Low Carb High Fat (LCHF): What Gives?
The concept of a Low Carb High Fat diet may sound too good to be true. After all, you get to eat as much as you want of the foods that you love including those fatty foods that have been demonised for so long.
You don’t have to weigh your food, there’s no calorie counting and you’re not asked to swap real food with meal replacements or pills. Can this be for real? Let’s delve into the Low Carb High Fat concept to find out.
The Basics of Low Carb High Fat
On a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet you reduce your consumption of carbohydrates and increase your intake of healthy fats. The key to success though, is the reduction of starches and sugars.
There are no set eating times – you simply eat when you’re hungry, and you keep eating until you are satisfied.
The types of foods that you should eat more of are fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, and natural healthy fats.
The types of foods that you should avoid are processed foods including bread, pasta, potatoes and rice.
An example of a Low Carb High Fat diet could consist of 65% fat , 20% protein and 15% carbs. Of course this would vary depending on where your starting point is; if for example you are an elite athlete your macro breakdown would be quite different to an individual that was sedentary and on the verge of diabetes. (The macro breakdown used as an example is by no means a standard breakdown for everyone, nor should it be used as a guide unless advised by your medical practitioner)
Discuss what would be right for your with your health specialist that has knowledge of this particular food plan.
The Science Behind LCHF
Reducing starches and sugars has the effect of lowering the levels of insulin that are produced by the pancreas.
This stabilises blood sugar, enhances fat burning capacity and makes you feel more full. When we consume carbs, glucose is produced which in turn leads to a rush of insulin.
Insulin turns off the body’s fat burning ability. Insulin is a carrier of glucose and it tries to get it into the cells to be used as energy. If it can’t because the cell is already saturated it tries to store it in the liver. Failing that it gets stored as fat.
Too much insulin coursing through the body can inhibit the production of another hormone – leptin. Leptin is a satiety hormone. It tells the brain when you are full. When you don’t have enough of it you will over-eat.
Contrary to what most people assume, saturated fat in the diet does not lead to saturated fat levels in the bloodstream. Rather, it is carbohydrates that do this.
Having an increased amount of fat in the diet puts a person in the state of ketosis, which is when the body starts to fuel itself from fat rather than carbs.
The Benefits
- Weight Control – by stopping the insulin surge caused by carb consumption you will burn more fat for fuel
- Appetite Control – you don’t feel hungry because your blood sugar levels are stabilised
- Abdominal Fat Loss – Visceral fat in the abdominal cavity sits around our organs; low carb eating is very effective at getting rid of it
- Lower Triglyceride Levels – Low carb diets are very effective at reducing these dangerous fat molecules
- Increased HDL (good) Cholesterol – eating fat gives you more HDL, which carry cholesterol to the liver to be reused or excreted
- Reduced Blood Pressure – Lowering carb intake is an effective way to reduce blood pressure, making a person less likely to suffer heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.
What To Eat
- Butter
- Cream
- Cheese
- Bacon
- Eggs
- Meat
- Chicken
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
What Not To Eat
- Pasta
- Bread
- Potatoes
- Rice
- Corn
- Fries
- Sugar
- Sweets
- Grains
- Cookies
- Sodas/soft drinks and commercial fruit juices
- Beer
Summary
Saturated fat does not lead to fat accumulation on the body. It is the insulin spike caused by high carb intake that makes us fat.
To control blood sugar, reduce insulin levels and increase leptin for appetite control, eat from a Low Carb High Fat plan. A Low Carb High Fat food plan is helping a lot of people to lose fat, enhance energy and enjoy better health.
Sources:
Metabolism. 2013 Dec;62(12):1779-87. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2013.07.006. Epub 2013 Sep 26.
Consuming a hypocaloric high fat low carbohydrate diet for 12 weeks lowers C-reactive protein, and raises serum adiponectin and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol in obese subjects.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Apr;26(2):163-9.
Low carbohydrate, high fat diet increases C-reactive protein during weight loss.
Physiol Behav. 2012 May 15;106(2):185-92. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.02.003. Epub 2012 Feb 9.
Low-carbohydrate high-fat diets in combination with daily exercise in rats: effects on body weight regulation, body composition and exercise capacity.