Before You
Choose a Low Carb Diet
by Tanya
Zilberter, PhD
Before you choose any diet,
you have to make it as clear as
possible that the diet in question is efficient and safe.
Then you might want to ask:
There are dozens of diets on the market. Why
should I choose a
diet that is low in carbohydrates?
The diet market is indeed huge, but there
actually
are only three general diet groups:
1. Diets limiting calories
2. Diets limiting fat
3. Diets limiting carbohydrates
1. Low-fat diets can be good as a long-term
regimen for athletes, those with only a few extra pounds to lose, or
those who need only to maintain their healthy weight. There used to be
a trend of using low-fat diets to improve blood cholesterol and
decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, but recent clinical data
questioned this approach.
2. Low-calorie diets require self-discipline, support and guidance.
Possibly the best known is the Weight Watchers weight-loss program,
which
has attracted millions of dieters over decades. An interesting note:
Before
the low-fat boom, Weight Watchers offered carb-limiting ñ not
fat-limiting
ñprograms.
As an excellent example of structured and
supportive "conventional" diet on Internet, you might want to consider eDiet.
3. Low-carb diets success, in part, can be
explained by the fact that low-carb intake curbs the appetite, so it is
easy to stay on the diet
and even make it a lifestyle. The diets opponents often stress that low
carb can not be considered balanced. Dieters are usually advised to
take
supplements to ensure an adequate nutrient intake.
Especially strict is the Ketogenic diet,
which
requires limiting not only carbs, but also protein and even water.
A True Low-Carb Diet
A ketogenic diet is a diet that, when followed conscientiously,
produces a by-product called ketones. Most dieters can reach ketosis (a
condition associated with increased amounts of ketones in the blood) by
limiting their carb intake to less than 60 grams a day.
The state of ketosis is what makes a
ketogenic
diet metabolically so similar to fasting that it is often being
referred to as a controlled fast.
Then there is THE Ketogenic Diet ñ a stringent, mathematically
calculated diet high in fat and low not only in carbohydrates but also
in protein. It also limits water intake to avoid ketones' dilution and
carefully
controls calorie intake. The diet has been in existence since the
1920s,
when it was considered to be a breakthrough in the treatment of
childhood
epilepsy, but was usurped by synthetic medications in the 1950s. Now it
is used in neurological treatments.
The clinics that prescribed the Ketogenic
Diet
followed their patients' progress for decades, collecting and
documenting many cases. None reported any serious side effects and none
concluded the diet to be unsafe.
The Journal of Pediatrics reported that the
Ketogenic Diet can be used
as a treatment for diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, bad lipid
profiles,
autism, obesity, epilepsy and other serious medical conditions,
including
gallbladder stones (v. 117 No 5, pp. 743-5, 1990). Those following the
Atkins'
Diet ñ the most well-known ketogenic diet ñ consistently
reported
improvement in mood, cholesterol numbers, blood pressure, energy level,
joint and muscle pains, sleep quality and mental clarity.
Read all
about choosing low carb diets
|
