Low carb diets, such as the ketogenic diet, have been around for years and to some, the thought of consuming more fats in your diet doesn’t sound healthy at all. Diets that are low in carbohydrates not only help you lose weight, but they also have a range of benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease through lowering your cholesterol. Here are just four of the great health benefits of a low carb diet explained.
Lower Insulin and Blood Sugar Levels
Keto is one popular diet that is known to follow low carb intake with high fat intake. Following this diet can be helpful for those with insulin resistance or diabetes, or those at risk of diabetes. Diabetes Type 2 affects billions of people worldwide and following the right diet and losing excess weight can reduce your chances of getting this disease. There are many studies that have shown reducing your daily carb intake both lowers your insulin and blood sugar levels dramatically.
If you do suffer from any of these issues, it is best to speak to a doctor before going ahead with the diet. It is especially important to follow the diet correctly to ensure that you get the benefits you want and that you do not cause any damage to your health. If you self-medicate with blood sugar medication, your doctor may have to adjust your dosage when changing your diet to prevent your body from becoming hypoglycemic (having low blood sugar levels).
Weight Loss from Your Stomach
Losing weight from your abdomen is not only where most people want to lose fat from, it is also one of the most beneficial places to lose weight, as it can be dangerous. Fat in your body is not the same everywhere, in fact where your fat is stored can determine many things such as how it affects your overall health and the risk of certain diseases.
Visceral fat is the fat that is around your abdomen and is most common in overweight men, although it affects women too. This fat can camp around some organs and is associated with many illnesses such as insulin resistance which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Diets that are low carb are the most effective at banishing this visceral fat. This harmful fat can also lead to some metabolic problems meaning following diets such as the ketogenic diet can also reduce your risk of metabolic conditions.
Can Help with Brain Disorders
Although we link a healthier diet with a better state of mind, a low carb diet can actually have many other brain benefits, especially for those suffering with epilepsy. If you are suffering with this condition or you know someone that is, your doctor may have already talked to you about the ketogenic diet and its benefits. One study has shown just how great this diet can be to many children with epilepsy, although it will not work for every child as it is dependent on the severity of seizures and other factors.
Your brain requires glucose to then break it down into energy to carry out regular bodily functions. Your liver can produce glucose from foods containing protein if you do not eat a lot of carbs. This being said, a large portion of your brain can use ketones for energy and these are formed when your body goes through a process called ketosis. Ketosis happens when your carb intake is low.
Can Help with Hypertension
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure comes with many risks such as heart attacks, strokes and vascular dementia. If you are suffering with hypertension, a low carb diet may benefit you. Cutting the amount of carbs in your diet can lead to a reduction in blood pressure and therefore reduces your risk of many life-threatening conditions.
If you do have hypertension and want to begin following a low carb diet, you may need assistance with a carb counter. It can be difficult to measure our daily carb intake, but using a carb counter can ensure that you never go over your daily carb intake and you follow the diet effectively. The carb counter from KetoLogic, found at Ketologic.com, allows you to build a high-fat, low-carb diet plan for each day and allows you learn which foods to avoid.
Having a low carb diet has many health benefits and the four stated above are just the beginning. If you are looking for a diet that can help you lose weight quickly, as well as lose weight on your stomach area, a low carb diet may be for you. If you know someone that suffers with diabetes or epilepsy, it is worth recommending a low carb diet to them too. Remember to follow the diet specifically to get the full range of benefits.
