Low Carb Diet Tips

Carbohydrate is a nutrient that provide 17 kJ (4 kcal) of energy per gram. They constitute a large proportion of foods such as rice, noodles, bread, and other grain-based products.

Carbohydrates may be classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, or polysaccharides by the number of monomer (sugar) units they contain. While polysaccharides – or complex carbohydrates – take longer to digest and absorb, simple sugars – abundance in modern diets – in contrast, are absorbed quickly, and therefore raise blood-sugar levels more rapidly. The spike in blood-sugar levels after ingestion of simple sugars is thought to be involved in causing heart and vascular disease.

For those reasons some diets are low-carbohydrate or low-carb. These are dietary programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption usually for weight control or for treatment of obesity. The American Academy of Family Physicians’ definition of the diet is:

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict caloric intake by reducing the consumption of carbohydrates to 20 to 60 g per day (typically less than 20 percent of the daily caloric intake). The consumption of protein and fat is increased to compensate for part of the calories that formerly came from carbohydrates.

Following are some tips on Low-Carb Diet:

1) Get the basic knowledge, like how to cut carbohydrates works, what foods have carbohydrates, and how to eat a balanced low carb diet, so you won’t fall into myths, like you should just eat meat all day.

2) Make a good planning of what you’ll eat so you won’t run into old habits before new healthier ones come naturally. Nothing will sabotage your goals more quickly than realizing that you're hungry but don't know what to eat.

3) Watch out the calories. Although you don’t count calories, calories do count! Let your appetite be your guide - eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are comfortable.

4) Have enough fiber, especially from vegetables and fruit, the fruit being low in sugar. There are also low carb sources of fiber.

5) Create variety to avoid getting bored too quickly and to get better nutrition. Every cuisine on the planet has low carb options or can be "de-carbed" - just skip the starch and sugar.

6) Be careful with "low carb" packaged foods, such as meal replacement bars, ice cream, and other "treats" labeled low carb or sugar-free. They often contain ingredients such as maltitol, which are just as bad as sugar in a lot of bodies.

7) Get enough exercise. Exercise is important in any diet for at least three reasons: it lowers insulin resistance; it is good for our bodies in so many ways; and it ensures us to maintain a significant weight, which by diet alone we are unlikely able to.

8) Don’t get sway from the planning midway. Don’t push yourself overboard that you’ll find the diet too much to endure and give up midway, or conversely, too easy on yourself that you are often tempted to lose up a bit and end up having carb cravings and gaining weight.