If you want to be slim, eat less fat or carbs? & bull; hello healthy

Reducing the consumption of fat and carbohydrates is the most common way for people who want to adopt a healthy lifestyle or lose weight. Fat and carbohydrates are important nutrients in building the body, but if they are excessive, they will be unhealthy. Likewise, if the body lacks these two nutrients. So which one is healthier between reducing consumption of fat or carbohydrates?

Low fat consumption mechanism

Our food habits will indirectly affect how our bodies adjust to energy storage and needs. Naturally, if there is a lack of nutrition, the body responds like a feeling of weakness and wants to eat more, especially when you are on a low-fat diet or popularly known as' low-fat diet. '

Low fat consumption means we cut the amount of fat intake by limiting the number of grams of fat in the diet. Everyone's fat intake needs are different, because everyone has their own consumption patterns and nutritional balance. A simple example is if a person needs a lot of vitamin A, with a lack of consumption of fat, the body will also experience limitations in absorbing vitamin A from food, which is a fat soluble vitamin. Not only to absorb vitamin A, fat is also necessary for other physiological functions of the body.

At least for adults, fat intake is obtained from 20-35% of daily intake. If the normal consumption is 2000 calories per day, then around 44 to 78 grams of fat is needed per day. Although reducing fat intake can help you lose weight quickly, it will not last long and will not be good for your health. This is even more so if you make the mistake of reducing fat but still eating a high carbohydrate intake. In addition, the benefits of a low-fat diet tend to be few and less consistent, in contrast to a low-carb diet.

Why is it better to reduce carbohydrate intake?

Cutting down on carbohydrates is one of the most widely used diet strategies. This method is not only effective for weight loss but also has a positive impact on health even though you are already at a healthy weight. Carbohydrates are nutrients that are found in many foods such as plants, fruit, and milk. Carbohydrates are also divided into simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. The type of carbohydrates consumed will affect the mechanisms in the body and how they affect health and body weight.

Simple carbohydrates are a group of carbohydrates that are easily broken down into glucose (sugar). These carbohydrates are found in foods such as rice, white bread, pasta, various cakes, candy and various drinks with soda and sweeteners. Unlike complex carbohydrates, which generally come from fibrous vegetables of this type, it will be more difficult to break down into sugar.

Simple carbohydrates will be more easily broken down and absorbed by the body into calories and increase blood sugar levels. Meanwhile, complex carbohydrates are more difficult to break down and have a very low effect on increasing blood sugar, as well as producing more lasting energy for the body. So, the consumption of simple carbohydrates will be easier to trigger obesity and an increase in blood sugar which can lead to insulin deficiency and lead to diabetes.

How to have a healthy low carb diet?

If you want to go on a low-carb diet, focus on reducing your intake of simple carbohydrates by reducing rice and sugar in drinks and foods. In addition, reduce the consumption of processed foods because they contain lots of carbohydrates from flour and sugar. The maximum limit of carbohydrates per day is 130 grams or the equivalent of 520 calories. Instead, multiply the consumption of protein derived from red meat and white meat, fish and eggs.

Don't worry, our bodies can still meet their calorie needs because carbohydrates can still be obtained from various foods that we eat everyday, unless you eat nothing and let your body starve. Many studies have shown that excess carbohydrates actually lead to significant accumulation of fat and lead to obesity, compared to fat consumption itself. This is because carbohydrates produce more calories and if they are not used, they are stored in the body fat layer.

Both fat and carbohydrates are macronutrients needed by the body. If you just want weight loss, these two types of diets, if done consistently, can help you lose weight. But also consider the balance of nutrients the body needs and the health effects it causes.