Carbohydrates count as one of three types of macronutrients required by your body. Macronutrients such as carbs, proteins and fats provide the body with the raw materials it needs to carry out vital life processes. Carbohydrates vary in their nutritional value. When following a low-carb food plan, focusing on the healthiest carbs gives you the benefit of both reducing your intake while not sacrificing good nutrition.
Guidelines
To get the most out of your low carbohydrate plan, follow the recommendations for good health: Create a diet consisting of 45 to 65 percent calories from carbs, the USDA recommends. Carbs are the human body's main source of energy. Eliminating too many carbs from your diet may force your body to break down lean tissue, warns the Mayo Clinic website.
Types
There are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbs include healthy and unhealthy choices. Simple carbs such as fruits provide higher nutritional value than other carbs such as soft drinks and sugary foods. Complex carbs include starches and fiber. These carbs are nutrient dense, meaning they provide high nutrient value with the fewest amount of carbs. If you are limiting your carb intake, a mixture of healthy simple and complex carbs is ideal. Good choices include green vegetables, citrus fruits and other non-starchy foods.
Benefits
Your blood sugar levels will likely be more stable on this food care plan. This effect offers diabetic or insulin-resistant individuals a way to control glucose levels. A 2005 study published in the journal "Nutrition and Metabolism," found that a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet helped diabetics control blood sugar to the degree that most participants were able to discontinue or reduce diabetes medications. Ketogenic refers to the body's breakdown of fats for energy. Even if you are not diabetic, you can benefit from avoiding the peaks and valleys caused by changes in blood sugar.
Food Plan
To get the most out of your food care plan, distribute carbs throughout your meals to ensure your body has plenty of ready energy available. You will also want to optimize your carb selection. For example, choosing whole fruits over juices allows you to benefit from the fiber present in these foods. Likewise, your choice of whole grains over refined wheat products helps you feel sated between meals.
Considerations
Following a low-carb food plan does not change the amount of calories your body needs. Rather, you are instead reallocating your caloric intake. When doing so, you should take care to avoid replacing carbs with unhealthy choices such as saturated and trans fats. These foods have more calories per gram than carbohydrates. By focusing on healthy food options, you can realize the benefits of a low-carb food plan while avoiding unnecessary increases in caloric intake.
References
- "Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems"; L. Sherwood; 2008
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Chapter 7 Carbohydrates
- Mayo Clinic: Atkins Diet: What's Behind the Claims?
- CDC: Carbohydrates
- "Nutrition and Metabolism"; A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet to Treat Type 2 Diabetes; W. Yancy, Jr. et al; December 2005
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