NOT EATING ENOUGH CARBOHYDRATES.

 

Carbohydrates have become the 'culprits' for many healthy eaters recently. Despite their less stellar stature in the nutrition department, carbohydrates are not actually the enemies of your body. They are responsible for providing you with energy, fueling your body and this may sound weird, but yes, they may also help you lose weight. Contrary to the popular belief, they are often seen as the cause of weight gain and obesity-related issues. If the right carbohydrates are eaten in the right quantity, only then you will be able to shed those extra kilos. The idea is to not cut them off your diet plan completely. According to Mayo Clinic, you need to consume between 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrates every day if you normally consume 2,000 calories.

The most important function of carbohydrates is to provide energy to your brain and body. Carbohydrates from the food you consume are broken down into smaller units of sugar. These small units get absorbed out of your digestive tract and enter into your bloodstream. This blood sugar tends to get transported through your bloodstream, and further helps supply energy to your muscles and tissues. Moreover, most of your body cells use carbohydrate glucose for energy; in fact, the brain uses most of the glucose as an energy source.

Your body gives indicators when it is not getting enough carbohydrates. We list below some of the signs and symptoms that will tell you are not consuming enough carbohydrates.

You are exhausted.

Carbohydrates are a major source of energy; in fact, they are the main energy source of a human diet. If you are not eating enough carbohydrates during the day, you will have a hard time getting through your day, and certainly, it will make it difficult to get through an exercise workout. This is especially important for those who perform physical activity. The carbohydrates that you eat can be immediately burned up for energy, and they can also be stored as glycogen. This glycogen becomes an energy store that is immediately accessible for a later exercise. If you work out and do not replenish these stores, you will experience “hitting a wall,” or run out of the energy available to your body - hence, exhaustion.

Your immunity is down.

If you have never heard of the “carb flu,” you might mistake it for what it sounds like. While it is not the flu, per se - and is definitely not the flu brought on by carbohydrates - it is a series of flu-like symptoms that you can get if you are not eating enough carbohydrates. Headaches, fogginess, dizziness, throbbing pain, and inflammation are all possible. The fogginess, for one, is a result of a lack of glucose getting to the brain. 

Other ill effects are brought on by not getting enough fermentable carbohydrates into our gut. Our beneficial gut microbes rely on fermentable carbohydrates to survive and thrive, and those carbohydrates come from whole grains, legumes, and many fruits and vegetables. If we want to be healthy, it is essential that we nurture our gut microbes with good food from quality carbohydrates. 

You are struggling to lose weight.

While many people blame weight gain on carbohydrates, they really are not at fault. Eating excess calories, regardless of which macronutrient they come from, is what causes true weight gain. In fact, cutting back on carbohydrates is likely to have less of an effect on weight loss than cutting back on fat. Fat has more than double the calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates, and some protein sources are high in fat and therefore extremely caloric. If you are replacing carbohydrates with high-fat protein and fat, you may end up consuming more calories and therefore gain weight.

You have poor digestion.

We have gone into detail about how a lack of fibre can really stall your digestion, but it turns out that a lack of carbohydrates can be the start of this domino effect. If you are not eating many carbohydrates, you are not eating much fibre, either. This can lead to bloating, constipation, and other digestive distress. In short, too little carbohydrates means too little fibre. This has the ability to mess up your system.

You are moody.

Getting moody when you are hungry is no joke. But were you aware that it could be a sign that you are not getting enough carbohydrates? Carbohydrates play a role in the production of the feel-good chemical serotonin. Between the low blood sugar causing fogginess and exhaustion, and a potential decline in serotonin production, you would not be a blast to hang out with. As the effects of too few carbohydrates add up, a dip in serotonin would not exactly be pleasant. On top of that, without enough glucose, your basic brain functions (like memory) will begin to falter; this could easily lead to anger and frustration. Eating good quality carbohydrates - like fruits, vegetables and grains - is key to avoiding these unwelcome effects.

You have bad breath.

Perhaps the least expected symptom is that eating too few carbohydrates can result in bad breath. This was a common issue for followers of the Atkins diet. Your body uses carbohydrates for energy. When your diet is lacking in carbohydrates it starts burning fat as fuel, producing ketones. Acetone, one of the ketones, causes your breath to smell like nail polish remover. Shudder. No amount of breath mints can make up for this effect.

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