Why Low Carb Diets Might Not Be Guud For You

In recent decades, diet culture has influenced the way women relate to their bodies and food. These diets—old and new—often focus on the false promise of rapid weight loss and promote the idea that losing weight automatically equates to optimal health. A lower weight = good health. A higher weight = poor health. It also perpetuates the myth that some foods are "good" and others "bad." But it's more complicated than that.

There are no definitions of "good and bad" foods or "healthy and unhealthy" diets. These terms are subjective, and "healthy" means something different to everyone.

A diet that has gained popularity in recent years is a low- or no-carb diet. Gluten has also entered this discussion, and the rise of gluten-free diets is becoming mainstream, even for people without intolerances or allergies.

So what happened to carbohydrates? They've been relegated to a corner, but are they actually bad for you? We'll discuss it in this blog post.

What are carbohydrates?

First, a little biology lesson. Let's start with what carbohydrates actually are.

Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients the body needs daily. The other two are fats and proteins.

There are three main types of carbohydrates: starch, fiber, and sugar . Most of these are found in almost everything you eat.

The three main types of carbohydrates

• Sugars . Also called simple carbohydrates because they occur in their most basic form. Sugars can be added to foods, such as candy, desserts, processed foods, and carbonated drinks. However, this type of carbohydrate also occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk.
• Starch . Starch is a complex carbohydrate. It consists of several simple sugars linked together. To use them for energy, your body must break them down into sugar. Starch is found in foods like bread, cornflakes, and pasta, but you also find it in some vegetables like potatoes and corn.
• Fiber . Fiber is also a complex carbohydrate. However, your body can't break down most fiber. This sounds like a bad thing, but it's actually a good thing. Eating fiber-rich foods helps you feel fuller after a meal and therefore makes you less likely to overeat. According to this study, eating foods high in fiber has a positive effect on your gut microbiome. Fiber is found in most plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains.

The rise of low-carb diets

A low-carb diet limits carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn. As a result, someone following a low-carb diet eats primarily proteins and fats.

The first well-known low-carb diet was the Atkins diet. It claimed to be the solution for weight loss and improved health. Today, the ketogenic diet takes things a step further with a completely carbohydrate-free diet that claims a range of health benefits, including rapid weight loss and reduced inflammation.

It's remarkable that these diets remain popular because they're not all easy to follow. If you stop eating all carbohydrates, you're left with very little to choose from across most major food groups, including fruits, beans/legumes, grains, starchy vegetables, and dairy!

But the marketing, the claims behind these diets and the success stories continue to convince people that carbohydrates are the culprit, leading to an unhealthy body and obesity.

What do carbohydrates do for your health?

While a low-carb diet can be a good idea for some women, it's important to understand the impact of carbohydrates on your health. A low- or no-carb diet can have unexpected effects on your hormones and cycle.

And besides, if you go to extremes, you'll only become unhappy. And if you're unhappy, you're more likely to give up and fall into a vicious cycle.

At Guud Woman, we always strive for sustainable lifestyle choices. If you're looking for more information on how to eat according to your cycle, read our blog post on How to Hack Your Cycle with Nutrition .

Possible side effects of a low-carb diet

Before we begin: This blog post isn't meant to discourage you from trying a low-carb diet if you think it's right for you. But we do want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision about what's right for your body.

First, if your carbohydrate restriction extends beyond added sugars and processed grains to include vegetables, whole grains, and beans/legumes, it could lead to vitamin or mineral deficiencies if you're not well-informed about supplements.

Adding meat to your diet can lead to problems. The high saturated fat content of meats like steak, bacon, and processed meats can increase your risk of future heart disease and cancer.

A low-carb diet can be helpful in improving insulin resistance . But it can also cause unexpected health problems in women, such as anovulatory cycles (when you don't ovulate) and amenorrhea (when your period doesn't come).

A regular cycle in which you ovulate monthly is a sign of good physical health. A missed period here and there might not seem like a big deal, but ovulation isn't an option ; it's the hallmark of a healthy body. And unfortunately, through restrictive diets and eating too little, some women affect their cycles in ways they might not realize.

Good to know: What your period says about your health .

Why would you choose carbohydrates?

Much of diet culture portrays dieting and a poor appetite as desirable traits for women. We're bombarded with pop culture images of women on dates eating salads, and there's an unspoken rule that women shouldn't have a large appetite. But this isn't true. Cravings are normal, natural, and healthy for everyone.

Dinner is especially important. A healthy meal certainly satisfies your hunger, but it also does other things.

Protein supports muscle growth and stimulates your circadian rhythm, which is important for sleep. Fat provides fat-soluble nutrients, and starch nourishes healthy gut bacteria, activates thyroid hormones, and promotes relaxation, sleep, and ovulation.

For the best possible dinner, try to make sure your meal contains all three macronutrients: protein, fat, and starch.

Want to learn more about how your gut influences your hormones? Read our blog: Healthy Guts, Happy Hormones .

Can eating gluten-free help with PMS?

There is a lot of interesting research showing that cutting out gluten, which is found in many carbohydrates, can help with various menstrual complaints such as acne, bloating, weight gain, mood swings and PMS.

A 2014 study found that more than half of people who gave up gluten-rich foods like bread and pasta reported improvements in their physical and mental health. The research also suggests that even people without obvious symptoms can experience benefits from quitting gluten.

It's important to know that giving up gluten won't improve your hormones on its own, but combined with other lifestyle changes, it can make a difference.

Also remember: not all carbohydrates contain gluten! Many healthy carbohydrates like fruits, starchy vegetables, beans, yogurt, and even some grains like quinoa are gluten-free.

In summary

For some people, a low-carb, no-carb, or gluten-free diet can be beneficial for various health reasons. However, it's important to listen to your body and do your research. In extreme cases, some low-carb diets can affect your hormones and cycle. If you're unsure about what to do, contact one of our experts .