Is locavore not worth it?　A thorough explanation of its effects, advantages and disadvantages!

Some say, “Locavore doesn't make sense,” or “You can't lose weight without strict carbohydrate restrictions.” However, if practiced correctly, locavore is a low-stress diet that is easy to follow and successful in the long term.

This article provides an overview of locavore, the locavore diet, its advantages and disadvantages, and points to enhance its effectiveness. Please use it as a reference to adopt locavore and achieve a healthy lifestyle.

What is locavore?

Locavore stands for “Low Carbohydrate” and is a way of eating that does not restrict carbohydrates to an extreme degree, but rather allows for an appropriate amount of carbohydrate intake. The recommended daily carbohydrate intake is approximately 70 to 130 grams, with 20 to 40 grams per meal and no more than 10 grams per snack. Within this range, there is basically nothing you should not eat.

The term “locavore” has two meanings: the general concept of carbohydrate intake and a registered trademark defined by the Japan Association for Food, Pleasure and Health, but this article explains it in terms of “appropriate carbohydrate intake.

First, let's look at the purpose and effects of locavore.


Purpose of the locavore

The goal of incorporating the locavore concept into your daily life is to keep your carbohydrates within an appropriate range and live a healthy lifestyle.

For those on a carbohydrate-restricted diet, diabetics, or those at risk for metabolic syndrome, keeping sugar levels in check is essential for managing health and achieving goals. Locavore is a diet that provides a good balance of necessary nutrients while effortlessly reducing sugar content.

In addition, when eating foods that are generally high in carbohydrates, you can adjust the sugar content to your goal by eating locavore foods and products. For example, if you want to eat sweets, choosing low-sugar locavore products will help you feel satisfied while keeping your sugar intake at a healthy level.

Benefits to be expected from a locavore diet
Practicing a locavore-conscious diet can be expected to prevent lifestyle-related diseases. By keeping carbohydrate intake within an appropriate range, a rapid rise in blood glucose levels is prevented and excessive secretion of insulin is suppressed. This is effective in reducing the risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. In addition to prevention, locavores are also effective when these symptoms are already present.

In addition, when people adopt a locavore-conscious diet, they become aware of the amount of carbohydrates in their diet, and therefore pay more attention to food ingredient labels and food selection. This will naturally lead you to think about other nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals, making it easier to develop the habit of paying attention to your overall diet.

Difference between locavore and carbohydrate restriction
Carbohydrate restriction is a dietary approach that strictly limits carbohydrates. By suppressing sugar and reducing glucose in the body, ketones, which use fat as an energy source, are produced and body fat is burned more efficiently. The goal is to have less than 20 grams of sugar per meal and less than 60 grams of total sugar per day.

Locavore, on the other hand, is said to be a “moderate sugar restriction” and emphasizes adherence to an appropriate amount of sugar while avoiding strict restrictions. It is characterized by a well-balanced diet with a good intake of protein, fat, and dietary fiber. As mentioned above, it is recommended that the total daily sugar content be kept below 130g, with a maximum of 20-40g of sugar per meal and 10g of sugar for snacks.

Sugar restriction is suited for people who want to reduce body fat in a short period of time and for those who have been instructed by their doctors to follow a strict diet. Locavore, on the other hand, is suitable for people who want to enjoy their daily meals and adjust their sugar intake without difficulty.

 

The locavore diet has characteristics that make it easy to lose weight while feeling satisfied with food, but it may not be effective if you do not know how to do it correctly. Here are three effective ways to follow a locavore diet.


Replace with staple foods
This method replaces staple foods such as rice, bread, and noodles, which are high in carbohydrates, with low-carbohydrate locavore foods. Specifically, the following methods are used.

Replace white rice with low-sugar brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Replace bread with low-sugar bread made with soy flour or bran (bran)
Replace noodles with konjac noodles or sugar-free pasta.

These methods are characterized by the fact that main and side dishes can be eaten without much concern for quantity. Oil, which is often avoided in diets, is not a problem as long as it is in moderate amounts, and stir-fried and deep-fried foods can also be enjoyed.

However, for first-time users, it is better to start with one meal a day. If you suddenly replace all staple foods, you will have to spend more time choosing ingredients and cooking, and the feeling of restriction will be stronger, making it easier to fall off the wagon.

Understand how much to eat.
In locavores, it is important to manage your total daily intake of carbohydrates. The standard is to consume 20 to 40 g of carbohydrate per meal and no more than 10 g per snack, for a total of 70 to 130 g per day.

However, since it is somewhat tedious to calculate the sugar content for each meal, those who wish to more easily restrict their diet should use the amount of food they eat as a guideline. For example, you can decide on the amount of rice you would like to eat, such as 1/2 to 1/3 cup of rice, 1 or 1.5 slices of 6 or 8 slices of bread, or 1/2 to 1/3 of a bowl of noodles, for example.

Alternatively, you can choose a locavore product that clearly states its sugar content to control your intake. It is time-consuming to check and total the sugar content of each ingredient, but it is easy with products that clearly state the sugar content.

Pay attention to the time of day you eat.
In locavores, it is important to consume food at three different times of the day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, just like a regular meal.

Ideally, breakfast should be eaten in the morning sun to regulate the body clock (daily rhythm). When the body clock is regulated, metabolism and hormone secretion are stimulated, which will help you lose weight and maintain good health.

Avoid late dinners and arrive the next morning with an empty stomach. This is because avoiding late-night meals reduces the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and allows for a good night's sleep. After a good night's rest, a good breakfast the next day will stabilize your energy levels for the day and create a virtuous cycle of increased activity.

Benefits of Locavore
Locavore has many benefits, from maintaining good health and preventing lifestyle-related diseases to even helping you lose weight. Here we explain the specific benefits of practicing locavore.

Helps maintain good health and prevent lifestyle-related diseases
As mentioned above, practicing locavores can prevent blood sugar spikes. This leads to obesity prevention because blood glucose levels fluctuate less wildly and fat is used more efficiently as energy.

Another advantage is that stable blood glucose levels reduce hunger, which naturally reduces the frequency of snacking. This leads to the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes caused by overeating sweets that contain a lot of sugar.

Another advantage of locavore is that it also helps maintain vitality in daily life, as it encourages appropriate carbohydrate intake. For example, by consuming the right amount of carbohydrates at breakfast, you may find that your mind works better in the morning. You may also feel less sluggish and fatigued during the day, which can be caused by too much carbohydrate intake, and you will be more energetic and active.

 

Dietary benefits can be expected

The locavore diet is said to be the easiest diet to follow with long-term success. There are three reasons for this

It is easier to lose fat and keep it off the body.
It is easier to feel full.
It is easier to consume energy.

Moderate carbohydrate restriction prevents a spike in blood glucose levels and prevents the accumulation of fat. As a result, it will be easier to steadily lose weight.

In addition, locavores actively consume foods rich in dietary fiber and low in carbohydrates, such as vegetables and beans. These foods help to make you feel full and prevent you from overeating.

Another feature of locavores is that they are able to eat a good amount of protein, such as meat and fish, which are the building blocks of muscles. Especially when combined with moderate exercise, muscle mass is increased and basal metabolism is raised. This will change your body to one that can easily consume energy.

In this way, the locavore diet is a diet method that can be expected to be effective over the long term.

Disadvantages of locavores
There are advantages as well as disadvantages to such a diet. Here, we will explain the points to keep in mind when practicing locavore, namely, that the nutritional balance can easily become unbalanced and that it is difficult to sustain.


Nutritional balance can easily become unbalanced.
In locavores, carbohydrate restriction tends to increase the intake of fat and protein to compensate for energy. If this trend continues, the overall nutritional balance may become unbalanced. For example, a diet of fatty meats and fried foods can easily lead to excessive fat intake.

Excessive fat intake increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction, etc.). In particular, one should be wary of diets high in saturated fatty acids, such as those found in pork belly and butter. When increasing lipids, be aware of good fats such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts.

Difficult to sustain.
Although locavore is a gentle carbohydrate restriction, it can be difficult to put into practice when eating out or drinking. For example, the lunch set at a set restaurant or snacks served at an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) may exceed the amount of sugar just by eating the same foods as those around you.

Therefore, in order to continue eating locavore, it is important to consider what you eat when eating out and to gain the understanding of those around you. For example, replace the main meal with a salad or vegetable dish, or ask to order a menu item with less sugar for yourself.

However, if you drastically reduce carbohydrates, you risk a condition called “ketoacidosis,” in which the body's acidity increases and metabolism slows due to insulin deficiency. Since locavore is only a “gentle restriction of carbohydrates,” do not overdo it too much.

Why do you recommend locavore?

Locavore is a recommended diet for people with a wide range of goals, including weight loss, health improvement, and beauty. The reasons for this are that locavore can improve their diet without strain and aim for a healthier style.


Improve your diet without any pressure.
Locavore is not a strict carbohydrate restriction, but recommends moderate carbohydrate intake. Foods that contain carbohydrates, such as rice, bread, fruits, and vegetables, which are the basics of the diet, can be eaten in an appropriate manner, making it easy to follow.

In contrast, a dietary approach that drastically reduces carbohydrates and uses ketones (metabolites from lipolysis) as an energy source can easily lead to a lack of energy and a feeling of hunger because it is difficult to feel satisfied. This can lead to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and nutritional imbalances.

If you want to maintain long-term health and increase the success of your diet, locavores are recommended instead of strict carbohydrate restriction.



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You can aim for a healthier style.
Stabilizing blood sugar levels through locavores can help create a healthier body shape.

As mentioned above, practicing locavores can help you lose weight. This is because a moderate reduction in carbohydrates and a good intake of protein can efficiently reduce body fat.

On the other hand, if an overweight person adopts locavore, he or she can easily gain weight and achieve a healthy figure with muscles. This is because the active intake of protein increases muscle, not fat, and brings the body closer to a slimmer, healthier appearance.

Locavore is a flexible diet that can be used for either overweight or underweight, and can help you increase muscle mass and achieve a healthy style.

Points for practicing locavore.
In practicing locavore, it is important to choose good quality carbohydrates and a balanced diet. Specific methods for each of these are explained below.


Select good quality carbohydrates
There are two types of carbohydrates: “good carbohydrates (low GI foods),” which are digested and absorbed slowly and raise blood glucose levels slowly, and “bad carbohydrates (high GI foods),” which raise blood glucose levels rapidly.

Examples of good carbohydrates (low GI foods)
Whole grains (brown rice, whole grain bread, oatmeal, etc.)
Vegetables (broccoli, spinach, cabbage, carrots, etc.)
Beans (soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.)
Fruits (apples, berries, citrus fruits, etc.)

Nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)

Bad carbohydrates (high GI foods)
Refined grains (white rice, white bread, udon noodles, etc.)
Refined sugar (white sugar, granulated sugar, etc.)
Refined sugar (white sugar, granulated sugar, etc.) ● Soft drinks (carbonated drinks, sugar-sweetened juices, etc.)
Processed foods (cereal bars, cereals with high sweetener content, etc.)

Choose good sugar (low GI foods) as much as possible in your daily diet.


Be aware of a balanced diet.
While it is important to be aware of sugar content, it is also important to consume a well-balanced diet that includes protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. When restricting carbohydrates, you must compensate for the lack of energy with other nutrients.

For protein, choose low-fat parts (chicken breast, pork fillet) and lean fish (tuna, bonito) to consume more protein while reducing calories. Soy products (tofu, natto) are vegetable proteins, characterized by their low fat content and low cholesterol.

When consuming fats, foods that contain good fats (omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids) are optimal. Examples include fish (mackerel, salmon), olive oil, and nuts.

In addition, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and minerals (iron and calcium) should also be taken in good balance.


Summary
Locavore is an effective diet for health maintenance and weight loss through moderate carbohydrate restriction. With appropriate carbohydrate intake and a well-balanced diet, you can manage your weight without difficulty and get closer to a healthy body shape. It is also effective in preventing and improving lifestyle-related diseases.

If you want to start a locavore lifestyle, it is effective to review your staple foods. Keto bread” from NATUVIEW, a brand specializing in keto foods, is a bread with reduced carbohydrates while focusing on taste and texture, making it easy to restrict carbohydrates by simply replacing the main meal. It also contains protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins to support a satisfying yet healthy diet.

You can easily incorporate locavores into your diet to achieve a healthy lifestyle.