Why Low Carb Works So Well
You may have heard that a low carb diet can help you lose weight and feel great but
do you know why?
First, we have to define what’s considered low carb:
#1. Keeps Processed Foods Low
Eating low carb helps keep your consumption of processed food reined in. When you’ve got a carb budget, you have to be mindful of how to spend it. You’ll find that processed carbs like chips, cookies and bread blow the budget pretty quickly and this forces you to eat less of them which is so much better for your health. Packaged foods like chips, cookies, bread, candy, muffins and granola bars have sugar, industrial oils, food dyes, preservatives, artificial flavorings and all kinds of other junk that overloads your gut, your liver, your brain and all of the other systems of your body. By reducing your carb intake, you are reducing your toxic load and the burden your body has to bear.
#2. Keeps Insulin Low
Insulin is known as the fat storage hormone. Insulin is not bad; we would die without insulin, but too much keeps your body in storing mode and not burning mode. Insulin blocks fat burning and so the more insulin we have pumping through our body, the more we signal the body to store and not burn. Of the three macronutrients - carbs, fat and protein - carbs set off insulin most significantly. The more carbs you eat, the more insulin shows up. The more insulin shows up, the more energy (calories) you store and the less you burn. By eating a diet lower in carbs, you signal a lower amount of insulin to be released and, therefore, you give your body more opportunity to burn fat.
#3. It Can Reduce Gut Inflammation
Carbohydrates feed our gut bacteria - both the good and the bad. Many people have an overgrowth of bad bacteria which wreaks havoc on the gut and, therefore, the rest of the body (brain, skin, immune, joints, weight, etc). Carbohydrates - including plant foods - can keep the bad bacteria thriving which creates ongoing health issues due to gut inflammation.
Up to 84% of IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) may be caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the intestines. IBS symptoms include gas, bloating, abdominal pain, constipation and/or diarrhea.
Skin issues are almost always related to gut issues.
Most of our serotonin (feel good hormone and neurotransmitter) is made in the gut.
Gut bacteria affect how efficiently (or inefficiently) you extract calories from your food.
60% of our immune system lies in the gut. The more inflamed your gut, the less robust your immune system.
The bacteria in our guts are supposed to help us break down plant matter but when we have imbalanced gut bacteria (known as dysbiosis), this process doesn’t go well and leads to more gut problems. It can be a vicious cycle.That’s why many people feel relief when they lower carbs and focus on a more animal-based diet. This is a good nutritional therapy approach to use when working to improve gut health.
If you are interested in learning more about how to use a low carb diet to your advantage, join my Feast 2 Fast® program. I teach more about how to individualize and implement it to optimize your health, your weight and your enjoyment of eating. We honor the way God made our bodies and always put Him first. Learn more about my Feast 2 Fast® program here.
You can also listen to this podcast which goes into more detail about Why Low Carb Diets Work So Well.
I hope all of this information is helpful and gives you a better understanding of how beneficial a low carb diet can be!