Are you eating enough carbohydrates?Check out why you may be carbs-deficient today!.

Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support bodily functions and physical activity and they form a very important part of our daily diet along with fats and proteins. Our body requires all three regularly to stay healthy.

While foods rich carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, posho and matoke are very popular within Kenyan communities, there are some dieticians that have given carbs a lot bad press with many blaming carbs as the main cause of weight gain.

Here is how you can tell that you may be carbs-deficient:

Fatigue
Carbs are the body’s main source of fuel. So, if you reduce your carb intake significantly, you’ll likely notice a depletion of your energy levels. Carbohydrates are able to provide a more rapid source of energy to enable us to function optimally, both cognitively and physically.

Brain Fog
The brain requires glucose, which is broken down from carbs, to function optimally. So, when you haven’t consumed enough carbs, you may find yourself in a bad mood and struggle to concentrate. Consuming carbs alongside protein helps to support the production of tryptophan, which is then converted into serotonin, also known as the happy hormone.

Digestion issues
When all sources of carbohydrates are removed, the digestive system is often the first indicator things are not quite right. This usually manifests in the form of constipation or diarrhoea. The key nutrient to maintaining healthy bowels and digestion is fibre. Both soluble and insoluble forms of fibre help to remove waste and regulate the speed of digestion and bowel transit time. Although some fibre can be obtained by non-starchy vegetables, it is much more difficult for people following a low carbohydrate diet to meet their daily fibre requirements.

Constant hunger and food cravings
When a significant amount of carbohydrate food is removed from the diet, you might be left feeling a great sense of hunger. This can be due to the removal of the carbohydrates themselves, or it could actually be due to a reduced amount of total energy (calories) to allow your brain and body requires to operate optimally.

Lastly, experts say that if you are looking to lose weight, cutting down the quantity of carbohydrate intake may not be a great idea. However, limiting consumption of highly processed foods like cookies, sodas, mayonnaise, chips and so on may be the right move. But cutting down carbs may cause you more harm than good.

Article By Suzy Nyongesa.