Advantages Of Low Carb Diet

Low carb diets are the much raved about much worshipped path to good health and weight loss. If your overweight, or have a history of obesity in your family or both, a low carb diet can work wonders for you. In case you're normal weight, you can still make great use of a low carb diet as it will help you maintain your weight and health. For people who may have high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or diabetes, low carb diets are now being prescribed by most physicians as the best way to help reduce these symptoms as well as control weight. In fact for people who are overweight or suffering from diabetes, following the traditional approach of a low-fat and low calorie diet has actually proven to worsen the condition.

The low carb diet has many variations such as;

1. Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution,

2. Protein Power,

3. Neanderthin,

4. The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifestyle Plan,

5. Life Without Bread, etc

The common factor of these low carb diets is that they all prescribe a lowered level of carbohydrates in the meal. Most of them replace the calorie count of the carbohydrates with fats or proteins. Those on a low-carb diet are recommended to get at least 60 to 70 percent of their daily calorie intake from fat. Carbohydrates should make up less than 10 percent, and in some cases while in others less than 5 percent of the daily calorie intake.

How the Low Carb Diet Works:

For you to fully appreciate the low carbs diets advantages, you must be acquainted with how it works. Research has shown that the fats in our food, dietary fats, are not turned to fat as quickly as we believe. On the other hand, the carbohydrates that we consume are converted to fat much faster by the action of insulin. Researchers have found that in overweight people a condition called hyperinsulinemia -- elevated insulin levels in the blood, is responsible for rapid conversion of carbohydrates into fat. This then results in their increased level of cholesterol, blood pressure, weight etc. when we eat a high carb meal, our pancreas produce greater levels of insulin. This insulin allows the blood sugar to be used by the body, but also causes hunger and sugar cravings. Hence we take more sugar (carb) and the cycle of obesity has started. Research has also shown that high levels of insulin have a deleterious effect on the body, including premature aging.

When the levels of carbs in the diet are cut to very low levels the body gets a fighting chance. Decreasing the carbs in the diet reduces the level of insulin in the blood and promotes the production of glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that causes body fat to be burned and cholesterol to be removed from deposits in the arteries.

Advantages of a Low Carb Diet:

Taking into account how a low carb diet works, it's easy to have an idea of how it could help in weight loss and maintaining health. Some of the major reported benefits of a low carb diet are;

Sustained weight loss

Stabilized blood sugar (especially important for diabetics)

Lower insulin levels

Better blood lipid profile (low cholesterol)

Lowered blood pressure

More energy

So for whether for fitness or weight loss, you're better off quitting the low fat diet and saying hello to the low carb one.

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