What you’ll find is contrary advice, disagreements and recommendations when it comes to the validity or even the safety of low carbohydrate diets. What’s known is that some of the biggest brand diets on the market, are based on these low-carb principles.
What some health practitioners claim is that it’s the increased quantity of carbs that we as a population consumes in our diets, is what’s responsible for our issues with obesity. It also contributes to certain medical issues such as diabetes, and other health concerns.
What the critics will contrarily claim, is that the cause of obesity and its associated health conditions, are too many calories and a lack of physical movement.
They contend that what most low-carb diets lack are fruits, vegetables, and grains, which results in the deficiency of key nutrients, such as fiber, folic acid, vitamin C, and several minerals.
Any diet plan, whether it’s low or high in carbs, can do is initially generate substantial weight loss. What a good diet needs is to keep the weight off for good. That the weight, once going on the scale a year later, should be the same.
Differences Between Low-Carb Diets
There are several popular diets on the market designed to reduce carbohydrate intake, which means that fat and protein represents a large portion of the entire caloric intake.
What some big brand diets will do, is limit the carbohydrate intake to the point where the body will become ketogenic. Other low-carb diets are less restrictive, while certain ones will remove just the sugars and fats, which can then raise blood sugar levels.
What’s Known About Low-Carb Diets
This based on the compilation of a small yet broad range of research objectives. What they included were caloric consumption, the length of the diet, and the characteristics of the participants, which can vary greatly.
What the study had was two things in common: The participants were younger than 53, and the controlled studies didn’t last longer than three months.
What the study didn’t do was monitor the amount of exercise each had, and its consequential caloric expenditure.
Protocol Of Low-Carb Diets
What low-carb diets does is restricts caloric and diet length, and not reduce carbohydrate intake. So what this means is if you’re wanting to lose weight, you should consume fewer calories, and do so over prolonged periods.
There’s little data on the long range safety of these low-carb diets, this in spite of the concerns by the medical community.
There’s no short-term adverse effects which has been established on glucose, cholesterol, insulin, and blood-pressure levels. Adverse effects aren’t known because of the short duration of the studies.
Results Of Low-Carb Diets
The extended range of weight differences for low-carb, along with other types of diets are comparable. Most of the low-carb diets invoke ketosis, which has potential consequences such as nausea, abdominal discomfort, and confusion.
During the initial stages, fatigue along with constipation may also be encountered. These symptoms will go away quickly however. Ketosis may also emit a fruity odor from the breath.
Characteristics Of Low-Carb Diets
What low-carb diets won’t permit is the consumption of additional calories that other diets will. A calorie is a calorie, and there’s no difference if they originate from carbs or fat.
The discrepancies in the studies are likely the effect of uncontrolled circumstances, such as the dieters who may cheat on calorie intake, the calories burned during exercising, and other factors. The dropout rate for these low-carb diets are also high.
What’s Known About Low-Carb Diets
• The long-term success rate for low-carb diets when compared to others is comparable
• Despite their popularity, little data exists on the long-term efficacy along with the safety of low-carb diets
• Low-carb diets aren’t generally sustainable as a routine way of eating, as boredom usually overtakes willpower
What’s clear is that more testing is needed, as there’s not enough evidence, as additional better designed and controlled studies are needed. There’s not enough satisfactory information that’s available, this especially regarding their long-terms effects.
The Effects Of Low-Carb Diets
What’s known is that what low-carb diets generates is ketosis, which can be an unusual and potentially stressful metabolic state. Elevated circumstances can potentially cause health related complications.
The diet that you choose needs to be the blueprint for a lifetime of better eating, and not just a short-term hasty weight loss solution just to reach your goal.
If you’re not able to see yourself eating the prescribed foods in the diet for longer than a few weeks, then the chances are good it’s not the right diet. Follow a somewhat low fat diet which has a healthy balance of protein, fat, carbs, and other nutrients.
Considering A Low-Carb Diet
If you do happen to resolve to a low-carb diet, know that certain dietary fats are associated with the reduction of disease.
Foods which are high in unsaturated fats, which are free of trans fatty acids, such as olive oil, flaxseeds, fish, nuts and seeds, are preferred over fats which has animal origins.
Even the biggest brand low-carb diet promoters say that those using their plan, should reduce the amount of red meat, along with saturated fats.
These representatives, such as the Atkins diet, are claiming that just 20% percent of a dieter’s calories should by saturated fats, such as butter, cheese, or meat.
Another alternative when it comes to these “strict” low-carb diets, is giving up some of the bad carbohydrate foods, by not “throwing out the baby with the bath water.”
Meaning foods which are high in processed sugar, white bread, or manufactured snacks, should be avoided. The foods which are high in complex carbs however, such as potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, should be retained.