Table of Contents

1. What is a low-carb diet?

2. Methods of a low-carb diet

3. Points to note for a low-carb diet

4. Tips for a low-carb diet

5. Supplements that moderate the absorption of sugar and fat from meals are recommended for low-carb diets!

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1. What is a low-carb diet?

1-1. Restricting carbohydrates taken from meals

To reduce fat and lose weight, you must consume more energy than you take in. Therefore, dieting can be broadly divided into two approaches. One is the type of diet where you increase energy expenditure by exercising to lose fat. The other is the type of diet where you reduce energy intake by restricting carbohydrates in your meals to lose fat. The so-called low-carb diet falls into this category. A low-carb diet allows you to lose weight by refraining from or reducing the intake of foods high in carbohydrates in your daily meals, making it a popular diet that is easy to adopt even for those who are not good at exercising.

1-2. Main foods restricted during a low-carb diet

The main foods that are restricted in a low-carb diet include the following:

• Staple foods such as rice, bread, and noodles

• Potatoes

• Fruits

• Root vegetables

• Flours

• Sugars

This includes a wide variety of things, from foods that clearly seem high in carbohydrates to those that might not seem so at first glance. When doing a low-carb diet, it's important to know that there are two types of carbohydrates. One type is complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) found in staple foods, potatoes, and root vegetables. These are commonly known as carbs and contain not only carbohydrates but also various nutrients such as dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The other type is called simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides, disaccharides), which include glucose and fructose found in fruits and honey, and sucrose found in sugar. Because complex carbohydrates consist of multiple sugars linked in a chain, they take time to digest and absorb. On the other hand, simple carbohydrates do not need to be broken down, so they are digested and absorbed immediately upon intake. Therefore, consuming fruits or sugar causes blood sugar levels to spike rapidly. This is what you want to avoid most in a low-carb diet. When blood sugar levels rise rapidly, a large amount of a hormone called insulin is secreted from the pancreas in an attempt to draw sugar into the body. Many people mistakenly think, "In a low-carb diet, it's okay to skip staple foods but eat sweet desserts," but this is a mistake. This is because it invites a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. In a low-carb diet, you must also be careful not to consume too much fruit or sugar. Of course, it is necessary to limit the intake of carbohydrates contained in staple foods and potatoes, but remember that simple carbohydrates should be restricted first.

1-3. The Mechanism of a Low-Carb Diet

If you are considering a low-carb diet, you should not just restrict carbohydrates, but understand why it is necessary to restrict them to lose weight. Carbohydrates are essential nutrients for living. Carbohydrates taken into the body are broken down into glucose, which becomes the energy source we need to live. Consuming an appropriate amount is fine, but consuming too many carbohydrates or consuming them rapidly causes blood sugar levels to spike. When blood sugar levels rise, a hormone called insulin is secreted from the pancreas. Because insulin has the property of converting excess ingested sugar into fat, consuming too many carbohydrates makes you gain weight. Restricting carbohydrates prevents a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, which in turn suppresses insulin secretion. The mechanism is that if the mass secretion of insulin is suppressed, it becomes harder to gain fat, making it easier to approach your ideal body shape.

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2. Methods of a low-carb diet

2-1. Suppressing daily carbohydrate intake

When starting a low-carb diet, decide on your daily carbohydrate intake. This can prevent excessive carbohydrate consumption. Keep your daily carbohydrate intake to 70-130g. Since it can be hard to visualize this amount, here are some guidelines for the carbohydrate content of staple foods. Please use this as a reference when planning your meals.

• 1 bowl of white rice: approx. 50g

• 1 slice of 6-cut bread: approx. 26g

• 1 serving of udon noodles: approx. 50g

• 1 bunch of pasta (100g): approx. 70g

Instead of holding back on carbs like rice, bread, noodles, and potatoes, it's perfectly fine to eat plenty of meat, fish, soy products like tofu, and cheese, which are rich in protein and fat. In fact, protein becomes the energy used to burn fat, so you should proactively consume it. Of course, it's also important not to forget to eat vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. However, be aware that some vegetables, such as corn and pumpkins, are surprisingly high in carbohydrates. It would be a good idea to research low-carb vegetables in advance. Also, it is not good to focus too much on calories while ignoring carbohydrate amounts. Don't forget that the key is to suppress the amount of carbohydrates.

2-2. Number of chews

It has long been said that "people who don't chew their food well and eat fast tend to gain weight easily". The basis for this is that chewing well and eating slowly moderates the speed of carbohydrate digestion and absorption, suppressing rapid spikes in blood sugar levels. Also, when you eat, energy is consumed for digestion and absorption—this is called diet-induced thermogenesis—which increases your metabolic rate even when resting. It is said that diet-induced thermogenesis is higher when you chew well and eat, compared to swallowing without chewing or consuming only liquid diets. Aim for about 30 chews per bite. Furthermore, chewing well can prevent overeating. Everyone has experienced eating too much because they didn't feel full when they didn't chew their food well.

2-3. Recommended foods and foods not recommended for intake

To succeed in a low-carb diet, it is important to properly understand "recommended foods" and "foods not recommended for intake". The recommended foods are as follows:

• Lean meat

• Fish

• Seaweed

• Dairy products

• Mushrooms

• Tofu

• Eggs

• Good quality oils

Most of our bodies, including muscles, organs, skin, and hair, are made up of protein. Also, protein is the raw material for digestive enzymes and hormones. By properly consuming proteins such as meat, fish, and tofu, you generate active energy and support the creation of a healthy body. Nutrients like vitamins and minerals are essential for converting carbohydrates and fats into energy. If you lack vitamins and minerals, even if you reduce your carbohydrate intake, your body won't be able to turn sugar into energy, leaving you with excess sugar. Vitamin B group, in particular, promotes carbohydrate metabolism. Actively consume pork, liver, seafood, vegetables, and nuts. Be careful not to overconsume oils like salad oil and corn oil, and try to moderately consume oils containing oleic acid, like olive oil. Also, flaxseed oil and perilla oil, which contain α-linolenic acid, and fish oil, which is rich in EPA and DHA, are oils you should actively consume. Another nutrient you want to consume is dietary fiber, which comes in two types: soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Since soluble dietary fiber is especially prone to being deficient, actively consume seaweed and vegetables that are rich in it. Soluble dietary fiber helps to moderate the rise in blood sugar levels.

On the other hand, foods you want to restrict and limit intake of are as follows:

• Rice

• Bread

• Noodles

• Potatoes

• Root vegetables

• Fruits

• High-carb vegetables

• Brewed alcoholic beverages such as beer, plum wine, and sake

• Sweets

While staple foods like rice, bread, and noodles are obvious, what you should be careful of are soft drinks and seasonings. "High-fructose corn syrup," which is widely used in soft drinks and seasonings, is a so-called food additive—an artificial sugar made from syrup derived from starches like corn. Although it doesn't raise blood sugar levels much, it easily turns into neutral fat and causes weight gain, so caution is required. By the way, regarding sweets, please remember that many traditional Japanese sweets (wagashi) are higher in carbohydrates than Western-style sweets.

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3. Points to note for a low-carb diet

3-1. An extreme decrease in carbohydrate intake leads to hypoglycemia

When people hear "low-carb diet," some suddenly switch to diets that drastically reduce carbohydrate intake, such as completely cutting out staple foods. However, if you rapidly reduce your carbohydrate intake, while it may be an approach to dieting, your body may fall into a dangerous state called hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia begins with symptoms like abnormal hunger, irritability, and sluggishness in its early stages, and can also lead to physical effects like dizziness, cold sweats, and palpitations. Furthermore, symptoms similar to depression, such as strong feelings of anxiety, may appear. If hypoglycemia progresses further, consciousness may become clouded, and abnormal behavior may occur. This is because, in addition to disrupting the hormone balance, it causes disturbances in the autonomic nervous system. The carbohydrates contained in carbs are an essential energy source for living. Do not forget this, and practice carbohydrate restriction while monitoring your physical condition.

3-2. Rise in blood sugar levels due to estrogen decrease

The female hormone estrogen not only triggers menstruation and creates a feminine body, but it also has functions that regulate blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as suppress the rise in blood sugar levels. Therefore, when women enter menopause and estrogen secretion decreases, their bodies become less sensitive to the effects of insulin (insulin resistance), making blood sugar levels rise more easily. Also, since estrogen has the function of metabolizing "visceral fat" and making it harder for fat to accumulate, a decrease in estrogen can lead to an accumulation of visceral fat. However, the decrease in estrogen can be supported through diet. Isoflavones found in soybeans have been confirmed to have a function that alleviates insulin resistance. By consuming isoflavones, sensitivity to insulin increases, and as a result, excessive insulin secretion is suppressed. Actively incorporate soy products such as tofu, miso, and natto, which are low in carbohydrates and rich in isoflavones, into your diet.

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4. Tips for a low-carb diet

4-1. Implement a low-carb diet over the long term

The key to succeeding in a low-carb diet is to do it long-term rather than focusing on it for a short period. The point is, it's important to make low-carb meals a habit. Even if you feel a little unsatisfied at first, once your brain understands that this is the normal state, you will surprisingly get used to it. Also, the secret to slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates lies in the order in which you eat your food. Try to eat soup and vegetables first, then protein like meat or fish, and finally carbohydrates like staple foods. By eating foods high in dietary fiber like vegetables, seaweed, and mushrooms first, they wrap around the carbohydrates that enter the body later and help excrete them. This suppresses excess absorption and has the effect of moderating the rise in blood sugar levels. The Japanese diet is one with a high proportion of staple foods. Therefore, there is an image that low-carb diets are "tough for rice lovers," but it doesn't mean you can't eat it at all. Once you get used to reducing the amount and the order of eating, it is by no means an overly harsh diet, so take your time and work on it.

4-2. Three regular meals: morning, noon, and night

To make carbohydrate restriction a habit, it is important to eat three meals regularly: morning, noon, and night. The activity levels of organs such as the stomach, intestines, and liver differ depending on the time. In other words, even if you consume the same amount of food, it affects energy metabolism differently depending on the time of day you eat. Breakfast is also a switch to start the day's activities. Try to eat it within an hour of waking up. Skipping breakfast leads to various effects, such as disrupting the biological clock, making it easier to gain weight, decreasing muscle mass, and lowering brain function. Be sure to eat it. The best time for lunch is around 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, roughly 5 to 6 hours after breakfast. The afternoon is a time when metabolism is active, so try to eat a well-balanced lunch with carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, etc. For dinner, you need to be careful of "BMAL1," which is also called the obesity gene. BMAL1 has the function of accumulating fat in the body, and eating during the times when BMAL1 is increasing makes it easier to turn into fat and gain weight. It is said that the time slot from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM is when BMAL1 is most abundant. Finish your dinner by 9:00 PM at the latest.

4-3. Eat your favorite foods even during carbohydrate restriction

Just because you are on a low-carb diet doesn't mean you have to endure the same menu every day—it's tough and won't last long. In a low-carb diet, you don't need to completely restrict your favorite foods. Rather, it's a diet where you can eat what you like as long as you pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates. Nowadays, there are many delicious low-carb supplementary foods commercially available. Getting help from such foods is one method. For example, pasta is a high-carb food among carbohydrates, and some people might find it stressful that they can't eat much of it even though it's their favorite. In such cases, whole wheat pasta is recommended. Whole wheat pasta is equivalent to brown rice in the rice world; it's pasta made from unrefined wheat flour. It is richer in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals than regular pasta, and lower in carbohydrates, making it an ingredient suitable for a low-carb diet. Another key point is that it has a lower GI value than regular pasta. The GI value is an index indicating the rise in blood sugar levels after meals.

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5. Supplements that moderate the absorption of sugar and fat from meals are recommended for low-carb diets!

For those working on a low-carb diet, low-carb supplements that approach moderating the absorption of sugar and fat from meals are also recommended. Choose ones that contain a complex blend of ingredients that suppress the absorption of sugar and fat included in meals. Carbohydrates cannot be absorbed into the body unless they are broken down into glucose by digestive enzymes. Supplements that adjust the absorption of carbohydrates suppress absorption into the body by inhibiting the breakdown of carbohydrates contained in meals, preventing carbohydrates from turning into fat and accumulating in the stomach.

Ingredients that inhibit carbohydrate breakdown and suppress absorption into the body	● Sekirenka ● Mulberry Leaf ● Guava ● Salacia
Ingredients that inhibit sugar absorption	● Gymnema
Ingredients that burn fat	● Garcinia ● Vitamin B1 ● Vitamin B2

Choose a supplement with a complex blend of naturally derived ingredients that moderate the absorption of carbohydrates taken in from meals. Instead of blaming yourself due to unreasonable endurance, try doing a smart low-carb diet while enjoying your meals.

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