Living the low carb lifestyle is all about net carbs, not total carbs. Too many carbs can prevent your body from going into the fat-burning ketosis state. And fiber is a carbohydrate that your body can't digest. That’s why fiber doesn't count toward the amount of carbs it takes to keep your body in ketosis. Net carbs are the grams of total carbohydrates in a food, minus its grams of total fiber. So if you want to stay in fat-burning mode, you need to keep track of net carbs—not total carbs.
NET CARBS = TOTAL CARBS - FIBER
When you limit your net carbs, you also limit blood sugar and insulin levels. This switches your cells into fat burning mode. Fat gets released from your tissues and oxidized essentially burned as fuel to produce energy and ketones.
Eating a high carb diet is living on a blood sugar rollercoaster. The highs are high, but the lows are really no fun. (Can you say 4 o’clock slump?) By limiting carbs, you get off the crazy ride, and your cells have access to a more stable energy source body fat.
Your brain gets energy from sugar. But when you limit carbs, your brain starts using ketones for fuel—and mental enhancements may follow. In one study published in Psychopharmacology, higher ketone levels were linked to better cognitive functioning in older adults.
Low carb eating promotes healthy weight loss by keeping you feeling full while boosting your body’s fat burning activity. Healthy women on a low carb diet have been shown to lose more weight than women who consume fewer calories on a higher carb diet.
Low carb diets have been shown to reduce ghrelin, your hunger hormone. This keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
High blood sugar levels cause inflammation in the body. This is an unnecessary and often uncomfortable immune response that underlies most chronic disease. Low carbs help lower your blood sugar levels, which can limit inflammation.
