What are the effects of not eating enough carbohydrates?

Answer 1

None. Carbs are not a required nutrient, you CAN live without them.

There are no side effects besides fat loss. For the first week without carbs you CAN have withdrawal symptoms so you may feel fatigued, but after that you will be fine.

Low carb doesn't mean you should sit around and eat bacon all day. Eat LOTS of veggies and drink plenty of water. Fat is good for you as it will keep you satiated and therefore prevent overeating.

Eat plenty of protein, whether that is from poultry, beef, or fish. Low carb eating can be a healthy and effective way of losing weight, or maintaining a healthy weight. Often, those who say otherwise are basing their opinions off of old science, or even worse, generalizations. I would encourage you to read further into the low carb lifestyle if you are interested. I personally got a lot of valuable information from a book by Jeff Volek, he recommends something called "carb cycling."

Enjoy your life changing experience.

Answer 2

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF NOT EATING ENOUGH CARBOHYDRATES

So, what are the effects of not eating enough carbohydrates? Well, here are excellent answers from a variety of Answers/WikiAnswer contributors.

First Contributor
Carbohydrate is not a required nutrient, you CAN live without it. Unlike proteins and fats, there is no minimum daily requirement of carbohydrate in order to flourish physically or to sustain life.

In other words, if you had a fat-free or a protein-free diet you would become ill and die.

However, if you have a carbohydrate-free diet you would come to no harm (other than possibly carbohydrates cravings, especially cravings for refined processed carbohydrates). Many overweight people, and many normal weight people, both children and adults, are addicted to refined processed carbohydrates.

Moreover, over-consumption of refined processed carbohydrates is a major cause of Heart disease, high blood pressure, unwanted weight gain, obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 Diabetes, and many other diet related diseases and conditions.

You will find a list of refined processed carbohydrates at the bottom of this answer.

Second Contributor
There are no negative effects, diseases, or deficiencies, caused by not eating enough carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are not a required nutrient, you CAN live without them. There are no side effects besides fat loss (if you have excess fat to lose). For the first week without carbohydrates, you may have withdrawal symptoms so you may feel fatigued, irritable, etc., but after that, you will be fine.

Third Contributor
As stated earlier, unlike protein and fat, there is no minimum daily requirement for carbohydrate. You will die if you do not have protein and fats. However, you can flourish and be perfectly healthy without carbohydrates. Unlike protein and fats, carbohydrates are not essential for health or life.

Fourth Contributor
Vilhjalmur Stefansson studied 'what are the effects of not eating enough carbohydrates' in a year long study done at New York City Hospital. He proved that you do not need any carbohydrates in your diet and that the long-term consequences are that an ideal body weight is obtained and maintained, and intestinal gas is eliminated.

Fifth Contributor
For overweight or obese people, eating fewer carbohydrates will enable them to significantly reduce weight. Less carbohydrate will also help to prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Your body will have fewer carbohydrates for energy, so it will rely on excess fat.

Your body will turn from a carbohydrate-burning machine to a fat-burning machine, in the absence of carbohydrates. In other words, you will lose weight! You body has the capability of converting proteins and lipids to make it's own source of sugar.

Sixth Contributor
Inuit Eskimos got along perfectly well without carbohydrates, year in year out, and you could too if needed. There's no such thing as too little carbohydrates. You do need however, quality (unprocessed) protein and fats. Drink plenty of water to enable you body to process the protein 'fat burning foods.'

For a free list of fat burning foods, to replace the refined processed carbohydrates, and to learn more about the thermic effect of fat burning food, use the page link at the bottom of this answer.

Seventh Contributor
Fat is good for you as it will keep you satiated and therefore it prevents overeating. Eat plenty of protein, whether that is from poultry, beef, buffalo, lamb, or fish. Low carbohydrate eating can be a healthy and effective way of losing weight, or maintaining weight, and a way to optimum health in general. Often, those who say otherwise are basing their opinions on old science, or even worse, generalizations. Get you carbohydrates from natural sources such as unrefined leafy green vegetables.

On the other hand, eating refined processed carbohydrates can cause mayor health problems as pointed out earlier in this answer. It is best to avoid them or strictly limit them (apart from an occasional treat. As stated above, they are a major cause of many diet related diseases and conditions.

Ninth Contributor
I would encourage you to read further into the low carb lifestyle if you are interested. I personally got a lot of valuable information from a book by Jeff Volek; he recommends something called "carb cycling." Enjoy your life changing experience.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF NOT EATING ENOUGH CARBOHYDRATES, SUMMARY:

So, there you have it. Nothing harmful will happen if you do not eat carbohydrates. You may experience withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue/lack of energy and cravings for a week or so. After that, you will be fine.

Unlike protein and fats, there is no minimum daily requirement of carbohydrate in order to flourish physically or to sustain life. However, certain carbohydrates, such as vegetables, have beneficial phytochemicals and fiber so eating some is fine.

For weight loss, obesity, or optimum health, the best sources of natural (unprocessed) carbohydrates are non-starchy, leafy green vegetables and a few low carbohydrate fruits such as berries. Remember that most fruits, and especially fruit juices, are loaded with fructose (a form of sugar) and over-consumption can lead to unwanted weight gain, dental cavities, and other health problems.

For the 'what are the effects of not eating enough carbohydrates' free information, and lists, use the page links given below.

1. LIST OF REFINED PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES (to avoid apart from an occasional treat)
2. LIST OF FAT BURNING FOODS (to replace the refined processed carbohydrates), AND MORE ABOUT THE THERMIC EFFECT OF THESE NUTRITIOUS FOODS
   

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