Low Carb Diet – What Are Low Carb Diets

What is a low carb diet? Well, it doesn’t take a scientific mind to realize that people, and Americans especially, have difficulty choosing the right foods and an adequate quantity of those foods. To put it lightly, our diets are awful. We are obese with elevated cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and are crippled by arthritis and cancer. Although many maladies are dependent on one’s genetic makeup and can hardly be avoided, a lot can be said for eating wholesome foods to help fortify your body.

One of the most popular diets on the market these days are the low carb diets, such as Atkins, South Beach, or the Zone. Low carb diets typically advocate portion control and a concept called insulin control. When one eats a highly refined, sugary twinkie, the bloodstream is inundated with glucose within 7 minutes and not too much later, the pancreas releases excessive amounts of insulin to transport the blood glucose to where it needs to go. This causes your blood sugar levels to plummet and for the excess glucose to be stored as fat. This, of course, leads to obesity and heart disease.

So, instead of eating processed, sugary foods, one needs to eat what are called “complex carbohydrates”. These cause a more gradual climb in blood sugar levels and therefore provide more energy that lasts longer. This ingrained pattern of eating junk food out of laziness is what the low carb diets are trying to get rid of. Instead, they are advocating an restriction on starchy pastas, potatoes, and breads, while advocating an increased consumption of good protein sources and fresh vegetables and fruits. According to research, by ingesting more protein, one’s metabolism has to work harder to break it down for use as energy, thus raising the metabolic rate. So, not only will you be burning more calories, but by limiting the intake of starchy carbs, one is protecting themselves from the complications of type II diabetes. So, low carb, high protein diets seem to make sense but is there scientific merit to their claims?

Yes, when one lowers their intake of starchier and more refined carbs, there are numerous health benefits that come with the territory. First of all, research has proven that people can lose substantial weight on a low carb diet without restricting calories. Low carb, high protein diets can help lower triglyceride levels, increase HDL cholesterol levels, reduce blood glucose levels for diabetics as well as non-diabtetics, improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, improve concentration due to regulated blood glucose levels, and lower blood insulin levels. Others have made unsubstantiated claims that low carb, high protein diets left them with fewer headaches, lessened PMS symptoms, healthier looking skin, and even better joint motion.

There is a lot to be said for low carb diets, but if this sounds like the plan to help initiate your path to weight loss, consult your physician or a dietitian before setting out on a diet that, if misunderstood, could certainly be life threatening. Good luck.

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