This archive report was first published on 17 September 2021.
Should you cut carbs from your diet? ¶
Friday, September 17, 2021
As Kenyans seek leaner physiques, ways to reduce their appetites and to ward off lifestyle diseases, they are turning to no carbs diets. But is tracking calories in carbohydrates or stopping to eat ugali, bread or chapati worthwhile?
Nduku Jones, a mother-of-two, tried the no-carbs challenge to tame her 'crazy appetite.' She adopted a no-wheat diet to reduce her carbohydrate intake, stopping foods made from wheat, including bread, pasta, pizza, cake, and her favorite, chapatis.
Experts say that while carbs are a source of energy, they are not the body's only source of energy. 'Our bodies can derive energy from both healthy fats and proteins,' says Dr. Daniel Katambo, a physician and founder of Klinic Reversa in Nairobi.
Dr. Gitahi Theuri, a human physiologist at Human Performance Laboratory at Kenyatta University, adds that carbs are metabolised to glucose which produces energy. However, repeated exposure to large quantities of carbs leads to an excess glucose supply, leading to metabolic disorders like Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Dr. Theuri explains that carbs are an expensive source of fuel for the body, using the analogy of oil exploration. 'From one molecule of glucose from carbs we get 38 ATP (adenosine triphosphate), and it costs 15 enzymes. From one molecule of glucose from fat, we derive 146 ATP at a cost of five enzymes.'
A low-carb diet can be effective for weight loss, but it requires lowering intake of carbohydrates such as grains, fruit, milk, nuts, seeds, legumes, and others. It worked for Nduku too during the 75-day challenge, where she lost eight kilos.
Once the body begins burning fat, it goes into ketosis, a state where there is a high concentration of ketones in the blood on account of the body metabolising fat for energy in the absence of carbs.
