Thanks to modern fad diets, people today are "min-maxing" the things they eat to achieve the seemingly unattainable goal of losing weight. In other words: by simply eating no carbs with tons of meat and delicious fats, people are seeing friends and family lose weight and even sometimes gain muscle. Since it works in achieving this one goal, these diets have become incredibly popular. But many don’t think about what achieving this short-term goal does to their long-term health or how this same goal can be achieved by eating natural foods in a safe and healthy way.

Why No Carbs High Fat Diets Are So Popular

Simply put, these diets help reduce weight because they eliminate a vital macronutrient: carbohydrates. Carbs are vital to the production of long-term energy for your body. The real benefit however, is these diets eliminate processed carbohydrates, which are incredibly bad for the body. The structure of the carbohydrates that we eat makes a huge difference in our health and our overall weight. Eating whole plant food carbohydrates, not processed, slows down the rate at which our body absorbs the energy we need and offers a better, more balanced and sustained energy release.

But because of today's sedentary lifestyles, we often do not use up the energy in all the macronutrients we consume. This excess energy, whether it be from carbs, proteins or fats, all eventually become fat reserves in our body, that is intended for future use. Think of it as a "break glass in case of an emergency" function for the body. By eliminating carbs in certain fad diets, without access to the energy provided by carbs, your body will cannibalize itself by breaking down fat cells for energy instead. That’s great right? Well, while this is good for the short-term goal of losing weight, the long-term effects of eating this way are still being studied.

These diets also have the side effect of depriving your body of micronutrients and fiber. Because these diets restrict what you can intake into your body, the variety of foods you would normally eat as fruits, vegetables and even complex carbohydrates such as oats and whole grains are completely missing. People on prolonged keto diets have reported feeling tired, sluggish, and lack energy. Ketogenic diets are restrictive, and it is worth discussing one with your physician before starting. One reason to have that conversation is that your body needs micronutrients and fiber to perform other, vital but less visible functions such as regulate your mood, support healthy immune functions and even poop properly. Low-fiber versions of a ketogenic diet are commonly associated with digestive complaints. However, it is not externally obvious when you are not receiving these nutrients, so periodic bloodwork and your physician’s guidance are worth having if you follow one.

But for some, these short-term pains may just seem like inconveniences. After all, you just want to lose that weight for summer, right? You’ll go back to eating normally after, right?

However, many have reported that not staying on a keto diet results in gaining much of the weight back. It turns out eating rich foods with no regard for the calories or fat being eaten will set up poor eating habits that are unsustainable for the rest of your life.

So Why Natural?

Macronutrients are a necessity to life. Your body craves carbs, proteins and fats because they are necessary for normal function. However, that doesn’t mean you should have the cheapest or easiest to reach macronutrients out there. Processed foods such as white bread or ground meat lack much of the structure that naturally grown foods have, particularly fiber. Fiber is often overlooked and ignored, but when eaten from natural sources, it has the benefit of making you feel full and encouraging the growth of beneficial microflora in your gut. And by eating fiber first, your body is preoccupied with digesting the fiber and you have less physical space for more calorie rich foods commonly associated with carbs, proteins and fats.

Fiber-rich foods like chickpeas, lentils and barley are a sustainable place to start.

Not sure how to do it yourself? Check out our guide on eating healthy, which is also free with any purchase of two or more boxes of NACPro+ for a limited time.*

*When you purchase any bundle of 2 or more boxes of NACPro+ and add the Restore, Reset and Recharge plan to your cart, you will receive the plan for free. Boxes must be purchased as a bundle of 2, 3, 4 or 14 boxes. Plan must be added to cart before checkout to receive it for free. Discount will be applied automatically to your cart when all qualifying items are added to the cart and before checkout is completed.