Is a Low Carb Diet Right For You?

Most people start a low carb diet when they need to lose weight, without thinking about which carbs to lose and what the consequences are. Carbs are more than just fat storage. To the contrary, they are the building blocks that work with the protein in our bodies to develop a strong system and good health. So, taking carbs out of your diet completely is a bad thing. In fact, making your carb load too low is also a bad thing. Here we will discuss the right way to manage carbs while still losing weight and staying healthy.

Is a low carb diet right for you?

A low carb diet is right for you if it is done the right way—and if you are not someone who has pre-existing issues with blood glucose, metabolism or energy. If you do, there is a danger, and here is why: carbs have an important job to do in the body. If a low carb diet isn’t done properly, you will run into trouble. This can come in the form of the body making too much insulin, taking you through blood-sugar spikes followed by heavy crashes that—depending on the state of your blood glucose—can result in symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood-sugar), including dizziness or lightheadedness, shakes, jitters, disorientation, nausea and fainting. If you are diabetic, then a low carb diet is very dangerous and could lead to sugar shock or coma. We are telling you this for two important reasons: those with diabetes tend to be overweight, and those who are overweight tend not to know that they have diabetes.

You can lose weight and have a low carb diet without the danger if you only cut out the weight- gaining carbs. Carbs have gotten a bad rap because when people say “carb.” they generally mean all of the low-value carbs. They don’t mean beans but, for instance, white rice, white bread, white flour and white pasta.

How to have a low carb diet and what to leave in:

Knowing what you should leave in your diet is the key to having a successful and healthy low carb diet. You can trade the white bread and all of those other “white” carbs for whole-wheat or other whole-grain versions. White, starchy potatoes are also culprits here, and you can replace them with sweet potatoes. Small adjustments mean big progress.