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Low carbohydrate foods

Nutrition and dietary factors play important roles in health promotion and chronic disease prevention. The two major macronutrient fuels are fat and carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are compounds composed of at least one basic monosaccharide unit. Carbohydrates may be further classified as simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are monosaccharides and disaccharides. Complex carbohydrates are polysaccharides, or large molecules composed of straight or branched chains of monosaccharides. In the body, fat and carbohydrate are combined in certain proportions to generate the fuel mix the body burns at any point in time. If the fuel mix contains more carbohydrate, it contains relatively less fat and vice versa. Because there is minimal metabolic transformation between carbohydrate and fat, if more fat is being burned, then less is being stored and vice versa. The same holds true for carbohydrate, i.e., if more carbohydrate is being burned, then less is being stored and vice versa. Consumption of carbohydrates causes an elevation of blood glucose, which in turn triggers the secretion of insulin by the beta-cells of the pancreas. Insulin plays a crucial role in the regulation of blood glucose, lowering the concentration of blood glucose by increasing the capacity for transport of glucose from the bloodstream into cells, particularly of muscle and adipose tissue; stimulating conversion of glucose to glycogen, a storage form of glucose; and stimulating adipose cells to convert glucose to fat. Low-carbohydrate diets are available for many people who either cannot or choose not to consume large amounts of foods containing refined carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches. These diets are premised on the principal that excess carbohydrates are important factors for many for creating and storing large amounts of body fat. A very low intake of carbohydrate leads to low concentrations of insulin in the blood. As a result, liver glycogen is rapidly broken down to maintain blood glucose. Low insulin also encourages the breakdown of body fat stores and the oxidation of fatty acids from both dietary and body fats to provide energy. Fatty acids cannot be converted to glucose, however. Instead, when little glucose is available, the liver converts fatty acids to "ketone bodies" which many cells can use as an alternative fuel. Low-carbohydrate diets typically prohibit or severely limit all foods containing starches and sugars, including all grains, cereals, potatoes, and foods made with them. Allowed foods for a low-carbohydrate weight loss diet include meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, fats/oils, some dairy products (heavy cream, butter, and some cheeses), all green and other non-starchy vegetables, and a few other relatively low carbohydrate fruits.

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