Low carb diets have recently become very popular. I’ve been eating this way for a long time now. I want to share with you the 5 health benefits of eating a low carb diet. Maybe these benefits will inspire you to see if this way of eating will work best for you.

1. Faster Weight Loss

A 2014 study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, found that low-carb diets were more effective for weight loss, and, as demonstrated by 148 participants, also reduced their risk for cardiovascular diseases. When we eat foods that contain sugar and carbohydrates, we trigger the release of the hormone insulin. Insulin is known as the “fat-storing hormone” because one of its functions, is to signal the cells in your body to store as much energy as possible. Carbohydrates, like fats, are a source of energy for your body. This energy from carbs is then stored as glycogen from the glucose found in carbohydrates. By eating a low carb diet, you keep your body’s glycogen stores low, and this can prevent triggering insulin and storing fat. When you have less insulin circulating in your bloodstream, your body is forced to use up all of its glycogen stores, and then reach into your stored fat (body fat) for fuel.

1. A Natural Treatment For Diabetes

It seems like the cost for diabetes medications continue to climb every year, there’s a simple, effective, low-cost strategy that has been proven to work with diabetes: reduce the amount of sugar and carbs that you eat. A low carb diet is recommended by many doctors as a natural treatment for diabetes. Researchers from the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension at SUNY University of Brooklyn, have pointed out that a high-carbohydrate diet increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and obesity. Low-carbohydrate diets have been credited for improving the control of blood pressure, hypoglycemia and insulin levels.

1. Helps Suppress Appetite

What is the single worst side effect of dieting? Hunger. It’s those hungry and craving feelings that usually cause us to quit on a diet. One of the best things about eating low carb is that it leads to a reduction in appetite. When people cut carbs, they fill up on proteins and fats instead. These foods can be super satisfying since they help to turn off your hunger hormone “ghrelin.” When you spike your insulin levels by eating sugar or carbs, you trigger cravings for more sugar and more carbs. Later on, when you blood sugar drops, ghrelin increases, making your appetite increase along with it. Fats and proteins, on the other hand, are known for the exact opposite. They help keep your insulin levels low, satisfying ghrelin, and allow you to go longer between meals.

1. Better Brain Function

Your brain is largely made up of fat. It requires a steady stream of healthy fats for it to work optimally. The more carbs and sugar someone eats, the less healthy fats they consume. This is an issue since your brain needs these healthy fats to perform correctly, control your mood and regulate your hormones.  Sure, at first when you eat a sugary or high carb meal, you may feel awake and alert. But, quickly after, you start to crash, and you may feel grumpy, moody and tired. Fats, your alternative fuel source to carbs, doesn’t do this. Instead, eating healthy fats support your brain to have better memory, moods, and energy.

1. A Happier Stomach

Less sugar and carbs means a happier and healthier digestive system for you! Many people suffer from bloating, IBS, leaky gut, candida, and many other uncomfortable digestive issues. Research from a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, showed that patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) report symptom improvements after initiating a very low-carbohydrate diet (VLCD). It doesn’t matter if you eat processed carbs or whole grains. All carbs are eventually broken down into sugar by your body. When you go low carb, you’re eating less sugar, and now there’s less sugar feeding the “bad bacteria” in your gut, that can aggravate these digestive symptoms. Plenty of quality proteins, healthy fats, and vegetables, are considered fat-burning foods that actually help nourish your digestive system and reduce bacterial growth.