No-carb diets require you to nearly eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. Proponents of the diet say that a hormone called insulin prevents your body from breaking down fats. By drastically cutting back on carbohydrates, your body produces less insulin and turns to fat for energy. While you may experience weight loss on a low or no-carb diet, you can also have negative side effects, such as diarrhea, especially if you are eliminating a high amount of carbs. Before you begin your new diet plan, talk with your physician as a precautionary measure.
The Diet Plan
While following a no-carb diet, you can eat nearly all types of animal foods, such as meat, seafood, cheese and eggs. These types of foods do not provide carbohydrates. No-carb diets allow approximately 50 to 150 g of carbs throughout the day, explains MayoClinic.com. High no-carb diets may require you to restrict your carb intake to as little as 20 g. Typically these periods of highly reduced no-carb intake only last for a short period of time in your diet plan.
Lack of Fiber
No-carb diets minimize fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods in your diet, thus reducing your fiber intake. Fiber is a type of indigestible carbohydrate that improves the movement of foods through your digestive tract. Without adequate fiber, you may experience irregular bowel movements, constipation or diarrhea. You need 25 to 38 g of fiber for normal digestion, says the University of Maryland. Your no-carb diet may allow you to add psyllium fiber to your diet regime to up your fiber intake, but some supplements may have negative interactions with your medications so let your doctor know if you take a fiber supplement.
Lactose Intolerance
Your episodes of diarrhea may be related to lactose intolerance, since certain milk foods are a big part of your no-carb diet. You need the enzyme lactase in order to break down lactose, or milk sugar, but sometimes your body doesn't produce adequate amounts of lactase. When this occurs, you may experience gas, bloating and diarrhea after eating dairy foods, including cheese. Lactose intolerance may be caused by bowel surgery, intestinal disorders or infections in the small intestine. Experiencing diarrhea shortly after consuming dairy foods may be a sign of lactose intolerance. While lactose intolerance isn't curable, there are several types of over-the-counter medications you can take that act like lactase by deconstructing lactose.
Fat Intake
Suffering from diarrhea while following a no-carb diet may also stem from your fat intake. For example, if you previously limited fat in your diet by consuming a low-fat diet, the sudden increase in fat can be bothering your digestive tract. Fat is difficult for your body to digest so ingesting large amounts at once may disrupt your system, causing your body to expel food before it fully absorbs. Eat smaller portions or lean varieties of meat to minimize how much fat you consume at one sitting.
