Carbohydrates, love them or hate them there is no doubt they play a major role in everyone’s diets. Whether they be piled on our plates in the form of pasta, rice or bread served with our evening meal or rigidly controlled in order to maintain an unbelievably lean body; these energy foods are essential for both our body and brain to function healthily.
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| A suggested low carbohydrate balanced plate |
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| The Eatwell Plate - the yellow shows the recommended quantity of starchy foods the British public should consume |
The government recommends that a third of our diet consist of starchy foods; however with obesity ever increasing many of us are restricting our carbohydrates intake in order to reduce our waistlines. Why? Generally because we read it in a weekly gossip mag or our friends are doing it and we see great results and lower readings on the scale. But is cutting out carbohydrates a realistic and healthy way to control our weight?
Carbohydrates, as the name suggests are a combination of two water molecules (oxygen and hydrogen) and a carbon atom, it means “watered carbon”; this gives us a clue about how restricting them results in an almost immediate weight loss. When we eat a carbohydrate, which either takes the form of sugars, starches or cellulose found in sweets, bread and vegetables respectively; the gut breaks it down and it is absorbed into the blood in the form of glucose, commonly known as blood sugar. This activates the pancreas to produce a hormone called insulin which picks up a molecule of glucose and transports it into our cells to be used as energy. Any excess glucose, and there normally is excess in our blood, is transported to our liver where it is converted to glycogen, a storage molecule. This glycogen travels to the muscle where it binds with water before being stored here. The more carbohydrate eaten the more glycogen in the blood and the more our muscles pull water into our cells. Therefore when we restrict our carbohydrate the reverse happens, our muscles are depleted of glycogen and therefore water loss results too. This fools many of us into think we have lost fat when actually as soon as we eat a carbohydrate source again our muscles will store it along with excess water and we will regain all the weight.
However reducing our carbohydrates can indeed help with weight control and improve health especially in sufferers of Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome, Diabetes and some evidence suggests it may reduce symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A 26 year research study of over 13,000 people found those that swapped carbohydrates for meats had an increased mortality risk due to cardiovascular disease thought to be due to the high fat content of some meats such as beef. However there was a decreased mortality risk in those that swapped carbohydrates for vegetables in comparison to those that ate a normal diet and included a third starchy foods. This suggests that if we swap starchy foods for vegetables we lose weight and increase life expectancy. Making this swap means a reduction in calories consumed as well as increasing vitamins and minerals, indeed leading to weight loss and improved health. However this swap must be done safely and with expert advise.
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| The low carbohydrate food pyramid |
The Manual of Dietetic practise states that only 50g carbohydrates daily are needed in order to avoid the body going into the potentially dangerous state of ketosis. Ketosis is when fat is used as the primary energy source and ketones are produced, these are the things which often make people on the renowned Atkins diets have smelly breath and a strong body odour. To put things in perspective, two pieces of bread and half a cup of lentils contain 50g carbohydrates. Starchy and sugary foods are the main source but they are also contained in fruits and vegetables in different quantities.
Looking back in time, a low carbohydrate diet was the norm. Hunter gatherers would eat diets high in meat and fat but low in grains. It was the invention of agriculture that brought about the rise of carbohydrates in the human diet. Although research suggests the main reason for so many British being overweight is the availability of high fat foods, the ease of access and low cost of to high carbohydrate has also contributed to this increase. Today however there are a range of diets, from Atkins, to The Zone Diet to the South Beach diet that reduce carbohydrates and promise weight loss and weight loss often occurs. Sadly however, a large proportion of this is water loss and the other proportion is because a reduction of overall calories occurs, meaning more energy is expended that consumed.
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| Bodybuilders often consumed low carbohydrates in their pre competition phase |
It would be incredibly difficult to consume a NO carbohydrate diet, but many people successfully follow low carbohydrate regimes, either in intervals of continually. Body builders would eat very low carbohydrates pre competition in order to define muscles then the day preceding the contest consume lots of starchy foods in order to “pump” up their muscles with water. But is there a cost to low carbohydrate eating? In terms of health the vitamin thiamine is found in bread, oats and fruit – all high to medium carbohydrate sources, and many breads are fortified with calcium and cereals with iron and B vitamins, so a low carbohydrate diet would lead to deficiencies in some essential minerals and vitamins. However a multi vitamin and iron supplement are cheap to buy over the counter so these would be essential for anyone on a low carbohydrate diet.
Other consequences of undertaking a diet low in pasta, breads, rice and some fruits would be a lack of fibre, causing uncomfortable and unpleasant bowel motions, however ensuring enough liquid is consumed as well as adding linseeds or flaxseeds to meals would easily increase fibre. Unfortunately cutting out our carbohydrates could make us use more fats in cooking and eating in order to maintain energy levels, which may lead to high cholesterol and cardiac problems in the future. As well as these downsides, their fast weight loss may lead to yo-yo dieting which can play havoc with our metabolism. However if weight loss is the result of a low carbohydrate diet, it means a reduction in the chance of getting type two diabetes, heart disease and increase life span as well as gain confidence and happiness with our bodies.
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| An example meal from the Atkins diet |
In conclusion low carbohydrate diets can be successful if it is comprehensively planned with specialist support. If weight loss or maintenance occurs on a low carbohydrate intake along with no deficiencies arising then a low carbohydrate diet is a very wise choice.
