no carb
5 signs you’re eating too few carbs
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Low carb is still in trend. But if you don’t cover your carbohydrate needs over the long term, you risk developing deficiency symptoms. You should know these!
Many women and men have already successfully lost weight with low-carb – no wonder that the slimming method, in which carbohydrates are reduced, is still very popular. However, this inevitably leads to new variants of the concept: Currently, the so-called no-carb is on everyone’s lips. Here the carbohydrates are not only greatly reduced, but if possible completely eliminated from the menu in order to further increase the weight loss success.
Steer clear of no carb
Quite apart from the fact that the complete renunciation of carbohydrates (no pasta, potatoes or rice – who wants that? ?) is very difficult to keep up: Many doctors are now warning about this trend. Because even if carbohydrates are almost frowned upon these days, the body needs them as an energy supplier just as much as healthy protein. If he doesn’t get enough carbohydrates, deficiency symptoms can occur. Those alone are bad enough – they can also torpedo your attempts to lose weight.
Beware of these warning signs
Do you suffer from deficiency symptoms because you eat too few carbohydrates? These complaints could indicate:
1. You have constant headaches and trouble concentrating
Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in the digestive tract, which our brain needs to function. If we take in too few carbs, the brain lacks the energy resulting in impaired concentration. For example, we are less able to remember new things and have difficulty reading. The lack of carbohydrates also lowers the blood sugar level, which promotes headaches
2. You have bad breath
With less than 30 grams of carbohydrates a day, the body resorts to burning fat to generate energy – it falls into what is known as ketosis. This is good for losing weight. But in the process, chemical compounds called ketone bodies are created and excreted through the breath. Unfortunately, these don’t smell very good – we get bad breath.
3. You have indigestion
Dietary fiber is extremely important for a healthy diet and can help prevent various diseases, e.g. B. obesity and high blood pressure. They also stimulate intestinal activity and ensure that we do not suffer from constipation or flatulence. Dietary fiber is mainly found in healthy carbohydrate-rich foods such as whole grain products – so we shouldn’t do without them entirely.
4. You are constantly hungry and in a bad mood
Carbohydrates can be real happy makers because they boost the production of the so-called happiness hormone serotonin, which puts us in a good mood. And as if that weren’t enough, the body immediately reports cravings if it doesn’t get enough energy from carbohydrates. In the worst case, it ends with a real binge eating, the blood sugar level shoots up for a short time – and then drops again just as quickly, making us feel tired and annoyed again. On the other hand, the conscious consumption of so-called complex carbohydrates (e.g. grain products, legumes, vegetables), which can only be processed slowly by the body and keep the blood sugar level constant, helps.
5. You get tired easily when doing sports
We can burn off the energy that carbohydrates provide us with during sport. If the storage is empty, the body uses proteins as a replacement, which we actually need for building and functioning of muscles. On the one hand, our strength training is so completely free, because the muscles can’t grow at all, on the other hand we get tired more quickly and can’t work out as much as we would like.
And now?
If you notice one or more of these symptoms that do not go away on their own after a few days, should definitely check his diet and, if necessary, increase the consumption of carbohydrates a little.