There is so much debate about how harmful carbohydrates can be to the health. As such, some experts have advised zero carbohydrate diet to ensure weightloss. However, there is a need to include carbohydrate in your diet because of its many benefits to your health.
Below are reasons why you should include carbohydrates in your diet
1. It gives energy
Carbohydrates are known as energy giving food and you know how important it is to stay energized when trying to lose weight.
Imagine trying to ride a car without fuel inside, you will agree with me that it is impossible for the car to move. This is how important carbohydrate is to your body. It serves as fuel because it provides glucose. Without carbohydrates, you will burnout from exercise and feel lazy to carry on and this will affect weightloss.
2. It helps to prevent heart disease
“Research shows that whole-grain carbs, like bread, pasta, and rice, help reduce your chance of heart disease and lower your cholesterol levels”. This alone proves the need to include carbs in your diet because a healthy body leads to better life and longer life span.
3. It helps to retain good memory
According to a research on overweight women after a “low-carbohydrate” diet for a week where participants were instructed to remove carbohydrates from their diet to enable weightloss, it was discovered that they did worse on tests of working memory (i.e., why did I walk into this room?) and visuospatial memory (remembering locations on a map).
The low carb diet was based on American Dietetic Association guidelines, in a study from Tufts University.
This research has shown how carbohydrates can help one to retain good memory.
4. It helps to boost your mood
Research has also shown that carbohydrates promote the production of serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical. Most importantly, an absence of enough tryptophan and serotonin can easily lead to depression and difficulty to sleep. It is important to note that lack of sleep can hinder weightloss, so you need sufficient sleep for an effective weightloss journey
5. Carbs fill you up
Most times, we eat when we feel hungry. Carbohydrates act as a powerful appetite suppressant. They can be more filling than protein or fat. Carbs fill you up because they digest slowly than other types of foods, which triggers a feeling of fullness in both your brain and belly.
On a final note, moderation is key when it comes to diet, so, always go for healthier options of carbs.