While a low carb diet can be good for certain conditions, there are a lot of cases where a low carb diet is not a good idea. When patients first come to see me I like to tailor their diet based on what I find in their health history and their testing results. Many of the patients that come to see me with fatigue, depression, thyroid issues and adrenal gland issues are eating a very low carb diet, which is greatly contributing to these symptoms.
When you eat a very low carb diet you will have low insulin. Insulin is needed to convert T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) into T3 (active thyroid hormone). This is why a low carb diet can affect thyroid function, which can cause all of the symptoms listed above.
Another important reason not to avoid carbs is that a very low carb diet can lead to gut dysbiosis due to avoiding important prebiotics like resistant starch and soluble fiber. These prebiotics help to feed your gut flora and keep it healthy.
What Type of Low Carbs Should You Be Eating?
When I talk about adding more carbs to your diet I am not referring to bread, pasta, or rice. I am referring to starchy carbs like sweet potatoes, plantains (green), yucca, and butternut squash.
How much of these starchy carbs you should be eating per day will depend on how much exercise you get, pregnancy, blood sugar levels and more.
Here are some easy recipes to get you started!
Maple glazed butternut squash
Preheat oven to 400
Cut a butternut squash into cubes and lay out on a pan.
Coat squash with olive oil, maple syrup (grade B) and Himalayan or Celtic sea salt.
I don’t usually measure this I just eye it. Put on enough olive oil and maple syrup so that all of the squash has a good coat on it. Then sprinkle salt to liking.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until squash is soft with little brown edges.
Chicken Sausage With Peppers, Onions and Plantains
2 green plantains
2 packages of chicken sausage
1 large sweet onion
1 orange bell pepper
2 yellow bell peppers
2 tsp. coconut oil (separated)
Salt and pepper
Cut plantains into slices about ¼-1/2 in thick and place in pan with salt and coconut oil on medium heat. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes (lightly brown). Cut chicken sausage into slices about ¼-1/2 in thick and place in pan with coconut oil on medium heat until cooked completely through then place to the side. Put cubed onion and peppers in pan with coconut oil (1 tsp) and salt and cook till soft. Add all ingredients together and cook for 1 additional minute.
I also like to just cook plantains with coconut oil and salt for breakfast and eat with my eggs. They come out tasting like potatoes and are full of resistant starch, which is great for gut health.
Sweet Potatoes with garlic and onion
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ sweet onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
Place potatoes on pan and coat with organic olive oil. Add minced garlic, onion and salt on top of the potatoes and cook for about 30-45 minutes. I like to let everything brown a little bit.
A friend of mine, Dr. Krystal Hohn (www.perfectlyimperfectyou.com), also ads chopped rosemary and Kale to this recipe and it’s delicious!
