Lately, diets based on a large consumption of proteins – whether through food or supplements – are becoming fashionable, which achieve very rapid weight loss, at the expense of the elimination of fatty foods and especially carbohydrates. of carbon, also known as carbohydrates or starches.
Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient, since they provide the energy necessary to cope with the activities of daily living and are essential for muscle contraction. They would be the equivalent of the fuel that any vehicle needs to operate.
Eliminate carbohydrates in the diet
We find carbohydrates in many foods, especially in the group of sweets and cereals and tubers. Among the former are sugar, milk, fruit, sugary drinks, jam and all sweets in general.
And they also contain carbohydrates, foods that according to the recommendations of the Mediterranean diet should be the basis of the diet: rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, legumes and all types of cereals. Some vegetables also have appreciable amounts.
The danger of eliminating carbohydrates in a diet
Eliminating these foods from the diet has adverse consequences. On the one hand, we must know that food is not made up of a single nutrient and this means that if, for example, we eliminate fruit, we are also depriving ourselves of all vitamins, minerals, water, fiber and other vitally important substances.
And if we eliminate cereals, it turns out that we are eliminating vegetable proteins, fiber, group B vitamins, very necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system, and other vitamins and many minerals.
This means that if we do not receive this contribution through the diet, we will have a lack of all these nutrients, which can translate, to begin with, into constipation due to lack of fiber, and irritability due to lack of glucose or sugar, an essential substance. for the brain. I even have anxiety about sweet foods.
Furthermore, eliminating carbohydrates can cause us to lose muscle mass and become weaker, since one of the functions they perform is to prevent the proteins that form muscles from being used as energy, that is, as fuel. Losing weight is not just losing kilos, but losing fat.
And many times, in unbalanced diets what is achieved is losing kilos at the expense of losing muscle instead of fat. If we lose muscle we will be assured of a rebound effect when we finish the diet.
Therefore, when following a regimen we do not have to drastically reduce carbohydrates, but we can moderate their consumption and distribute them throughout the day, and even better if we choose those that are most favorable for us to lose weight. It is about taking whole foods, consuming them as a side dish and not as a main dish, and accompanying them with good amounts of vegetables and a moderate portion of protein.
If we also eat regularly every three or four hours, do not commit excesses and exercise, we will see how we lose weight in a healthy way and, what is more important, lasting and without a rebound effect.
