Low-Carb Diet: A Beginner's Guide

From Atkins to the ketogenic diet, low-carb eating has some major staying power in the diet industry. Check out this tutorial if you’re wondering about how this dietary plan may improve diabetic control, weight reduction, and other alleged health advantages.

What Is a Low-Carb Diet?

For starters, recognize that what’s low carbohydrate for one individual isn’t for another. “There’s no medical definition of what low-carb is,” explains Columbus, Ohio–based Kelly Schmidt, RD.

Basically, it’s lowering the quantity of carbohydrates you consume from your usual. In general, however, a low-carb diet may contain 50 to 100 grams (g) of carbs each day, she explains. Below that is considered very-low-carb, such as the ketogenic diet, whereas 100 to 200 g of carbs per day is a moderate-carb diet.

Potential Benefits of a Low-Carb Diet

You usually hear the most about low-carb eating for weight reduction, but for certain individuals, the method might also help enhance their health, says Schmidt. “Research shows that women who are obese or have metabolic problems [may] do better hormonally on lower carbs,” says Schmidt, adding out that additional results of the diet might include improved sleep, mental clarity, and enhanced satiety.

As low-carb nutritionist Franziska Spritzler, RD, who’s located in Orange County, California, points out, when you cut down on carbohydrates, blood sugar and insulin levels normally go down, which may be a positive thing for A1C, or the two- to three-month average of blood sugar levels. This may also aid with weight reduction, another popular objective for persons with type 2 diabetes.

These sorts of advantages may be experienced nearly immediately. Past study reveals that participants who ate three lower-carb meals (of fewer than 30 percent carbohydrates each) lowered their insulin resistance by more than 30 percent compared with those who ingested higher-carb meals (60 percent carbs). Further study reveals that insulin resistance may be addressed with a low-carb diet in only one month.

You can view the outcomes, too. One tiny randomized controlled study on older persons with obesity indicated that, compared with a low-fat diet, a very low carb diet chopped off 3 times more visceral fat, a form of abdominal fat that surrounds organs and is connected to illness. The low-carb group also dropped 9.7 percent of total fat compared with only 2 percent in the low-fat following. A meta-analysis also indicated that in obese persons, a low-carb diet decreased fat over the course of a year (but not body weight), with the largest effects shown in a very-low-carb diet.

Limitations of Low-Carb Dieting

That again, there isn’t a consensus that a low-carb diet is preferable to any other form of diet or that it’s healthier long term. A study that looked at the diet among persons with diabetes concluded that when it comes to weight reduction, a low-carb diet performs no better than other higher-carb diets; and that it doesn’t generate improved glycemic control, either.[6] Another investigation also indicated that over one year, individuals on a low-carb diet lost weight quicker than those on a low-fat one, but after a year, weight loss and A1C levels (an average of blood glucose over around three months) were astonishingly equal.

Health Risks of Low-Carb Diets

What’s more, low-carb diets may be harmful for some people.

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, adopting a low-carb diet isn’t suggested (barring gestational diabetes, in which case, visit your healthcare provider).

“Many women who are pregnant find that the thought of eating protein and fat makes them sick,” adds Spritzler. This may be particularly frequent in the first trimester. “They naturally want more carbs. You should always heed to your body,” she says.

Separate from pregnancy, evaluate your lifestyle. If you’re someone who performs intensive CrossFit-style activities, a low-carb diet may not feed you effectively, says Schmidt.

And the things weighing on you matter, too. “Anyone in a stressful state, like a divorce or dealing with a death in the family, needs carbs to support their adrenal system,” she observes.

As for if you’re dealing with health difficulties, defer to your doctor. For instance, if you have renal problems, you also want to chat to your doctor about proper protein consumption. If you have heart disease, you can still go low carb, but you’re better off going for monounsaturated fats (avocados, almonds, and olive oil) over saturated fats (butter and red meat). Indeed, this remains true for everyone, regardless of heart disease condition.

Although there is some research that shows a low-carb diet that includes more saturated fat than current guidelines did not raise “bad” LDL cholesterol (a risk factor for heart disease), you should still pay attention to the quality of foods in your low-carb diet. Everyone’s cholesterol levels behave differently on a low-carb diet, so if yours are going up, switch to unsaturated sources of fats, Spritzler says. “In general, this is a diet most people can do. If you have a chronic disease, engage with a doctor who knows low-carbohydrate diets to monitor you,” she adds.

Last, if you have a history of eating disorders, a low-carb diet (or any eating plan that is restricted) may be harmful, nutrition and mental health experts concur.

Read Also: Benefits of Following a Vegetarian Diet

Types of Low-Carb Diets

Going low-carb looks vary depending on the method you’re going with. Here are a few you may consider.

Keto Diet

This is the harshest regimen, forcing you to consume fewer than 50 g of carbohydrates each day and raise your fat consumption dramatically. You’ll consume a modest quantity of protein. This is a popular weight reduction diet.

Traditional Low Carb

This method contains 50 to 100 g of carbohydrates per day; this is where many individuals start since it’s less restricted than a keto diet meal plan but may still achieve benefits.

Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet takes you through four stages, beginning with very-low-carb intake and then progressively incorporating more carbohydrate-rich meals throughout. It’s helpful for folks who want a more regimented approach.

Dukan Diet

This option likewise comprises four phases: two weight loss and two maintenance. For instance, the first phase of the Dukan diet concentrates on high-protein foods, the second brings veggies back in, the third permits two “celebration” meals per week, and the fourth is about maintaining your weight constant. Because you may follow the diet from the book, it also appeals to individuals who require a structured approach.

Paleo Diet

Just because the paleo diet removes grains doesn’t mean it’s low in carbohydrates, particularly if you include root vegetables (like sweet potatoes) and fruit, but it may be followed this way.