No-Carb Diets? No!

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Obi I am trying to stay lean all year round. What do you think about no-carb diets? Do you believe they are functional for the long term? I’ve implemented it in my diet plan but I am struggling with having energy throughout because of the lack of carbs.

No carb diets are one of the most dangerous because you are depriving yourself of nutrients that are important for you to function properly throughout the day. Carbohydrates are one of the human body’s main energy sources.

True, the restriction of carbohydrates will result in losing weight. But the positive result will depend on how much carbs are restricted. A severely decreased carb intake causes liver and muscle glycogen depletion.

Also, carb restriction reduces the body’s ability to concentrate urine, causing a loss of sodium through the urine. These factors lead to water loss, not fat loss. When you restrict too many carbohydrates, the body goes into ketosis. Ketosis is very dangerous and can have serious health affects on your life.

Ketosis is the high concentration of ketone bodies in the blood and urine, this essentially disturbs the body’s normal acid-base balance. It is imperative that this balance is maintained to avoid life-threatening consequences. To show you how dangerous no carb diets are, here is a list of all the complications that can occur from these:

• Muscle depletion
• Fatigue Nausea
• Decreased endurance and energy in your workouts
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Loss of essential minerals through excessive urination
• Lack of minerals, fiber and antioxidants due to a lack of carbs
• Heart disease due to the increased intake of saturated fats
• Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
• Bad breath due the buildup of urea in the blood
• Kidney Failure
• Dehydration
• Electrolyte loss
• Calcium Depletion
• Death

For some reason in health and fitness people seem to be fearful of carbs as if they are something harmful. As long you don’t over-consume carbs they are beneficial to your body. Carbs are your body’s fuel. Think of a car with no fuel in it, how will it run properly? This is what carbs are to your body. As I said before, your body will not function properly without carbs. The benefits of carbs are restored energy, control of blood glucose and metabolism, decreased blood pressure and lastly prevention of heart disease. The best carb diets are low carb diets—40 percent of your nutrients should come from carbs. Those diets are very popular in sustaining weight loss, along with a consistent training routine.