Can Low to No Carb Diets Be Dangerous to Your Health?

Can Low to No Carb Diets Be Dangerous to Your Health?

Low to no carb diets have been popular for some time now. They are advertised as a sure way to lose weight by some...yet is a no carb diet really good for you?

Our bodies require nutrients of all types to be healthy. Carbohydrates is one of those nutrients.

Macronutrients are needed in our body to provide calories or energy to our body .. nutrients are the substances needed for metabolism, growth and other body functions that require energy. Macro means large...indicating that a nutrient is needed in large amounts in our body if they are macronutrients.

Carbohydrates is a macronutrient so therefore the body requires a lot of carbohydrates. In fact the body requires more carbohydrates than any of the other macronutrients which are protein and fat.

Following are the main reasons the body needs so many carbohydrates:

• They are the main source of fuel for the body.
• They are used by the body for energy.
• All of the cells and tissues in our body use glucose for energy and glucose is derived from carb.
• The central nervous system kidneys, brain, muscles.. which includes the heart as it is a muscle...need carbohydrates to function properly.
• The maintenance of intestinal health and waste elimination depend on carbs.

What happens if we deprive our body of carbohydrates?

All of the above functions may be slowed. A body may become fatigued and pale with the loss of energy. Persistent headaches can be a symptom of the deprivation of the brain of carbohydrates. Stomach cramps and irregular bowel movements may become a part of daily life. There may be a marked decrease in the ability to do any physical activity that requires a lot of energy ... especially exercising.

A person does not lose weight by eating less carbs. A person loses weight by eating less calories and in a low carb diet that may be what is happening... though many low carb foods contain loads of fat that make up for the calories lost by the absence of carbohydrates.

These three factors play a part in losing weight while on a low carb diet:

• Water weight loss is the initial weight loss. Fewer cartbs in the body cause the body to burn the stored carbs and fat already in the body. When these carbs ( in the form now of glycogen) are burned in the body, water is release and weight is lost.
• Appetite loss or decrease due to ketones in the bloodstsream. Ketones are a byproduct formed when fat is burned without carbs and they build up in the body's blood...which in turn decreases the drive to eat.. or the appetite. However... a prolonged state of ketosis... which this state is called.. may deplete the minerals in the bones... causing them to become brittle and porous.
• Calorie intake is decreased by the limits put on a whole group of foods containing carbs. Fewer caloreis equals weight loss.

So.. is a low carb diet dangerous to your health?

Low carb food have not been around long enough to determine if there will be or can be long term ill effects to the body from being on a low carb diet for any length of time.

The healthiest way to lose weight is to eat the right combination of foods that give the body the macronutrients it needs. In doing this, the body automatically takes in the micronutrients it requires... micronutrients being those nutrients needed in small amounts in comparison to the macronutrients....like vitamins and minerals.

Healthy weight loss equals a healthy,strong, energetic glowing body.