Keto 101
How Many Carbs Can I Have On The Keto Diet?
You attach negative connotations to carbs because you think they are bad especially when a food item has too many of them. If they are bad you need to avoid them all together, don’t you? Not necessarily.
Carbs aren’t essential to living, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t need any of them. In fact, your body can (and does under the right circumstances) synthesize the carbs (glucose) you need by breaking down amino acids, by itself. Even when you avoid carbohydrates on the Keto diet, you will still get a steady supply of them.
Some carbs are necessary. The complex carbs you get from eating vegetables and greens are beneficial as long as you don’t eat some much of them that they kick you out of ketosis. It’s the simple carbs (grains, bread, sodas) you want to leave off your menu.
Here’s why you should get any carbs you eat from vegetables.
These above ground vegetables reduce bloating. There are 2 types of carbs, good (complex) and bad (simple). The difference between the two is the source and how many and what type of carbohydrates the source contains.
Fruits and vegetables contain good carbs. These sources come with fiber, which is important for an efficient digestive system. The more fiber you eat, the better your bowel movements will be. This, in turn, will ensure that you don’t get bloated.
It gives your mood a lift
The foods you eat break down into specific nutrients and they determine the type of hormones your body then releases. This influences your mood. This explains why comfort food makes you feel the way it does. People might tell you to avoid eating junk food because dirty carbs make you lazy. Carbs from quality sources, lift your mood. You might not know this, but carbs tend to produce serotonin, which is the feel-good hormone and its production is triggered by tryptophan in the carbs. Essentially, the more serotonin you have in your system, the better you will feel about yourself and your life.
It has Vitamins
There is no source of food that just has carbs. Instead, these sources are equipped with an array of other beneficial elements as well. So, when you are cutting on carbs, you are invariably cutting down on other things as well. One of the possible elements you’re losing is vitamins. Your body needs vitamins to create energy and red blood cells. Vitamins are generally found in abundance in high-carb sources. Therefore, sources which have some carbs are necessary because they ensure a steady supply of essential vitamins as well.
Conclusion
Too much of anything is bad for you. Whether it is fats, proteins or carbohydrates. However, providing your body with some carbs might improve your health. Know when to stop. Know when not to cut down. Maintaining a balanced diet is what matters. By completely eliminating carbs, you might end up doing more damage to your body.
Keto alters your internal body chemistry, and you need to go to extremes to do that. The smallest deviation will negatively interfere with your desired goals.
Keep in mind your body weight will change on the keto plan, which means your unique original macro percentages will need to be recalibrated for each nutrient as your physical weight goes down.