Low Carb Diets

There are a number of incarnations of low carb diets such as The Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet and the Zone Diet. Basically they recommend the restricted intake of carbohydrates.

The basis of the recommendations is that an increased consumption of carbs leads to higher blood insulin levels which in turn causes obesity.

The diets state that foods containing carbohydrates such as breads, fruit juices and rice etc should be eated less and foods that contain more protein and fat should be eaten more.

Although vegetables are allowed as they are considered to be healthier than grains. However, these low carb diets do differ. They all basically eliminate processed sugars, but they do differ on the recommendations for the intake of vegetables, fruits etc.

History of Low-Carb Diets

These diets have come into and out of fashion ever since the 19th century where the Banqueting diet was all the rage.

The proponents of low carb diets say that during the Paleolithic period we had a diet that was sparce in grains, starches and refined sugar and that the human body hasn't evolve since that and hence our diet should reflect their diet.

The Argument For

Supporters of low carb diets say that combatting obesity simply cutting down fat intake is oversimplifying the issue and that we are being encouraged to eat more carbohydrates which lead us to a greater appetite.

They say that the recent increase in obesity rates has co-insided with the increased take-up of low-fat diets.

Furthermore, they say that the high-fat french cooking has led to a much lower incidence of obesity and chronic heart disease than the high-sugar American / UK diet whilst excercise levels have essentially stayed the same.

They say that several clinical trials have shown that low carb diets can be successfully used to lose weight. Quite astonishingly they found that short term risk factors such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes tended to improve dispite the increase in saurated fat intake.

One example of a study that was used to support low carb diets was conducted in 1965 at the Oakland Naval Hospital that compared a diet of 1000 calories per day but high in fat and limited carbohydrates to 10 grams a day. Over a ten day period this group lost more weight than those that fasted completely. See NutrionJ.

The Argument Against

A Canadian Court in 2004 ruled that foods sold in Canada could not be marketed with reduced or eliminated carbs because carbohydrates where not proven to be a health risk. This is contrary to the approach in the UK where Tesco actively sells low carb foods.

The side effects can be unpleasent too. If you have a very low carbohydrate intake you can get to a state called ketosis which can cause headaches, tiredness, dehydration, dizziness and a sweet-smelling breath. If have a diet that has low proportion of fiber you can also get constipation. Furthermore, there may also be changed levels in blood acidity.

Others look at the global level that an increased consumption of red meat would place of livestock resources and a greater pressure being excerted on third world economies.

What The Food Industry Says

According to the industry fad diets put companies out of business such as New World Pasta which filed for bankrupcy protection in 2004. However, others have welcomed the diets and have built business models around them.

Find Out More

1) The Atkins Essentials: A Two-Week Program to Jump-Start Your Low Carb Lifestyle

2) The Vegetarian Low-carb Diet Cookbook

3) The New High Protein Diet Cookbook: Fast, Delicious Recipes for Any High-protein or Low-carb Lifestyle

4) The Rice Diet Solution: The World-Famous Low-Sodium, Good-Carb, Detox Diet for Quick and Lasting Weight Loss

5) The New High Protein Healthy Fast Food Diet: The Effective Way to Use Convenience Foods as Part of a Low-Carb Diet