A carbohydrate-free diet is a diet that restricts carbohydrates in the diet and replaces them with proteins and fats. Both the keto diet and various protein diets are built on the principles of exclusion of carbohydrates – starting from the Kremlin diet, pumping up the Dukan and Montignac diets.

The advantage of a carbohydrate-free diet is that it is quite simple and does not require counting calories or food nutrients – you just need to give up potatoes, pasta, bread, fruits and other carbohydrate foods. In terms of weight loss effectiveness, carbohydrate-free is usually the leader.
Why does this diet work?
First, a carbohydrate-free diet reduces appetite. During digestion, carbohydrates from foods enter the bloodstream in the form of sugar. The use of this energy for metabolism or utilization in fat depots leads to a decrease in sugar levels and the appearance of hunger. Rejection of carbohydrates breaks this mechanism.

Secondly, this diet actually reduces the caloric content of the diet by at least 20-25%. Since carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the diet of ordinary people, the rejection of them leads to a significant reduction in caloric intake – even with partial replacement for proteins and fats.

Indirect benefits of a carbohydrate-free diet
Overweight and obesity are almost always associated with an imbalance of hormones that utilize sugar from the blood – primarily insulin. The body does not understand that there is enough energy and does not trigger satiety signals, forcing you to overeat. Restricting carbohydrates normalizes insulin levels.

In addition, a carbohydrate-free diet means eliminating gluten-containing wheat flour products from the diet. While only a handful of people are directly allergic to gluten, a growing body of research suggests that gluten may be more dangerous than previously thought.

How many carbs are allowed?
It is important to note that a no-carb diet does not require you to cut carbs to zero. Although the body can live without them, the absence of carbohydrates will significantly complicate the digestive process and deprive the metabolism of almost all vitamins (protein and fat products cannot be a substitute).

Scientific studies show that the upper limit on a carbohydrate-free diet is 80-100 g of carbohydrates per day. Half consumes the brain, the rest – the muscles. However, the source of carbohydrates plays a decisive role – it must be carbohydrates with the lowest glycemic index.

Products on a carbohydrate-free diet
The basis of nutrition on a carbohydrate-free diet should be all kinds of protein foods (meat, fish, eggs), healthy fats (from olive oil and coconut fat to avocados and nuts) and green vegetables (broccoli, green beans, lettuce) – sources of fiber and vitamins.

Legumes, lentils, buckwheat and quinoa are allowed in small quantities (no more than 50-60 g per day), as well as one or two small fruits in the morning for breakfast. Whey protein is recommended as an easy source of “correct” calories, but its use is optional.

An example of a low-carb diet menu
Task: calculate the nutritional norms for compiling a carbohydrate-free menu for a man aged 25-30 years, 175-180 cm tall and weighing 70-75 kg. The energy cost of strength training does not count as each workout requires approximately 100g of carbs per carb window.

Calculations: daily calorie intake – 2400 kcal; the norm of calories for weight loss – 2000 kcal; daily intake of carbohydrates – no more than 90 g (360 kcal); fat intake – 40-50% of calories (from 800 to 1000 kcal or 80-100 g of fat), protein intake – the remaining 640 kcal (160 g).

Breakfast

3 egg scrambled eggs with cheese or bacon (420 cals; 24 g protein, 35 g fat, 2 g carb)
Banana Protein Shake (220 calories; 24g protein, 2g fat, 28g carbs)
Dinner

Grilled Chicken Breast, 200 g (350 kcal; 60 g protein, 15 g fat, 1 g carb)
Serving Lentils, 60 g (212 kcal; 15 g protein, 0 g fat, 36 g carbs)
Olive oil, 10 g (90 kcal; 10 g fat)
afternoon tea

Protein Shake Serving (120 kcal; 24 g protein, 1 g fat, 2 g carbs)
Handful of almonds, 30 g (170 kcal; 6 g protein, 15 g fat, 6 g carbs)
Dinner

Salmon steak, 150 g (220 kcal; 32 g protein, 9 g fat, 0 g carb)
A serving of green beans, 150 g (50 kcal; 3 g protein, 0 g fat, 10 g carbs)
Olive oil, 10 g (90 kcal; 10 g fat)
Total: 1950 kcal, 185 g protein, 100 g fat, 85 g carbohydrates.

Consider the proposed menu as a calculation recommendation – first determine how many calories you need, then select the products yourself. We also note that it is almost impossible to find out the calorie content of ready-made dishes, and it is easier to measure the original ingredients.
A carbohydrate-free diet is one of the simplest and most effective methods of dealing with excess weight. However, carbohydrates are are excluded, but only significantly limited to 80-100 g per day – otherwise there is a high probability of digestive problems and other health complications.