While thinking of a balanced diet, we think of a diet that has all the nutrients, including carbohydrates. But with fad diets doing the rounds, many people have started excluding carbohydrates from their diets. It is important to know that if a person has carbohydrate deficiency, the body can start giving some signs. You might feel weary all the time or face low productivity issues, and so on. Interesting, isn’t it?

HealthShots got in touch with nutritionist Avni Kaul to get to know some signs that your diet is missing on enough carbohydrates.

Signs and side effects of carbohydrate deficiency

The expert listed down some signs to us that could mean carbohydrate deficiency in our body.

1. You always feel fatigued

“It is a known fact that carbohydrates are the main source of fuel in our body, and limiting the intake of carbohydrates can have a big impact on our energy levels. As a result, you end up feeling weary or drained out quickly,” says the expert. Carbohydrates are responsible for giving a boost of energy to our body to keep us going through the day. Lowering its intake will only drain the energy in our body.

2. Lack of carbohydrates could mean lack of focus or concentration

When someone eats low carbs for a long period, the drop in their energy levels also hampers their concentration. You also might feel agitated or irritated most of the day. Foods like brown rice or quinoa are extremely good quality carbohydrates that are important to consume.

Also read: 10 signs your body can tell you that you’re consuming too many carbs!

3. You feel bloated most of the time

“Carbohydrates are normally blamed for being the reason behind persistent bloating. But this is mainly caused by the consumption of refined sugar or white flour. By lowering your intake of carbohydrates, you are also reducing the amount of fiber needed by the body daily as fibers are present in abundance in whole grains and fruits. Thus, having an adequate amount of carbohydrates will help reduce bloating considerably,” tells the expert.

4. You may experience bad breath

If your breath is reeking, that could be a sign that your body is running low on carbohydrates. Specifically, when one follows a keto diet plan, one of the most possible outcomes could be grave bad breath issues. When we stop relying on carbohydrates to fuel our body and switch to fats instead, it forms acetone which is the reason behind the stink in our body.

5. Mood swings

Just because your brain isn’t receiving ample glucose, the hypothalamus (that balances our mood) keeps secreting the hunger hormone. When one hormone in our body is in surplus, telling our body that we need more energy, it can have a huge impact on our hormones, like the ones that are responsible for a calm mood.

The bottom line

Carbohydrates, especially the fiber-rich complex ones, are an essential part of our balanced diet and stimulate good bacteria in our gut. Good functioning of our gut is responsible for our overall health.