Diet without carbohydrates: how it works, the pros and cons for health
Finding the right diet for us isn't always easy. Each person has very specific characteristics, which concern both the build and the metabolism, and this aspect makes it difficult to find the right diet for us. In recent years, those who want to lose weight and lose weight increasingly choose a diet without carbohydrates, in favor of proteins and those fats considered healthy. How does a diet of this type work? And above all, does eliminating carbohydrates from your diet really help in weight loss?
Today we will see everything there is to know about this topic: before starting, however, we recommend that you watch this short video, where we explain what you need to do before going on a diet.
The various types of low-carb or no-carbohydrate diets
There is no single carbohydrate-free diet. The diets that focus on proteins to the detriment of the macronutrients contained in bread and pasta are different, as well as the beneficial effects and contraindications for health. Let's see the main ones:
- Low Carb Diets: these are all those low carbohydrate diets, whose intake is limited to 100 grams per day, or equal to two / three fruits, two vegetable dishes and a 50 gram sandwich.
- Very Low Carb Diet: very low in carbohydrates, this diet provides for an intake from 20 to a maximum of 70 grams per day, the equivalent of a fruit and one or two servings of vegetables.
- Ketogenic diet: this term indicates all those diets that provide for the complete elimination of carbohydrates or an intake of less than 20 grams per day. This category includes various dietary models that have become famous in recent years such as the Paleo or Atkins diet.
The Low Carb diet, if followed correctly and not for an excessively long period of time, can bring various health benefits, while the other two types are more risky and have more contraindications.
Foods without carbohydrates
When you start following a low or no carbohydrate diet, it is important to choose the right foods, as well as being guided by the experience of a doctor or nutritionist. Below we will discover the list of Low or No Carb foods, divided by categories: we would like to clarify that in the case of fruit, we have selected the varieties that contain the least number of carbohydrates, given that each fruit has a more or less high quantity of fructose, a source of sugars.
Vegetables:
- Porcini mushrooms
- Chicory
- Spinach
- Tofu
- Green olives
Fruit:
- Avocado
- Rhubarb
- Red currants
- Lemon
Meat: Meat products are the carbohydrate-free foods par excellence. Unprocessed meat contains no carbohydrates, only fats and proteins. The same goes for fish: the blue one does not contain any at all, while squid, crustaceans and molluscs have a minimal amount.
Cereals: It is difficult to find cereals without carbohydrates or with a very low intake. For example, wheat flour contains between 70 and 100 grams, but today there are various types of low-carbohydrate flour on the market, such as almond, coconut or chickpea flour.
The foods that are generally not allowed or in any case drastically reduced are:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Potatoes
- Cereals
- Oil
- Butter
- Sugar and related products, such as sweets
- Processed and / or packaged foods.
Example of a daily menu
As we have seen, we cannot speak of a single Low Carb or ketogenic diet and, in the same way, there is no single menu to follow. We have collected some examples of menus of the different low-carbohydrate or carbohydrate-free diets, where it is also possible to notice the differences that distinguish them:
Low Carb Diet Menu:
Breakfast: 150 grams of Greek yogurt and seasonal fruit.
Snack: centrifuged celery, carrots and fennel.
Lunch: 200 grams of mixed salad, baked salmon steak seasoned with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Snack: dried fruit.
Dinner: grilled chicken breast and spinach, all seasoned with a maximum of two tablespoons of oil.
A menu of this type provides about 1250 calories per day.
Dukan diet menu:
- Breakfast: low-fat yogurt with three tablespoons of oat bran or bresaola or eggs.
- Snack: a low-fat yogurt or turkey.
- Lunch: baked salmon or boiled eggs or shellfish and prawns.
- Snack: a low-fat yogurt with dried fruit.
- Dinner: omelette and three slices of ham or grilled meat.
Depending on the portions provided, the caloric intake of a typical menu of the Dukan diet can be around 1000-1200 kcal per day.
Paleo diet menu:
- Breakfast: 100 grams of salmon, walnuts and blueberries or two eggs and a fruit or a coconut and avocado smoothie and dried fruit.
- Lunch: 150 grams of bresaola and rocket or chicken curry with salad.
- Dinner: chicken, cucumber and celery or salmon with grilled vegetables.
As a snack, you can eat small rations of dried fruit or cold cuts. One of the cornerstones of this diet is breakfast, which must consist mainly of fats and proteins. These two nutrients help regulate satiety hormones throughout the day. Unlike other diets, Paleo does not focus on the number of calories, but on the type of foods consumed daily.
Do you really lose weight by cutting out carbohydrates?
A Low Carb diet helps you lose weight, favoring the loss of fat mass to the advantage of the lean one. However, those that involve a drastic or complete reduction of carbohydrates lead to a condition called "ketosis", which is when the ketone bodies present in the body are in excess, while glucose, carried by carbohydrates, begins to lack. In response to the deficiency. of glucose over time, the brain activates a series of metabolic and hormonal reactions that transform proteins and amino acids derived from muscles into glucose.This process leads to the depletion of lean muscle mass. Highly low-calorie or ketogenic diets lead to sudden weight loss, which then results in a reduction in muscle mass and not in fat. So, yes, you see your weight go down on the scale, but you don't lose weight.
The advantages
The first examples of the ketogenic diet date back to the 1920s, when the doctors of the time sought curative treatments for epilepsy. Today, however, it is chosen for its low calorie and slimming, despite there are several side effects that we will see better later. There are certainly benefits in reducing the daily intake of carbohydrates, here are the main ones:
- Weight loss: depending on the diet chosen, this can range from about 1-2 kg to 4-5 kg per week.
- Activation and enhancement of metabolism.
- Reduction of the glycemic index and cholesterol present in the blood.
- Rejuvenation of cellular structures.
Contraindications
Although there are advantages in reducing carbohydrates in your diet, we must not forget that excessive consumption of proteins and fats can lead to a series of physical imbalances that are dangerous to health. So let's see the most obvious side effects of a ketogenic diet:
- Kidney problems: The intake of high amounts of protein from different No Carb dietary models, such as Dukan, causes the body to produce excess urea, a waste derived from protein foods. Urea must be disposed of by the kidneys which may be in an overload situation and present problems in their functionality over time.
- Exhaustion and Stress: Carbohydrates are one of the body's primary sources of energy. Their exclusion means that the body has to independently procure the necessary glucose, affecting the "reserves" built up over time. This process leads to the condition of "ketogenic stress", which involves ailments such as fatigue and headaches.
- Constipation: the reduction of fruit and vegetables can lead to more or less important constipation situations. It is necessary to support the body during the Low Carb or ketogenic diet period by drinking lots of water and / or taking probiotic supplements, useful for preserving intestinal health.
Contraindications may vary depending on the high-protein dietary model chosen, but for all these diets it is important not to follow them for too long. The recommended period for such a diet is a maximum of three weeks. In any case, we recommend starting any diet only after consulting a specialist who can give information about your health condition.
