A low carb diet is associated with numerous health benefits and rewards. Learn the top results you can expect from changing your eating habits.
Did you know that a low carb diet can help to beat cancer?
The American Association for Cancer Research maintains that cutting back on carbs is the best route to take if you want to lose weight and reduce the cancer-causing insulin spikes.
But the benefits of low carbohydrate diets go beyond weight loss the reduced risk of diseases.
Since 2002, more than twenty studies have been conducted on low carbohydrate diets.
In almost all the studies, the results favor low carbohydrate diets when compared to other diets. Not only does a low carbohydrates diet help to keep your body in shape, but it's also good for your heart's health.
Read on to discover the 7 awesome benefits you get by following a low carb diet.
1. Good for Weight Loss
Cutting back on carbs is a simple, yet an effective way to knock off some pounds.
Multiple studies have shown that low carbohydrate diets may be more effective at losing weight than low-fat diets. This is partly because that low carbohydrate diets tend to get rid of excess water from the body quickly.
And since a low carb diet lowers the level of insulin, your kidneys begin to flush out excess sodium. This leads to fast weight loss, which could be in a few weeks time.
A low carbohydrate diet or a ketogenic diet helps those looking to lose weight in many ways. First, cutting out on carbs forces your body to burn the stored fats instead of carbohydrates for energy.
Also, this fat burning state, also known as ketosis, kills your appetite, thus making you consume fewer calories for weight loss.
2. You Feel Less Bloated
Carbohydrates make your body retain water, so following a diet rich in carbs will make you feel bloated.
When you reduce your intake of carbs, you consume higher amounts of proteins and fats than you did before. Both of these act as a catalyst that allows your body to get rid of excess water quickly.
As a result, the bloat will go away, and you'll begin to feel lighter within a week or two.
3. You Feel Less Hungry
Hunger is the worst side effect of dieting.
It's one of the top reasons why most people feel downhearted and give up on their weight loss journey.
One of the good things about following a low carb diet is that it kills your appetite. A growing body of evidence shows that when you cut back on carbs and resort to more proteins and fats, you end up consuming fewer calories.
A diet rich in carbs causes a cycle of cravings which often lead to overeating. During those carb induced crashes, you feel the urge to top up your energy levels, which you respond to by eating more carbs, thus perpetuating the cycle.
The moment you reduce your intake of carbs rich diet, those crashes and the resulting cravings will disappear.
4. Your Body Becomes a Fat Burning Machine
When you consume a diet rich in carbs, those carbs become the fuel source for your body.
A high carbohydrate diet causes your body to get used to burning carbs instead of fats for energy. This means your fat stores will not be utilized unless you follow an exercise program.
Keep in mind that any excess fats are stored as body fat, which leads to weight gain. However, following a low carb diet prevents this from happening, as your body will resort to burning fats for energy.
After just some few days on a low carbohydrates diet, your body enters into a metabolic state of 'ketosis,' which means it will now burn the fat stores for energy.
5. Good for Your Heart
Low carb diets are beneficial to the heart in many ways, the most notable benefit being their ability to curb a host of heart diseases risk factors.
Specifically, they reduce the levels of triglycerides--a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. They also increase the levels of HDL, also known as the good cholesterol.
Multiple studies show that the traditional high carb, low-fat diet drives triglycerides to dangerous levels, raises LDL cholesterol, and creates an inflammatory environment.
LDL, also known as bad cholesterol, is not good for your heart. It drives cholesterol into your arteries where it gets clogged in the artery walls. This can lead to serious conditions such as arteriosclerosis.
The good thing about a low carb diet is that it consistently lowers LDL cholesterol levels. Triglycerides, which are fat molecules in your blood are also reduced if you consistently follow a low carbohydrates diet.
Additionally, a low carbohydrates diet result in reduced blood sugar levels, insulin, and inflammation in your body. If not controlled, all these things can be damaging to the heart.
6. Helps to Preserve Lean Muscle When Losing Fat
When you follow a weight loss diet, you lose not only fat but muscle too.
Low carb diets are naturally higher in protein, which helps you to avoid losing muscle as you lose fat.
When at rest, the amount of calories your body burns is proportional to your body weight. It's also worth noting that those calories are more influenced by muscle than fats since lean tissue burns more calorie than fat tissue.
A low carbohydrate diet can help to preserve lean muscle while losing fat, which is beneficial for your metabolism as well as your weight loss goal.
7. A Low Carb Diet Can Help to Reduce Blood Pressure
Having a high blood pressure predisposes your body to many diseases. This includes kidney failure, stroke, and heart diseases among others.
Following a low carb diet can help to keep your blood pressure in check.
Mounting evidence shows that cutting back on carbs can significantly reduce blood pressure, which should help to reduce the risk contracting blood pressure-related diseases.
Also, reducing carbs in favor of proteins is thought to improve the overall functions of blood vessels. Experts agree that a higher protein diet can dilate the blood vessels which in turn will lead to reduced pressure.
Wrapping Up
Following a low carbohydrate diet is an effective way to grow healthy and maintain a perfect shape. For those trying to lose weight, the perfect dietary program should contain fewer carbs and more proteins.
While a low carbohydrate diet offers many health benefits, there are also risk concerns.
For instance, eliminating grains and fruits in your diet may lead to serious nutrient deficiencies in your body.
Rather than eliminating carbohydrates, It's advisable to consume fewer carbs to maintain a well-balanced diet.
Check out our site to learn more about the benefits of living a low carb lifestyle, and explore the products that can help you to sustain a ketogenic state.