Low-carbs Diet
What is Low-carbs Diet?
This diet limits the intake of carbohydrates and instead, focus on eating proteins, healthful fats and non-starchy vegetables. The daily limitation of carbohydrates is 20-57 grams, which equals to 4-12% of daily calories intake.
What should we eat?
Before knowing what we need to eat, we should know that what food sources are low in carbohydrates:
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Lean meats, such as chicken breast, pork, or beef
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Fish, such as salmon and tuna
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Eggs
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Leafy green vegetables
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Cauliflower and Broccoli
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Nuts and seeds, such as nut butter
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Oils, such as olive oil
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Some fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries
Besides, we should also know about what food we have to avoid, which is high in carbohydrates:
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Grains
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Legumes
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Starchy fruits, such as bananas, plantains and dates
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Breads
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Pasta
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Starchy vegetables, such as corn, sweet potatoes and green peas
Benefits
With limiting the consumption of carbohydrates, the diet can lead to greater short-term weight loss than long-term effect. Besides, the low-carbs diet brings other benefits to our body, including:
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Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
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Reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome
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Improve blood sugar level
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Improve blood cholesterol level
Other concerns?
As generally, carbohydrates constitute around 60-70% of our diet, sudden and drastic reduction in carbohydrates can lead to short-term side effects, including:
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Constipation
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Headache
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Muscle cramps
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Fatigue
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weakness
Types of nutrition
As grains and legumes are rich in vitamins and minerals restricting of certain carbohydrates may lead to vitamins and minerals deficiency. It is important for people to ensure to obtain optimal amount of micronutrients from eating wider variety of food sources.
Choosing optimal types of protein and fats is crucial. It is better to limit the intake of saturated and trans fat, which may have negative effect on your health.
References:
1. Fletcher, J. (2020). What can you eat on a low-carb diet? Medical News Today.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321545
2. Mayo Clinic Staff (2020). Low-carb diet: Can it help you lose weight? Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/low-carb-diet/art-20045831
3. Feinmann, J. (2018). Low calorie and low carb diets for weight loss in primary care. BMJ : British Medical Journal (Online), 360