Learn what it means to cycle your carbs and whether you should try it.
What Is Carb Cycling?
Carbohydratesare the body’s main and preferred source of energy.
However, low-carb diets are difficult for most people to follow long-term.
What Does the Science Say About Carb Cycling?
Unfortunately, not much.
There aren’t many RCTs directly investigating carb cycling.
Carb cycling tries to match the body’s need for glucose.
If it’s a rest day, then not so much.
Benefits of Carb Cycling
1.
Leptina hormone that helps regulate appetite and calorie expenditurecomes into play, according to a 2021 review published inCytokine.
The idea behind carb cycling is to prevent the body from adapting to this new metabolic state.
However, research is needed to investigate the relationship between carb cycling and leptin levels.
On low-carb days during carb cycling, there is limited storage of glycogen.
Better Blood Sugar
Another big component of carb cycling is how it affects insulin.
This approach may help maximize the benefits that carbohydrates provide.
Drawbacks of Carb Cycling
1.
It’s also time-consuming because you have to track carbohydrates, protein and fat.
You could fall off track if you do not track your nutrient intake carefully.
Also, this diet doesn’t take an individual’s appetite into consideration.
And trying to eat super-low-carb on a day when you have a larger appetite is not sustainable.
Is Carb Cycling Ketogenic?
A carb cycling diet is not the same as a ketogenic diet.
In contrast, carb cycling varies the amount of carbs eaten each day.
Pictured Recipe:Apple-Cinnamon Quinoa Bowl
What Should You Eat If You’re Carb Cycling?
On low-carb days,limit fruits and starchy vegetables.
It can also be followed by people who want to eat low-carb for fat loss but still remain active.
