What is a low carb diet

A low carb diet is the most effective solution to problems like weight gain, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Low carb diet refers to diet that is low in carbohydrate content.

low carb (Photo credit: daBinsi)

Consuming too much carb is harmful

Though carbohydrate is a very essential nutrient that gives the body energy, it has got some negative properties that affect health if the rate of consumption gets high. While one type of carbohydrate (complex carbohydrate) is rich in starch the other (simple carbohydrate) is rich in sugar. Both are harmful for the body if consumed over the required level. Low carb diet is prescribed by dieticians to stop or reduce the consumption of complex and simple carbohydrate and melt out what has already been stored. If you are worrying about your expanding body and noticing symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes, start mental preparation for changing your food habit. If you have fixed an appointment with a doctor for a health check up get mentally prepared to get back home with a low carb diet chart. So it would be better if you know beforehand what is a low carb diet?

If you ask a dietician this question it is likely that you will get a harsh answer since many dieticians are strictly anti-carbohydrate. But if you type ‘what is a low carb diet’ on google you will get plenty of interesting and useful information. The simplest answer to your question is –a low carb diet is one which contains food items that are either very low in carbohydrate or contain zero carbohydrate and is full of healthy substitutes. Yes, the main purpose of switching to a low carb meal is substituting carbohydrate rich food items with items that are rich in other vital nutrients and can compensate for the loss of energy that your body faces due to reduced intake of carbohydrate. Even if your dietician suggests a complete cut off with carbohydrates, you need not to follow his/her instructions word by word. You have to accept the hard fact that your favorite food items like rice, bread, pasta, cereals, beans, potatoes and sweets like jam, jelly, candy and deserts will have to move away from your lunch and dinner table but you can do that slowly, instead of throwing out everything with one stroke. Since substitution is the main aim you can do it slowly, step by side, if not your health condition is worst.

How to begin with Low carb diet

The easiest thing to do would be reducing the quantity of the white food items and increasing the intake of green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, carrot sticks, veggie sticks and salad. Start with reducing on day one and bring the intake level to ‘minimum’ on day 6. This will also help you get habituated with the new food habit. To make your meals exciting, you can have some low cholesterol fat and protein in the form of milk, egg, fish, shellfish, chestnuts, cheese and poultry, which make delicious dishes.

So, don’t get disappointed if low carb diet has been the verdict for you. Get back home, log on to the net and type on Google, what is a low carb diet? You will get various low carb diet menus which will be easier to get habituated with.