Low-Carb Diets |
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Diets low in carbohydrates have been prevalent on the diet and health food scene for years, and they have generally experienced overwhelming attention and popularity. Diets like these require that their adherents cut nearly all carbs from their daily dietary intake, including breads, pastas, grains, fruit, milk, and starchy vegetables. Instead, the diet has people eating mostly proteins and non-starchy vegetables. Over the long term, people following these diets are allowed to intake around 20-40 grams of carbohydrates per day, a far cry from the traditional pyramid style approach to eating, which has people consuming many times this amount daily.
I try to fall somewhere in the middle of the low-carb diet and the pyramid-diet. My will-power to stick with the low-carb diet hasn’t been there. I also fight with the cost of the protein. As Lazy Man and Money readers know, I’m quite frugal.
Most people that follow low-carb diets will not experience any adverse health affects, but you should check with a doctor first. This could be because many do not intend for the dietary changes to be permanent or long-term. There are some cases of people who do suffer negative consequences due to diets such as these. For one, these diets are linked to higher rates of osteoporosis and kidney stones. This is because a diet that is excessively high in protein causes the body to lose calcium in its urine, a condition known as acidic urine. Another side effect of consuming large amounts of animal proteins is the risk of increased cholesterol. Cholesterol is only found in animal products, that is meat and dairy, rather than in vegetables or fruits. Other side effects can include gall bladder disease and electrolyte imbalances. There have been recorded fatalities of otherwise healthy individuals who have acquired conditions such as these as a result of these diets.
Studies give us conflicting views on the safety and effectiveness of diets low in carbohydrates. For one, instance of heart disease is actually shown to be lower in those following these diets as compared to individuals pursuing a more traditional low fat and low calorie diet. There are also findings that show that those eating low carb saw a higher increase in good cholesterol, and about an equal decrease in bad cholesterol when compared to traditional dieters. Weight loss results among the two groups was comparable.
These studies also showed two interesting results. First of all, two out of five participants were unable to complete the study which required them to keep on the diet for an entire year. Of those who were able to complete the year-long study, they regained one-third of weight lost. This is quite possibly because the dieters switched back to a less restrictive diet after the end of the year, showing that long-term diet change is more effective than a short-term, restrictive diet plan. These studies can be found here and here.
One place to catch some low cost, low-carb products is at the Weight Loss Journal discount low-carb store.
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PropellerNext: Can Walking Actually Prevent The Common Cold?
July 15th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I laugh that I think I eat low carb and then I see the 20-40 number and realize that THATS a bowl of my oatmeal in the morning.
(and Im for sure sending us to the poor house with my protein consumption. *sigh*)