Do you know what low-carb or low-fat diets are? These diets discuss the amount of carbohydrates or fats that an individual can consume in order to remain healthy. This is even more pertinent since these nutrients are naturally linked to weight gain, which makes it easier for many diseases to manifest.
In any case, it’s extremely important to point out that diets cannot be universal. That is, they must be prepared according to the desires and needs of each individual. Therefore, it is impossible to determine which one of these options is appropriate. However, knowing the characteristics of each one of them and their effects on the body is worth it.
In consideration of this, we prepare this post to be one clarification that could easily address the main doubts on the low carb and low fat diet. Are you interested in the subject? Stay with us and find out more!
What is the low carb diet ?
Low carbs refer to a low amount of carbohydrates in a certain diet. What follows is that this diet is safe as a lot of this nutrient is not consumed, aiming at weight loss. One is advised not to exceed 200g of carbohydrates a day.
To make up for this, excess fat and protein are advised to be consumed in quantities greater than what is average. The former helps increase appetites, hence protecting lean mass. The latter, when taken moderately, is beneficial in reducing factors leading to cardiovascular diseases and enhancing blood flow.
Additionally, a wider use of carbohydrates, along with a raised intake of proteins and fats, causes lower secretion of the higher weight gain hormone insulin. This hormone is responsible for glucose transportation throughout the body whenever energy is needed. When glucose is produced in excess, insulin production increases even more due to storage needs for the glucose as well as fat.
Main sources of carbohydrates
Given this context, anyone who follows a low-carb diet needs to control their carbohydrate intake. The main sources of this nutrient are:
- breads and pastas;
- rice;
- English potato;
- sweet potato;
- corn;
- yam;
- oat;
- etc.
What is the low fat diet?
The low-fat diet focuses on reducing fats from daily consumption. In the past, it used to be more popular, but has lost ground to the low-carb diet . However, there are still many followers.
Daily needs are covered by carbohydrates, 45 to 65% of the daily intake, by proteins, 10 to 35%, and the rest, 20 to 35% from fats. Of course, this does not apply to athletes whose carbohydrate intake is far above, useful for muscle replenishment and performance enhancement.
Main sources of fat
As seen, fats need to be restricted in a low-fat diet . Given this, learn about the main sources of this nutrient and which should have their consumption controlled:
- eggs;
- chocolate;
- pork;
- linseed;
- brunette;
- olive;
- olive oil;
- avocado;
- etc.
What does the best diet need to have?
After learning the definition of a low carb and low fat diet , it’s natural to wonder which is the best option. So, read on to find out what the best diet should have!
Customized strategies
There are several factors that can interfere with weight gain. It is for reasons like these that someone who eats a lot may be underweight and someone who follows a different lifestyle may not. This is related to each person’s genetics, as well as insulin levels that can favor fat gain and the microorganisms found in the body.
Therefore , it is essential to create personalized strategies when creating a diet and achieving weight loss. After all, each organism is unique and functions in a specific way. Therefore, thinking about universal diets may not offer good results.
Genetic code information
We can see that every organism responds differently to diet. A great influence behind this is genetics. Hence, it becomes very important to formulate a diet plan using each individual’s genetic code.
Therefore, the more that your body metabolizes carbohydrates slowly, the higher your possibility of gaining weight. And thus, to be slim in a healthy way, you might need to restrain your consumption of this nutrient. The same principle can be applied to those who are more susceptible to having high blood pressure. As a matter of fact, the consumption of carbohydrates can exacerbate the condition.
Individual tastes
Each person’s preferences should also be taken into account when creating a diet. That is, if you like and are used to eating bread every day, will you be able to cut this food out of your routine? In fact, the greatest probability is that this new habit will increase irritability and lead to giving up in the medium and long term.
Therefore, it is necessary to balance the aspects already mentioned with each person’s tastes to facilitate adaptation to the diet.
Individual lifestyle habits
Always keep in mind that what worked for your neighbor or relative may not have the same results in your life. This is because each person has their own particularities, such as lifestyle habits. For example, those who perform high-intensity activities daily need more energy for their bodies.
One of the main nutrients that provide energy is carbohydrates. Therefore, cutting them out tends to reduce the performance of individuals in activities and contribute to muscle weakness. This can involve professional athletes, those who practice intense physical activities, bricklayers, servants, etc.
What precautions should be taken?
Apart from following a personalized diet plan, overeating saturated fat, especially when on a low-carb diet, should be controlled. This reasoning also applies to increasing the intake of refined grains or sugar on a low-fat diet. All this inhibits healthy weight loss and may even enhance chronic diseases.
So it doesn’t matter if you have a preference for a low-carb diet or a low-fat diet, some precautions need to be taken. Besides the above, we should also increase the intake of vegetables and decrease the consumption of ultraprocessed foods. Moreover, it is imperative to have professional assistance and guidance in order to stay healthy.