Many people are drawn to low-carb diets to lose or maintain weight. However, cutting your carbohydrate intake could have several unwanted side effects, including on your mood. A better approach to healthful eating is a holistic approach, focused on balance rather than cutting out one major nutrient source.
Why Low Carb?
Low-carb diets have become popular in recent years as a weight-loss method. These diets limit foods high in carbohydrates, such as starches and sugars, and emphasize proteins. According to Mayoclinic.com, some low-carb diets limit total carbohydrate intake to 50 or 150 grams per day. Others are even more restrictive. For example, during the first two weeks on the popular Atkins diet, a limit of 20 grams of protein per day is required. The theory behind the low-carb diet industry is that without carbohydrates, which are our body’s main fuel source, our bodies will instead turn to our fat reserves to use for energy.
Carbohydrates and Mood
Dr. Judith Wurtman, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, contends there is a link between carbohydrate intake and mood. According to her research, carbohydrates prompt our bodies to produce serotonin, a brain chemical. Serotonin affects our moods, and a shortage of this chemical can lead to mood swings or depression. Our brains synthesize serotonin when we eat sweet or starchy carbs with little or no accompanying protein. Irritability might follow switching to a low-carb diet, and women might be more susceptible to these effects than men, because women produce less serotonin.
Conflicting Expert Opinions
Dr. Stuart Trager, chairman of the Atkins Physician Council, says that controlling carbohydrates actually might improve mood. He points to improved body image, stable blood sugar and weight management as benefits of a controlled-carb diet. He also says that although carbohydrates stimulate serotonin production, serotonin itself is made from protein from the foods we eat. Brigid McKevith, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, agrees that reducing carbohydrates might not conclusively be linked with irritability. She says the effects of eating carbohydrates are likely insignificant, and that a very small amount of protein eaten at the same time can prevent problems.
Healthier Approach
If you are concerned about the effects of a low-carb diet on your mood, discuss the possible implications with a health care provider. According to Mayoclinic.com, it is possible to lose weight healthily while eating carbohydrates. Choose complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs, such as whole-grain foods, starchy vegetables and legumes, contain fiber that can keep you feeling full longer. Simple carbohydrates, especially those found in processed foods such as refined grains and candy, are not as nutritionally beneficial. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, about half the total number of calories you eat each day should come from carbohydrates, preferably complex ones.
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