Low Carb Diets

The concept that low carbohydrate dieting is based on is simple: taking in fewer carbs reduces insulin production, which means your body can’t run on sugars - this in turn forces your body to use fat and/or protein stores to fuel itself. This approach to dieting provides the framework for a number of popular diet plans, including: high protein diets, the Atkins diet, the Stillman diet, the Scarsdale diet, the Hollywood diet, a Ketogenic diet, and the Zone diet.

Despite the fad surrounding low carb diets in recent years, the idea of reducing carbohydrates to stimulate weight loss isn’t new – some of the oldest weight loss programmes around focussed on eliminating or reducing starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. The benefits of reducing or eliminating the carbs you consume are more rapidly visible than simply following a low calorie diet – this is because a fair amount of the initial weight loss comes from water loss and even lean muscle tissue loss.

In the short term, many people find low carb diets effective – however, the long term success of a low carb eating plan relies on the dieter having the ability to follow through with the lifestyle changes recommended by most low carb diets. Most dieters, however, do not stick to the plan once they’ve reached their goal weight and end up gaining back significant amounts of the weight they’ve lost. Low carb diets can be useful weight loss tools, when the diet followed is properly balanced and low in saturated fats.

The leading low carb diets, such as Atkins, have come under attack from health professionals, and in turn, received a fair amount of negative publicity for the potential risks that dieters suffer. Those risks include: an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol; development of ketoacidosis - a build up of ketones in the blood; constipation or diarrhoea; bad breath; bone stress; kidney damage; headaches; fatigue; increased risk of heart disease; increased risk of bowel disorders; and, increased risk of cancer.

It is possible to follow a low carb plan and still consume adequate amounts of key nutrients by using supplements, getting your carbs from the ‘best’ seasonal fruits and vegetables available. Most experts agree that to follow a healthy ‘low carb’ diet, a dieter still needs to be eating a reasonable amount of ‘good carbs’ – those complex carbohydrates that are high in fibre and key nutrients and offer a slow-release of energy throughout the day.

As more and more research has become available, dieticians and dieters alike have added their support to the notion that a low-GI diet (which is typically lower in carbs overall than the average person’s diet) will generate better results without the associated risks of following a strict low carb plan. There are a number of low carb diets with close links to the glycemic index, these diets usually allow dieters more freedom in the foods they consume and encourage the intake of ‘good’ carbs to promote a more balanced diet.