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Should You Try a Low Carb Diet?

JULY 11, 2018 by EMMY SCHNEIDER-GREEN  

 Low carb diets are no newcomer to the dietary scene. If you’ve ever so much as skimmed through a health or wellness magazine, read an article on a fitness website, or set foot around a gym, you’ve no doubt seen countless mentions of benefits of a low carb diet.  

Whether we’re calling it Atkins, Keto, or you’ve just heard your coworker talking in the breakroom about their latest attempt to swear off bread, we’ve been cutting carbs from our diet for just about as long as dieting itself has been a thing.

So, should you consider it as a way to shed some lbs?

When it comes to health and wellness, there’s never a one-sized fits all solution, and like any diet, a low carb one has its own pros and cons to consider. (And it should be noted that you should always consult with your physician before starting any new diet or changing up your health habits.)

The basic premise of any low carb diet is simple enough: Cut out starchy foods like bread, pasta, potatoes, beans, and even fruits and veggies, and instead get more of your daily calories from foods higher in fat and protein. This style of eating has certainly been successful for many people looking to shed weight fast, and can undoubtedly be helpful in stabilizing blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, and regulating cholesterol. Think about it: any time you remove junk food treats like donuts, sugary cereals, and white grains from your diet, you’ll likely find yourself in a caloric deficit—a sure fire way to see the scale drop no matter what—and when you ditch the junk, you’ll likely inherently be turning toward more nutritious options to fill those gaps.

So what’s the potential downside to the low-carb way of eating?

While the premise is simple enough and sounds good on paper, if you’ve ever tried to stick to a low carb diet, swearing off bread and pasta, grains and fruits, only to crash and burn, then you already know the problem. The truth is carbs are a staple of our diets for a reason, and the primary source of fuel our bodies use to keep us mentally sharp, energized, and satisfied and full. When we focus on cutting any one major group of macronutrients, we often become fixated on what we can’t have, and wind up feeling deprived and hungry, which can just lead to binging and overall weight gain. If you’ve ever experienced the “flu like” symptoms of a low carb diet—brain fog, low energy, difficulty focusing on basic tasks, you know how it can feel to deprive your body of this major fuel source.

The issue is certainly more complex than just, “cut all carbs, lose weight.” There are good carbs, and not so good ones. No one will argue that it’s always a good idea to ditch the high glycemic, blood-sugar-spiking pastries and white pasta. It’s the healthy, complex carbohydrates such as oats, sweet potatoes, and leafy green vegetables that should remain a staple in any healthy diet. While it can be tempting to slash all carbs in an attempt to drop weight—and drop weight you might—all too often the scale will climb right back up over the long run. Slashing carbs can also wreak havoc on your metabolism, not to mention, a life of depriving yourself of all carbs is very rarely sustainable long-term, even if you have the best will power in the world!

You’ve heard it before, but moderation remains key.

While low or lower carb diets can have their place such as for pro athletes or bodybuilders prepping for an event, or for those advised by their doctors to lower carbs to lose large amounts of weight, for the average person, healthy, complex carbs are nothing to fear.

Make smart choices at the grocery store, and fill your pantry with energy-sustaining, slow digesting complex carbs (oats, whole grains, sweet potatoes, vegetables, whole wheat pastas and breads), and steer clear of the sugar-loaded, nutritiously devoid ones. Enjoying healthy carbs will result in sustained energy levels, a healthy metabolism, and high productivity levels throughout your day—not to mention the energy and fuel your body needs to build muscle and knock out your workouts.

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