The Low Carb Diet: A Low Carbohydrate Diet

Stephen PaulNUTRITION & FOOD

Keto Diet, Atkins diet, low-carb diet… Diets advocating low intake or even stopping carbohydrates are currently very popular. But is this demonization of a class of foods justified? And above all, are Low Carb diets beneficial in terms of weight and health?

What are carbohydrates?

Definition

A carbohydrate is an organic molecule, made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen (English speakers call them “carbohydrates”). It is a nutrient, just likeproteins, fats,vitaminsor minerals.

Carbohydratesaresugars, classified into two categories. This classification depends essentially on their chemical structure:

Simple carbohydrates, also called fast sugars, are monosaccharides (simple structure). These are glucose,fructose, or galactose. These sugar molecules can be combined to give sucrose (association of fructose and glucose), maltose (association of two fructose molecules) or lactose (association of glucose and galactose).

Complex carbohydrates, also called slow sugars), are polysaccharides. Their structure is complex and therefore their digestion is slower. This is why they are recommended: they cause a more gradual rise in blood sugar and, therefore, are a source of diffuse energy. These are starch, glycogen orfiber (amylose and amylopectin).

Role of carbohydrates

The main role of carbohydrates is toprovide the body with energy, so that it meets its incompressible needs. In addition, they contribute to proper brain function, as thebrainand nervous system are glucose-dependent. They are easy to metabolize:

  • Once absorbed, they are transformed into glucose.
  • Glucose can then be broken down: this is glycolysis.
  • It can also be transformed into glycogen and thus penetrate the various cells of the body (at the level of the liver , fat reserves and muscles).
  • If the body occasionally needs a surplus of energy, the stored glycogen will be transformed back into glucose, under the effect of glucagon, a hormone secreted by the Pancreas .

If the body runs out of glucose, it will metabolize Proteinand fats to provide it with energy. But this metabolization will lead to the production of toxins – uric acids and ketone bodies.

But carbohydrates fulfill other roles in the body:

  • They are part of the composition of many tissues, such as cartilage, mucus or antigens.
  • Their metabolism results in the release of tryptophan in the body, an amino acid precursor of serotonin and melatonin, calming hormones and mood stabilizers.
  • They accelerate thefeeling of satietyand thus play a major role in the regulation of appetite.

What is the Low Carb diet?

Definition

The Low Carb diet, or “low carbohydrates”, is a diet that involves low carbohydrate intake, whether simple or complex. The best-known low-carb diets are the Atkins diet (and its revamped version, thefirstone having been heavily criticized) and the ketogenic diet. The Ferriss diet, once considered a low-carb diet, should be excluded from pure Low Carb diets. Indeed, it does not prohibit the consumption of carbohydrates, but advocates the preference for complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. It is therefore a “Slow-Carb Diet”.

According to the recommendations of health authorities, including ANSES (1) , the food bolus should include on average:

  • 40-55% carbohydrates
  • 20 to 35% conceited
  • 10 to 15% protein

Low carbohydrate diets reverse these ratios. Thus, the ketogenic(or Keto Diet) and thenew version Atkins dietrecommend intakes as follows:

  • 65 to 80% fat
  • 15 to 30% protein
  • 5 to 6% maximum carbohydrates

The only difference between its two diets: where the ketogenic diet advises maintaining a low level of carbohydrates over the long term, the Atkins diet recommends (2)

  • An attack phase, with 20-25 g of carbohydrates per day
  • A secondary phase, with 25-50 g of carbohydrates per day
  • A third phase, called stabilization, with 50-80 g of carbohydrates per day
  • A long-term phase, which should be followed over the long term, with 80-100 g of carbohydrates per day

Thus, Low Carb diets are based on dietary restrictions and only allow:

  • Fish and seafood (shellfish, crustaceans)
  • Vegetables, except root vegetables for the ketogenic diet, and legumes and tubers during the early stages of the Atkins diet
  • Virgin vegetable oils such as olive oil, coconut oil or sunflower oil

Fruitcereals and “starchyvegetables” should be strictly limited (or even eliminated during the attack phase). Any other food containing sugar, such as honey, maple syrup and soy and its derivatives (tofu, tempeh) are “prohibited”.

Principle and effects

Low carbohydrate diets assume that a low carbohydrate intake causes the body to draw on its reserves to extract glycogen (liver, muscles). Once these reserves are exhausted, the body will have to draw on its fatty stocks to meet its energy needs. This is the ketosis phase: the body will manufacture an energy substrate from fatty acids, ketone bodies, then ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

Thus, diets low in carbohydrates would “burn” fat mass and thus lose weight. In addition, Low Carb diets, like the ketogenic diet, would be studied in the treatment of certainCancers and epilepsy.

Advantages and disadvantages of the low carbohydrate diet

Advantages

  • Weightloss
  • Satiety achieved
  • First positive effects on certain pathologies – cancer (3) , epilepsy (4) , but still being explored

Disadvantages

  • Diet can be monotonous and impact social life
  • Fiber , vitamin and mineral deficiencies
  • Fatigue and nausea
  • Migraines
  • Osteoporosis and loss of bone density
  • Risk of high cholesterol and hyperlipemia(5)
  • Menstrual cycle disorders in women (dysmenorrhea)
  • Transit disorders and colorectal diseases (fiber deficiency)
  • disorders (tryptophan deficiency)
  • Food intolerances(6)
  • Kidney damage (kidney stones due to increased uric acids) and liver (inflammation, steatosis)(7)
  • Many contraindications: low-carbohydrate diets are not recommended fordiabetics, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, people on antibiotics, people suffering fromACT

In addition, health authorities (ANSES, AFSSA) and dieticians-nutritionists express distrust of low carbohydrate diets, and advocate more dietary rebalancing, where no food or food groups should be discarded. In France, the only recommendation made about carbohydrates is to limit the consumption ofSugary Products – in this case fast sugars (8)

How to continue to eat carbohydrates without gaining weight?

If you want to continue the consumption of carbohydrates, to preserve the principle of varied and balanced diet, without risk of gaining weight, it is a question of choosing your intake well. Also, we will favor complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index.

The glycemic index corresponds to the increase in blood glucose (and therefore, the amount of insulinreleased by the pancreas), two hours after ingestion of carbohydrates. The lower the GI, the more gradual the diffusion of glucose in the body. Since insulin promotes storage, it is better to avoid foods that cause sharp increases in insulin. This is the reason why it is better to prefer carbohydrates with a low GI.

Thus, the carbohydrates to favor are:

  • Raw and whole grains: oat bran, quinoa, wild rice, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta cooked al dente, buckwheat or rye flour…
  • Freshfruits and vegetables
  • Oilseeds: almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios…
  • Legumes: chickpeas, broad beans, white beans, split peas, lentils…
  • Seeds: flax, poppy, squash, sesame, chia…
  • Root vegetables: potatoes cooked with the skin on, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, etc.

The principle of “healthy carbohydrates”, to be preferred when controlling your weight, is very simple. It is:

  • Choose foods that are as natural as possible
  • Cook them yourself with little fat
  • Always accompany them with fiber, because the latter promote their assimilation by the body, while lowering their glycemic load

If these principles are followed correctly, eating carbohydrates will not make you conceited .

Stephen
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Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.