Diet without carbohydrates, does it make sense to do it? Here are the pros and cons

A mini guide to better understand the potential, limits, advantages and results that can be obtained thanks to Low Carb Diet

• What is a Low Carb Diet?
• The example of a daily menu
• What are the benefits of a Low Carb Diet?
• Low Car Diet: the 10 useful recommendations
• Contraindications and side effects

Timeless, always in fashion, fast and effective: the carbohydrate-free diet, or for the more attentive Low Carb Diet, and for the more extreme No Carb Diet, is often considered a method to lose weight substantially. But beyond hearsay, what is its real effectiveness? What are the advantages and what are the possible problems? How and for how long to use it? Is it really suitable for all those who do not know how to lose weight?

Now supported by numerous scientific evidences, we will try to answer these and other questions, debunking old myths and above all describing their pros and cons.

What is a Low Carb Diet?
Before describing the benefits of a carbohydrate-free diet, it is absolutely necessary to clarify the “world” of low-carbohydrate diets.

It is not enough to eliminate the 3 Ps, i.e. bread, pasta and pizza, from your diet to be able to talk about a diet without carbohydrates. The term “carbohydrate-free diet”, in fact, means a set of different dietary models (such as the most well-known zone diet, Atkins diet, Dukan diet, Scardsale diet and ketogenic diet) which, while sharing a restriction of carbohydrates, they have different metabolic pictures.

Again, using science as a guide, we could describe:

• Low Carb (low carbohydrate) diets are diets containing less than 100g of carbohydrates per day. To be clearer, the equivalent of carbohydrates contained in two fruits, two portions of vegetables and a 50g sandwich;
• The Very Low Carb Diet (very low carbohydrate content) as diets containing between 20 and 70 g of daily carbohydrates (the equivalent of a fruit and one / two portions of vegetables);
• Ketogenic diets, such as diets with less than 20 g of carbohydrates per day.

While the first is very useful for slimming purposes and absolutely safe from a clinical point of view, the last two are used, under the careful supervision of an expert nutritionist, in the treatment of particular conditions. Therefore, when we talk about carbohydrate-free diets, we will mostly refer to low-carb diets.

The example of a daily menu
Recalling the appropriate differences between ketogenic diets, diets totally free of carbohydrates and intended for special purposes, and Low Carb diets, i.e. with reduced carbohydrate content, indicated instead in weight loss, even rapid, an example of Low Carb daily menu consisting of 1250 Kcal with 20% carbohydrates 35% protein and 45% fat.

Daily example of a low carbohydrate diet

BREAKFAST: Greek yogurt 150 g + Seasonal fruit 150 g

SNACK: Centrifuged celery, carrots and fennel: 1 glass

LUNCH: mixed salad 200 g + Baked salmon steak 150 g + Extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon

SNACK: Dried fruit 15 g

DINNER: spinach 200 g + Grilled chicken breast 200 g + Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp

What are the benefits of a carbohydrate-free diet?
The innate vocation of a Low Carb Diet is certainly slimming, despite several scientific studies have also highlighted its interesting clinical properties.

More precisely, a low-calorie, low-carb diet, properly designed and obviously well done by a specialist, could:

• Improve the glycemic and lipid profile, also leading to a lowering of blood sugar and cholesterol values;
• Strengthen the oxidative capacities, that is, strengthen the metabolism, for short periods;
• Contribute to the rejuvenation of cellular structures;
• Accelerate weight loss.

And it is precisely this last point that pushes, especially in the summer, more and more people to adopt a diet of this kind, and not without the right reasons. According to several studies, and thus dispelling some myths, a restriction of carbohydrates, if carried out for a short period (max 3 weeks), could help support weight loss more intensely than other dietary regimes.

However, it should be known that in the medium and long term, this initial advantage linked to the restriction of carbohydrates, would tend to reduce and then disappear. Therefore, the use of carbohydrate-free diets, for slimming purposes, could make sense as a “dietary start” and then, absolutely, switch to a Mediterranean diet. We always stress the paramount importance of avoiding

do it yourself and contact the doctor, who will be able to assess the patient’s precise needs and develop the most suitable diet.

Low Carb Diet : the 10 useful recommendations
To optimize the results of a carbohydrate-free diet, reduce side effects and above all to avoid regaining the lost pounds, it would be particularly useful not to forget these simple recommendations:

1- Make sure you are in good health;
2- Always stay active during the diet, while avoiding particularly intense activities;
3- Avoid extending the carbohydrate-free diet beyond 2 weeks, without the appropriate supervision of a nutritionist;
4- Remember to drink frequently, reaching at least 2 liters of water daily;
5- Prefer the consumption of raw vegetables, rich in minerals, vitamins and fibers;
6- Take a probiotic supplement, always under the advice of the professional, to preserve intestinal health;
7- Avoid consuming alcohol during the diet;
8 – Vary the daily menu as much as possible;
9- Gradually reintroduce carbohydrates in the later stages;
10- Consult a professional immediately if you feel unwell.

Contraindications and side effects
Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold. The very interesting metabolic and slimming properties of a well-structured carbohydrate-free diet often clash with the appearance of unpleasant side effects.

Migraines, fatigue and difficulty concentrating are the first side effects complained of during the phases of severe carbohydrate restriction, which often tend to regress spontaneously in the following days, to recur more intense after several weeks.

Constipation and, more generally, disorders of the hive, tend to accompany the entire dietary period, especially if not adequately supported by lots of water and probiotic supplements, useful for preserving intestinal health. As effective as it is, and if supervised by a safe nutritionist, the carbohydrate-free diet therefore has some inevitable contraindications to its use.

Diabetic disease, rather than other metabolic and psychiatric diseases, particularly intense physical activity and old age are just some of the conditions in which it would be preferable, even if only to lose weight, to resort to dietary schemes other than those without carbohydrates.