Low Carb Diet Side Effects, What To Expect When On A Reduced Carbohydrate Diet

Possible Side Effects Of A Low Carb Diet

lchf_foodsThe debate on LCHF continues to rage. All the time, new studies on the issue diet, but yet no one knows how it affects our health in the long term. We have allowed a proponent and an opponent to give their views on the matter.

What Is LCHF

LCHF stands for Low Carb High Fat – you then eat less carbohydrates and more fat. The amount of calories does not matter, but about 75 percent of energy comes from fat – any animal fat or fat from coconut, rapeseed or olive.

You will lose weight faster because LCHF avoids large increases in blood sugar. Small increases in blood sugar produces less insulin, which would otherwise be pumped out to lower sugar levels and helps the body to store fat. So, you store less fat and increases the burning of LCHF, because the body takes the fat you already have.

Because you avoid sugar triggers you will not have sweet cravings.

You eat meat, chicken, fish, shellfish, eggs, butter, full fat dairy products and above-ground vegetables.

Avoiding sugar, flour, pasta, potatoes, bread, rice, fruit, corn, root vegetables and margarine.

Andreas Eenfeldt is a doctor and LCHF expert. He is the author of the food revolution – Eat yourself healthy with the proper food and runs the popular blog kostdoktorn.se . Andreas Eenfelt advocates LCHF method.

Petra Lundström’s sports nutritionist and doctoral student at Karolinska Institutet and head of nutrition at the Swedish Sports Confederation. Petra Lundström is critical to LCHF.

Who can eat LCHF?

Those who need to lose weight, have troublesome stomach or strong cravings for sweets, and sugar-dependent and type 2 diabetics. If, however, you already have good health and weight, you may not think it is not worth going on the diet. Many do well with GI, or simply by avoiding sugar and white flour.

Petra Lundström: No idea. I think instead that you should adjust how much, and what, carbohydrates you eat for your specific needs. It is in the muscles of the carbohydrates stored, so how much you eat depends on how much you move and partly on how much muscle you have. Find balance between food and exercise will keep you weight.

Do we need carbohydrates?

Andreas Eenfeldt: Yes, but the little we have, the body can manufacture itself of fat.

Petra Lundström: Yes, if one excludes food with carbohydrates may be only in the limited amounts of vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients found in grains, cereals and vegetables. We also need fatty acids from various sources, not only saturated fat that you eat most of the LCHF.

Is LCHF dieting dangerous?

Andreas Eenfeldt: Diabetics should be careful when they go over to LCHF then they will have to regulate their insulin doses, they have to keep track. Otherwise, there are no studies showing that it is dangerous to eat LCHF.

Petra Lundström: My personal opinion is that children and teenagers should absolutely avoid LCHF because we do not know what happens in the long term. They need carbohydrates to the immune system and energy as they grow. But I do not think anyone should eat according LCHF because too little fiber can cause constipation and affect the gut flora negatively. And the immune system need enough carbs to function optimally.
How are we affected by LCHF in the short term?

Andreas Eenfeldt: You lose weight, have lower blood sugar and calm the stomach if you have problems. Sweet tooth and your hunger is reduced and you become less swollen if you tend to stock up on liquor.

Petra Lundström: To reduce weight, the brain works less and a study has shown that the flow in the blood vessels is sluggish after just three weeks.
… And in the long term?

Andreas Eenfeldt: From reducing 0.5-1 kg a week – more if you exercise too – your weight will stay there the body thrives. Then you can increase with little carbohydrates like potatoes and fruit to stabilize.

Petra Lundström: We do not know because you have not had time to do research on it long enough, but there have been two new studies, one of which indicate an increased risk of myocardial infarction with low carbohydrate intake, the second showed that it is easier to keep the weight on it eat less amount of carbohydrates.

What are the health disadvantages LCHF?

Andreas Eenfeldt: You can get symptoms of headache, dizziness, fatigue and constipation. The diet is a diuretic so you may need to add extra fluid and salt. More water and fiber can help prevent constipation. If you jump completely over the vegetables you could have a deficiency of vitamin C, but on the whole it is nutrient poor food you remove and replace with supplements.

Petra Lundström: Do you eat unilaterally can have a lack of vitamins, minerals and certain types of fatty acids. You also lose muscle mass easier and there may be increased risk of sarcopenia, muscle wasting. Do you eat a lot of protein you’re getting enough of the other essential foodstuffs, it is better with a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat – conforms to your body.
Is it safe to eat saturated fat?

Andreas Eenfeldt: Yes. But be aware that even eating natural fats, such as olive oil and omega 3 and 6. And you should avoid trans fats. Saturated fats, which are found in butter, cream and cheese, you can eat how much you want to. The studies made so far do not show that saturated fat is dangerous. Possibly they show that cholesterol is higher, but if it is the good cholesterol that increases it’s harmless.

Petra Lundström: It is unclear how dangerous it is. But there are studies that look that fetuses whose mothers eat a lot of saturated fat, the greater the desire for carbohydrates rest of their lives. It affects brain development and function.