How To Reduce Carbohydrates While Losing Weight: 8 Steps, A List Of Allowed And Prohibited Foods

How to Cut Carbs: 8 Steps (with Pictures)

Despite this, carbohydrates are an important component of nutrition, they are the main source of energy and are involved in many important body processes. Carbohydrates are conditionally divided into good - vegetables, whole grain flour, cereals, and bad - which include refined sugar, white flour, white rice, white bread. Obviously, when losing weight, you need to strive to reduce the consumption of simple, bad carbohydrates and focus on complex carbohydrates. Here are the steps you can take to reduce and balance your carbohydrate intake.

When it comes to nutrition, most people divide carbohydrates into simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates include bread, white flour products, pasta, jams, jams, honey, and sugar. Complex carbohydrates are represented by some cereals, grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, berries. Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly than simple ones, they are definitely more beneficial for the body and the digestive tract. The fiber contained in complex carbohydrates serves as food for our beneficial microflora, prevents constipation, and affects intestinal motility.

There is such a life hack, if you cannot understand what refers to simple carbohydrates and what to complex - the sweeter the product, the “simpler” it is, because any carbohydrate eventually breaks down into glucose, the only question is how quickly it happening.

All products made from white flour, white rice, flour products have minimal nutritional value for the body, but nevertheless significantly increase the total daily calorie intake. To provide your body with enough fiber, eat whole grains in small amounts. In addition, they will cause fewer fluctuations in blood glucose levels.

Sugary drinks, desserts, pastries, and other confectionery treats are certainly delicious, but tend to give you very little in terms of nutrients, as they greatly increase the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. Along with this, all confectionery and sugar have a very high glycemic index. Opt for fruit or frozen fruit desserts that are made without added sugar if you want to indulge in something sweet.

Although the principle of eating more vegetables is fundamental to any diet, it is still necessary to limit the amount of white potatoes, corn and other starchy foods in your diet. 150 grams of baked potatoes, for example, contain 30 grams of carbohydrates. Replace starchy vegetables with other root vegetables that are lower in carbs and increase the amount of dark green vegetables you consume with every meal. Other starchy, high-carb vegetables include beets, peas, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and some types of pumpkins.

The exception here is resistant starch. Resistant starch - has probiotic properties, is a nutrient of our microbiota, in the body it functions as a soluble fiber. In the human body, resistant starch works like a soluble fiber. It passes through the stomach and small intestine undigested, and in the intestines serves as food for beneficial bacteria (intestinal flora). In addition, the resistant substance has several beneficial properties for the intestines. Lowers pH levels, reduces inflammation, and reduces the risk of colon cancer.

When cooking meat and vegetables, do not roll them in batter and fry. The flour that is used for batter contains a large amount of excess carbohydrates that your body does not need. To add more flavor and aroma to the dish, use herbs and spices when baking. Frying also leads to the formation of trans fats, end products of glycation, which are very detrimental to the condition of the skin, increase oxidative stress, and contribute to early aging.

Learn the difference between a slice and a piece of a cake or pie, and understand how much should actually be in one serving. Limit portions so you can more easily enjoy the foods you love without consuming too many carbs. It may also be helpful to weigh foods before eating. For example, it would be helpful to separate and weigh 120-180 grams of raw chicken before cooking to ensure that the portion size eaten is correct. It is not necessary to weigh food constantly, so you can bring yourself to an eating disorder. This must be done at first in order to clearly understand what portion size is correct and appropriate for each meal, and then you will simply be guided by the eye.

Lack of sleep increases the desire to certainly eat something tasty and unhealthy. Studies show that people who experience increased hunger choose the wrong foods and consume more calories (by an average of 300 kcal) if they are tired or do not get enough sleep. Stress hormones, which increase with lack of sleep, desensitize cells to satiety signals. Also, people have an increased appetite for starchy, sweet and fatty foods.

Refined foods are like drugs for the brain. Research shows that they change the structure of brain activity, adapting neural activity to the fact that you snack on them constantly.

The solution is to replace refined foods with low-glycemic whole foods that are rich in protein and healthy fats. It will be difficult at first, but over time, you will adapt your taste buds to enjoy eating wholesome and healthy foods.

low carb diets

As mentioned at the beginning, low-carbohydrate diets today are often used for medicinal purposes - not only for weight loss, but also for the correction of insulin resistance, the fight against type 2 diabetes.

Reducing carbohydrates in food due to the exclusion of fast carbohydrates leads to a general improvement of blood vessels, reduces insulin surges, and allows you to maintain a stable feeling of satiety after eating without harming the figure, since slow carbohydrates saturate for a longer period, as well as proteins and fats.

Varieties of the low-carb diet are the LCHF and the keto diet. The LCHF is a lightweight version of the keto diet that is 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbs. If the LCHF allows up to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, then the keto diet limits you to 10 grams of carbohydrates per day.

On low-carb diets are limited to:

• Sugar, honey and artificial sweeteners (stevia's safety is greatly exaggerated, sweeteners increase appetite, support sugar cravings, and sugars are not at all what you need for a healthy body).

• Sweet carbonated drinks.

• Yeast bread, pastries.

• Cereals, cereals, cereals, dry breakfasts.

• Skimmed milk, kefir, yogurt.

• Sweet curds.

• Margarine, trans fat spreads.

Allowed products:

• Butter, coconut, vegetable oil.

• Fatty dairy and sour-milk products of high fat content (sour cream, cream, cottage cheese).

• Fatty meats, poultry (with skin).

• Salo.

• Broths.

• Boiled pork, bacon, jamon, salmon.

• Fish (mackerel, salmon, herring, salmon) and seafood (shellfish, shrimp, squid).

• Eggs.

• Fatty hard and soft cheeses.

• Avocado.

• Sauces, homemade mayonnaise.

• Mushrooms.

• Vegetables.

• Nuts, nut butters.

• Leafy salads (lettuce, spinach, lollo rossa, iceberg, arugula and others).

• Sour berries.

• Any source of extra fiber (bran, psyllium).

• Shirataki noodles.

• Olives, olives.

Sample menu for a low carb diet

Breakfast: 3-4 egg omelet; salad (tomato, cucumber, mozzarella, paprika); homemade cottage cheese with sour cream; coffee with cream.

Lunch: several varieties of hard cheese; nuts; coffee with cream or tea.

Dinner: pickles; shish kebab from pork neck or lamb; grilled cheese; a glass of dry wine.

Before bed: a cup of tea with cream

Breakfast: oatmeal on the water with not roasted almonds (7-8 nuts), green tea.

Snack: grated carrots with lemon juice and olive oil.

Lunch: baked chicken breast (200 grams), salad of boiled beets (1 piece), arugula, olive oil and cucumber.

Snack: small peach or 2-3 apricots.

Dinner: stewed green beans without oil, a salad of any green vegetables with 1 spoon of sour cream.

Breakfast: boiled buckwheat, green tea.

Snack: grapefruit and a handful of unroasted almonds.

Lunch: boiled cod (250 grams), cabbage salad, carrots and 1 boiled egg with olive oil.

Snack: 2 large green apples.

Dinner: stewed zucchini and a salad of any green vegetables.

Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese (200 grams), 5-6 seasonal berries, green tea.

Snack: a handful of unroasted hazelnuts, cucumber and tomato salad.

Lunch: baked turkey (200 grams), avocado salad and any green vegetables.

Snack: 2 boiled eggs.

Dinner: stewed broccoli and a salad of boiled beans, herbs and tomatoes.

Breakfast: oatmeal on the water with an apple and 4 walnut slices, green tea.

Snack: homemade yogurt without additives.

Lunch: baked perch (200 grams), salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh cabbage with olive oil.

Snack: 2 large green apples.

Dinner: beef stew (250 grams), seasonal vegetable salad.

Breakfast: homemade yogurt, 1 large pear, 5-6 unroasted almonds, green tea.

Snack: stewed vegetables (200 grams).

Lunch: pumpkin cream soup, boiled chicken salad and greens.

Snack: 1 boiled egg, a slice of low-fat cheese.

Dinner: baked eggplant, salad of fresh cabbage, cucumber and radish.

Breakfast: oatmeal on the water with not roasted almonds (7-8 nuts), green tea.

Snack: grated carrots with lemon juice and olive oil.

Lunch: baked chicken breast (200 grams), salad of boiled beets (1 piece), arugula, olive oil and cucumber.

Snack: small peach or 2-3 apricots.

Dinner: stewed green beans without oil, a salad of any green vegetables with 1 spoon of sour cream.

Side effects of low carb diets

A very common side effect of going on a keto diet is the “low carb” or “ketosis” flu. Sometimes it is also called induction flu.

Symptoms:

• Headache.

• Weakness and lethargy.

• Brain fog.

• Increased appetite and bouts of hunger.

This condition can not even be considered a disease - the body simply rebuilds from carbohydrate foods to ketosis.

Also an inevitable and rather obvious problem is problems with the digestion of fatty foods. Like it or not, it is hard to digest and can cause constipation or diarrhea, especially in children. Heavy absorption can provoke constipation, diarrhea, fatty stools. Subsequently, if there are problems with the microbiota, bacterial overgrowth syndrome can develop.

Also, during the restructuring process, many people develop muscle spasms, especially in the legs. The reason here is the electrolyte imbalance - acidification of the body, because the released acetone shifts the balance to the acid side.

Contraindications to a low-carbohydrate diet:

• disorders of the kidneys and liver, gastrointestinal tract;

• type 1 diabetes;

• pregnancy and lactation;

• metabolic disorders;

• deficiency of certain proteins in the body.

During addiction to a carbohydrate-free diet, weakness, drowsiness, depression, and digestive problems may appear. Before embarking on a low-carb diet, and especially a keto diet, you should consult with a dietitian or nutritionist.