickly used by your body may be stored in your body as fat cells. Which can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Even if you exercise on a regular basis and follow a fairly healthy diet.
So, it should come as no surprise that if you want to lose weight and to manage your weight it’s definitely well worth considering following a controlled, low carb diet. As you’ll effectively decrease the amount of simple sugars which your body will digest and will decrease your blood sugar levels, your insulin levels and the amount of glucose which your body processes. As a result of processing less glucose, you’ll be able to avoid storing glucose as fat cells and putting on weight.
Why are low carb diets good for your health?
1. Low carb diets also help you increase your resting metabolism
While it’s obvious that you can burn more calories each day, by increasing the number of minutes that you spend exercising each day, you can also increase your metabolism by changing your current diet to a low carb diet. Recent scientific studies have shown that individuals who follow low carb diets, on average, burn 250 more calories per day, than individuals who consume an average amount of carbohydrates, on a daily basis.
So if you’d like to be able to burn 250 more calories each day, without having to spend all of your free time working out in a hot, sweaty gym, it’s a great idea to follow a low carb diet. As you’ll burn more calories when you’re sleeping, working in an office or relaxing with friends and family members, without having to work out, by simply restricting the number of carbohydrates which you consume.
2. Low carb food choices are usually low in saturated fat
Another benefit of choosing to follow a low carb diet is that low carb foods are usually low in fat. Better yet, most low carb foods such as tuna, salmon, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, kale, and blueberries are low in saturated fats. If you’re unfamiliar with saturated fats, they are the most difficult type of fat for your body to process and are not required for healthy brain function, like unsaturated fats.
3. Low carb diets do feature a controlled amount of healthy, unsaturated fats
However, you’ll be pleased to discover that low carb diets do feature healthy unsaturated fats, that your brain needs to function efficiently. Some examples of foods which are typically eaten on low carb diets which are packed full of unsaturated fats include nuts, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and eggs.
Why low carb diets are better than no carb diets?
1. Regardless of what fad diets may advertise your body does require some carbs
While many fad diets may try and tell you that you should avoid all types of carbs at all costs, the simple truth is that the human body does require a minimum amount of carbs to continue to function healthily. Especially as carbs are one of your body’s number one sources of energy.
That’s why it’s a smart move to follow a low carb diet, that features carefully chosen carbs, rather than a diet which restricts all carbs. As if you follow such an extreme diet, you’ll be likely to suffer from exhaustion on a regular basis. Which in turn will decrease your chances of engaging in regular physical activity. Which is also necessary if you want to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight.
2. You’ll be far more likely to stick to a low carb diet, instead of a no carb diet
One reason why so many individuals find it challenging to lose weight and keep weight off in the long term is that they pursue highly restrictive diets, which are hard to follow for more than a few months. Especially as one of the keys to maintaining a healthy weight is to change your lifestyle, instead of simply following a diet.
As in order to maintain your newfound weight loss, you’ll need to continue following the changes you’ve made. Otherwise, you’ll be likely to gain back the weight, which you’ve lost.
If you decide to follow a low carb diet, you’ll definitely find it a lot easier to continue following your chosen diet for the rest of your life, instead of trying to stick to a highly restrictive diet such as a zero carb diet.
3. Maintaining an active social life, following a low carb diet isn’t too much of a struggle
As you can imagine if you were to adopt a no carb diet, you’ll find it extremely hard to enjoy meals out with friends and family members and will also find it difficult to find meals when you travel. However, if you choose to follow a low carb diet, you’ll easily be able to find meal options at every eatery which you find yourself in. So you’ll never have to turn your friends or family members down in order to stick to your diet again!
So if you’re convinced of the numerous benefits of following a low carb diet, it’s well worth finding out more information about low carb diets.
Leave a Reply