Why Low Carb Diets Actually Aren't Great for Women
Low carb diets have been getting a ton of time in the spotlight lately- from approaches like the paleo, Atkins, and even Mediterranean diets to more extremes like keto and carnivore diets. They’re often promoted as methods for losing weight but even for general health reasons.
And so you may be wondering: Do they actually work? Are they helpful? Or are they truly more harmful than good?
Well, there’s actually a ton of confusion about carbohydrates and therefore, lots of misinformation circulating around. Carbs have gotten a bad rap and it’s not fair to us (or them). Demonizing an entire macronutrient (and a very important one at that) is actually dangerous.
When it comes to carbs especially, we simply cannot generalize nutrition advice, neglect nuances, and especially ignore human physiology and how our bodies thrive- and this is what low carb diets tend to do. The fear and shame of carbs also groups all carbohydrate foods into the same category (when there’s actually tons of variation).
What are carbohydrates and why do we need them?
Carbohydrates are one of the 3 macronutrients (the others are protein and fat). The term “macro” means our bodies need these nutrients in larger amounts (versus micronutrients, which we need in smaller amounts but are no less important!).
Macronutrients are what provide our bodies with calories, which are units of energy- used to fuel our bodies
And our cells’ preferred source of energy is actually glucose, which is the simple sugar that almost all carb foods break down into! So our bodies literally run on carbohydrates.
Without ample carbohydrates in the diet, our bodies will make them- because they need them so much. Cool, huh? But in reality, while we can do this, we don’t want to force our bodies to be doing it all the time.
Making carbohydrates (or more accurately, mobilizing glucose) should be reserved for emergency situations. It’s a backup, survival mechanism. Not only is it energy-demanding for the body, but it also requires the release of stress (or in reality, survival) hormones and oftentimes, the breakdown of our muscle tissue! Both things we don’t want happening regularly!
So while low-carb diets can seem great and may lead to fast results, they actually aren’t supportive of women’s bodies, especially long-term, and can lead to more issues that we’re trying to avoid in the first place- hormonal imbalances, period problems, sugar cravings, sleep issues, mood swings, weight gain, and more.
I’m sure you’ve got some questions. I get these a lot, like:
1- Why can low-carb diets work short-term?
Because depriving your body of carbohydrates, you’re putting your body into a stressed, survival state. You’re forcing your body to make its own carbs (glucose) and therefore, increasing the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Running off of these feels really good until it doesn’t. Until our bodies become depleted by the chronic stress and blood sugar imbalances and even downregulation of metabolism overall (breaking down muscle tissue will only fuel that fire).
2- Why do low-carb diets work for so many men?
Women are different than men. Period. We have different physiologies and different hormonal cycles and as a result, are more sensitive to stress. Women thrive on consistency, especially when it comes to nutrition. We don’t thrive on extremes.
Men, on the other hand, can do better on low-carb diets because they are less sensitive to stress, especially from a hormonal perspective.
If you take a look at studies on low-carb diets, especially keto, they are done primarily on men! If done on women, it’s usually non-cycling women aka women on hormonal birth control or who are post-menopausal.
3- How much carbohydrate should I be eating and what kinds?
This truly depends on many factors like your overall nutrient needs, your activity levels, and even your goals. Carb intake is personal and especially if you’ve been eating low-carb, you may benefit from increasing your intake slowly.
Aiming for at least 30% of your overall calories from carbs is ideal for most women, and experimenting beyond that to figure out how to best support your body in the season you’re in.
Do keep in mind that not all carbohydrate foods are the same. White bread is a lot different from white potatoes. Brown rice syrup is a lot different from honey. Candy is a lot different from fruit. The quality, origin, and most importantly, nutrient density of carbohydrates matter.
Some nourishing carbohydrate foods to prioritize include:
Potatoes
Yams/sweet potatoes
Other root vegetables (like taro, yuca, carrots, and beets)
Winter squashes (like butternut, kabocha, and acorn squash)
Fruit of all kinds (including starchy ones like bananas and plantains)
Naturally gluten-free grains (like rice, oats, and buckwheat)
Fermented/sourdough bread (to tolerance)
High-quality dairy products (which do include protein and fat, too).
Natural sweeteners (honey, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc.)
Cooked veggies (which don’t provide much glucose but still fall into the carb category)
And lastly, pairing your carbohydrate foods with protein is essential for mitigating blood sugar impacts and extending satiety. For example, eating fruit by itself is metabolized very differently than eating fruit with some yogurt or cheese!
Overall, eating low carb (particularly long-term) will come at the expense of your health, especially your hormones and overall metabolic function. For women particularly, the effects of long-term low-carb diets can be really damaging- leading to suppressed metabolic function, reduced thyroid output, decreased sex hormone production, increased stress hormones, and more.
If you want to learn more about nourishing your body appropriately and personalizing your diet to best meet your needs and help you heal and feel amazing, click here to grab my free guide to Nourishing Yourself Fully and learn the key areas to focus on to fuel your body without restriction, guilt, or stress.