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Low carb diets continue to be popular for weight loss, with the keto diet being the latest craze. But these diets can result in low levels of energy and headaches, and the research has generated conflicting results on their long-term safety. A recent study of nearly 25,000 US residents found a 32% higher risk of premature death among participants on a low carbohydrate diet. Negative side effects and growing concerns about the safety of low carbohydrate carbohydrate consumption have left some people looking for a more intermediate approach to consuming carbohydrates. Enter the carb cycle.
Carbohydrate cycling is a nutritional strategy in which you change the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day, week or month to maximize athletic performance, build muscle and lose weight and fat. This approach has been practiced for years by bodybuilders and elite athletes in sports where body weight has an impact. Only recently, because of our societal obsession with carbohydrates, the approach has spread to the general public, appearing in major health and fitness publications, and in the form of hashtags in more than 350 000 Instagram posts. In theory, the carbohydrate cycle could reduce your body's stress, give you more flexibility in your diet and allow you to enjoy the physiological benefits of high carbohydrate foods, such as: the benefits of fiber.
What is the idea behind cycling on carbs?
Carbohydrate cycling is always theoretical because it relies primarily on research into the effects of low carbohydrate diets or periods of high carbohydrate consumption ("carbohydrate loading") in athletes – not alternating between the two. But here are some of the reasons why athletes think that it would be beneficial to add high carbohydrate days to a low carbohydrate diet.
On any diet, limiting calories slows down your metabolism and affects hormone levels, which makes you more hungry, making weight gain more likely. Research shows that carbohydrate loading can temporarily increase metabolism and increase levels of leptin, a hormone that alleviates hunger, which together could promote weight loss. Research has also shown that carbohydrate-rich foods boost athletic performance and recovery, and that carbohydrates are burned for energy proteins, which can then be used for muscle growth rather than fuel. Thus, days of higher carbohydrate intake from time to time may help even non-athletes prevent metabolic slowing, improve the efficiency of their workouts, reduce fat and build muscle. And low carb days the rest of the time can encourage the body to burn fat for fuel.
(In parallel, although there is evidence that low-carbohydrate diets promote short-term weight loss, a Harvard study of 811 overweight adults showed that participants were on a low diet, After two years, weight loss did not make a significant difference: Although low-carbohydrate diets seem to help some people lose weight, high-carbohydrate diets can work just as well when calories are available. are reduced.
But, as noted above, we do not have a research study on the carbohydrate cycle to tell us if these diets are effective and much less safe in the long run. Another disadvantage is that they are not so easy to implement: Carb cycling requires a lot of math, meal preparation and weighing, and even more patience and experimentation. There is no proven formula.
How does cycling work on carbohydrates?
Anyone who wants to try cycling on carbohydrates should first consult with their doctor and meet with a licensed dietitian to make sure that it meets their energy and nutrient needs, and to help them. help perform the amazing calculations. But here are some general guidelines.
First, calculate your energy requirements to find out how many calories to target each day. You can get a rough estimate by multiplying your weight in pounds by 10 to lose weight, by 12 to maintain your weight and by 15 to gain weight. On higher carbohydrate days, you should try to get about half of your calories from carbohydrates, and on low carb days, you are trying to consume about 25% of your calories. You would aim to consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight, and build the rest of your caloric budget from fat. (Each gram of fat is made up of nine calories and each gram of protein or carbohydrate is four calories.) The amounts of protein will be fairly constant on a daily basis; it's your carbs that you change from top to bottom. Then adjust your fat levels to get the calories you need. Your low carb days will be higher in fat and your higher carbohydrate days will be lower in fat to meet your energy needs.
Start with four days of high carb and three days of low carb per week. It is generally better to have higher carb days on the days you exercise, so you can benefit from increased energy, performance and recovery. But your exercise routine, your body type, and your health condition all affect the frequency with which you need carbohydrate-rich foods and how much they are. You will probably need to adjust your carbohydrate treatment plan until you find something that works.
Wondering what a few days of cycling might look like? At a less carb day, you can start with a breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs with cheddar, mushrooms and asparagus. Lunch could be a salad garnished with salmon sauce and oil and vinegar, snacks could be celery with natural peanut butter or cottage cheese.
At a high carbohydrate day, you can add a slice of toast to breakfast, a quinoa spoon to lunch and brown rice to your dinner while reducing the amount of oil you add to your salad and while cooking.
Keep in mind that you must always achieve specific calorie goals to lose weight or develop your muscles, and you must focus on healthy, high quality whole foods. The types of carbohydrates in your diet affect your health. For example, added sugars, such as soda and candy, and starchy foods, such as white rice and white bread, are not the most nutritious choices. Choose mainly nutrient-rich and low glycemic index carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa and beans.
Another caveat: be careful not to overdo the days of higher consumption. The difference between your days with lower carbohydrate and carbs may be lower than expected. High carb days are not a "cheat day", so do not think this diet is your license to go to a pasta bar at will.
The bottom line
The carbohydrate cycle may be easier to follow in the long run than a low carbohydrate diet. This can also help people go beyond weight loss or workout trays. In addition, modest reductions in high carbohydrate foods, particularly those high in refined carbohydrates, may help promote fat loss in some people.
At this point, we do not know enough about carb-cycle diets for me to recommend them. What we do know is that consistency is essential to getting results, and choosing good carbohydrates in moderate amounts as part of a healthy diet is associated with lower risk of certain types of cancer , heart disease and stroke. Rather than focusing on grams or percentages of carbohydrates, protein and fats, you could eat a variety of whole foods, such as vegetables, beans, fish, poultry, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. . The best diet is one that is durable and does not require endless calculations.
Christy Brissette is a Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Writer, TV Associate and President of 80TwentyNutrition.com. Follow her on Twitter @ 80twentyrule.
(This article has not been published by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed).
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