What do I have to consider with a low carb diet?

If you are starting a low carb diet, you should be aware that it is called a low carb diet and not a no carb diet. This means that a certain amount of carbohydrates will and should continue to be part of the diet. Depending on the exact form of diet, the suggested amounts vary by a few grams.

Some subspecies simply recommend “as little as possible” carbohydrate intake. The reason for this difference is the fact that carbohydrates are not only the easiest and fastest source of energy for the human body, but also the only possible source for certain organs. The brain, for example, is completely dependent on sugar molecules for its energy production.

After a few days without carbohydrates, it can adapt and, like the rest of the body, process alternatives, but this is accompanied by considerable additional stress and can, for example, trigger concentration problems. The so-called ketone bodies, which are produced in the liver to maintain the metabolism in the course of a low carb diet, also put a strain on the organism. The minimum daily requirement of carbohydrates is about 160g, 120g of which are needed to supply the brain alone.

However, since a healthy liver can produce a certain amount of glucose itself with a considerable energy requirement, it is theoretically still possible to reduce the carbohydrate intake to 0g. In practice, however, this extreme variant of a low carb diet is extremely difficult to implement in most cases. But what is the first thing you look for when you decide to go on a low carb diet?

As a rule of thumb at the beginning it can be helpful to remember the “typical” very high carbohydrate foods. These are usually the classic side dishes such as potatoes, bread, pasta, pasta and rice. Fast food is also very rich in carbohydrates and – since it also contains large amounts of fat – is generally not recommended for people who want to lose weight.

The same applies to salty-fat snacks such as chips, nachos or flips, but also to sweets of all kinds. A strict low carb diet requires a good knowledge of foods and their exact composition. Behind the term carbohydrates is always sugar or starch as a chain of the simple sugar.

Not everything that hides large quantities of sugar can be recognized as such at first glance. Even carrots, for example, contain carbohydrates. Not to forget alcohol, which should never be part of a diet with many carbohydrates and many calories. Depending on how much alcohol has been consumed, even doing without it can cause short-term weight loss.