What is the principle of the Low Carb diet?
It is a slimming diet which consists of eliminate almost all sugars(Low Carb means low in sugar). In particular, it allows you to lose weight quickly without feeling hungry since the quantities of food are important. This diet is regularly used for type 2 diabetics.
Is sugar really forbidden on the plate?
In the early stages of the diet, sugar intake should not exceed 20 g of sugar per day, ie less than four lumps of sugar (the equivalent of two fruit yogurts or two scoops of sorbet). These sugars should only come from vegetables.
20 g of sugars is a little less than the recommendation of the World Health Organization, which calls for a daily limit of 25 g of sugar.
In France, the national health nutrition program (PNNS) simply recommends limiting its consumption of sugary products (avoid sugary drinks, pastries, pastries, dessert creams, chocolates, ice creams.
In the following phases of the diet, it is planned to gradually reintegrate foods containing sugar to allow the body to gradually get used to the assimilation of carbohydrates without weight gain.
How it works: an example of a typical menu
Here is a typical menu for the first phase (the strictest) where the intake of sugars should be the lowest:
Breakfast: 2 eggs + 1 slice of ham + 30 g of cooked cheese
Lunch: 200 g of steak + 250 g of green beans + 30 g of cooked cheese
Snack: 5/6 slices of grison meat + 100 g of cucumber sticks
Dinner: 200 g of grilled salmon steak + 200 g of cooked fennel + 1 avocado + 30 g of cooked cheese
Subsequently, you can add foods containing sugar (such as fruit) gradually to meals.
What results to expect in terms of weight loss?
It all depends on the weight to lose initially … But generally we can expect a rapid weight loss of about 2 kg the first week, then 1 kg per week.
The Benefits of the Low Carb Diet
• Rapid weight loss
• No feeling of hunger
• Well-being and no fatigue
• No need to count calories
• The craving for sugar disappears after a few weeks
The disadvantages of the low carb diet
• Like any diet, there is a risk of a yo-yo effect if the Low Carb is not followed by stabilization phase.
• As the consumption of meat and fatty products is not controlled, excess consumption of fat is possible. However, this “overdose” promotes the risk of cardiovascular disorders in the long term.
• This diet is not for everyone! It is not recommended for children, adolescents, pregnant women and seniors who need a balanced diet.
• Sportsmen abstain. This method may not suit them because the body needs sugar to keep up the effort.
• Another drawback, potentially annoying on a daily basis, this diet can give bad breath due to the release of ketone bodies, the substances produced during fat loss.
These disadvantages do not mean that this diet is to be excluded, but they are to be taken into account. In case of doubt, it is advisable to seek the advice of a nutritionist or dietitian who will be able to tell you if this diet is suitable for your weight problem and your health.
Some dieticians recommend Low Carb to their patients. This is the case of Raphaël Gruman: “I sometimes use it regularly with my patients because several recent studies have shown good long-term results (2 years after weight loss) on the stabilization of the weight in comparison with other diets such as the low calorie diet or the high protein diet “.
Thanks to Raphaël Gruman, nutritionist, expert in dietetics and author of the Gruman method.
Also read: Diabetes: how many sugars are in?
Dash diet: a week of slimming menus
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