The reasons why so many people follow a low diet are obvious. The diet helps control weight, enjoy sustained energy, experience cognitive benefits and maintain a healthy immune system among others.
Yet, there are several mistakes people continue to make when it comes to starting a low carb diet.
To avoid doing so, it is important to understand the basics of this diet. Understanding how it alters the functioning of the body and how it helps reduce weight can prevent falling victim to these common errors.
What is a low carb diet?
In it’s strictest from a low carb diet is also referred too as a ketogenic diet.
In a nutshell, a low carb diet allows your body to take energy from fats instead of carbohydrates.
It is a simple energy shift from glucose-based energy to fat-based energy.
In short, when you gain your energy from fat, you have energy that lasts longer, improves mental clarity and boosts your metabolism.
One of the best benefits of a low carb diet is that it helps you to lose weight.
Having said that, how exactly can people go wrong? Here is how:
1. Looking for a quick fix
Before you embark on a low carb diet, be very clear that this is not a quick-fix solution to weight loss.
On a low carb diet, you reduce your sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, so you will likely have to change everything you know about food consumption to this point.
The best way to look at low carb eating is to make it a lifestyle that you adopt into overtime.
2. Consuming the wrong fats
Fats are not something you need to fear.
Fats are important- but not all fats.
There is a long list of different types of fats and fats.
Consuming wrong fats can result in ill health, that’s why it is important to understand the right type of fats to consume.
Simply said, avoid consuming hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats.
Example of these processed vegetable oils, artificial trans fats and processed foods laden with artificial fats. Instead, reach for the good fats including saturated fat sources, MUFAs, PUFAs and naturally occurring trans fats.
3. Neglecting electrolyte balance
Maintaining electrolyte balance is very important on a low carb diet.
On a low carb diet of less than 50g of net carbs a day, your body starts to retain less water in this condition, many electrolytes will be flushed out of the system.
So to prevent headaches, fatigue, and light-headedness from setting in, make sure to supplement with additional electrolyte sources.
5. Questioning cholesterol
Most people do raise concerns about cholesterol on a low carb as it includes eating more fat that a normal standard diet.
This concern stems from not understanding the role of fats and how they affect the body and also how cholesterol affcets the body.
Cholesterol in itself is not a bad thing. It is needed by every cell in the body and as opposed to popular (but wrong) opinion has no relation to heart or cardiovascular disease.