No single food group is bad for you. It is always important to remember this when starting any new diet and if you don’t take that approach, then you will likely end up feeling sluggish and potentially suffering from various deficiencies. Thus, a diet that completely cuts out carbohydrates permanently is not a good idea for most people.
However, there are certainly a lot of benefits to eating low carb and definitely by lowering your intake compared with what you might be used to. The problem is that the modern diet is packed with carbohydrates. And not only are these carbs, they are ‘simple carbs’ meaning they don’t contain other elements like fiber and fat to slow down the absorption of sugar.
Examples include white bread, chocolate bars, fizzy soda drinks and more. All these things will give you a sudden surge of sugar to the blood stream as the body absorbs it rapidly. This in turn means you’ll feel high in energy but that can immediately change once the body releases insulin to counter the increase in sugar. This then causes all that sugar to be removed from the blood stream. Much of it is stored as fat because you don’t need it right then and there and at the same time, you can actually feel a ‘crash’ as your sugar levels suddenly dip. Tryptophan is left behind and will cross the blood-brain barrier to be converted to serotonin and then melatonin, making you feel sleepy.
Meanwhile, the high sugar levels in your system can potentially risk damaging your insulin sensitivity, slowing your metabolism and increasing the risk of diabetes. Sugar can likewise directly cause inflammation and damage to your nerves.
So, in short, it is a good idea to change your diet and to switch to lower carb alternatives. Try to rely a little less on bread, on potato chips, on pasta and instead look for healthier alternatives. Not only will your energy and your health improve but you will likely get more nutrition from your food by steering away from highly processed snacks.
Here are some excellent choices…
1. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a delicious savoury source of protein which can be a great alternative to having potatoes on the side of your plate. Choose mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight while growing and you’ll gain a large dose of vitamin D along with the other benefits.
Mushrooms are also packed with other nutrients and as far as their versatility goes, you can even use halves from a large mushroom in the place of bread slices – thereby creating a nice carb-free sandwich!
