The Low Carbohydrate Food Pyramid

A low carbohydrate diet is a different way of looking at a weight loss program. Let us just say that a low carbohydrate diet may take some of the hardships that you might be faced with following other diet programs.

Since it was introduced to the public by Dr. Robert Atkins through his now famous Atkins Diet, it has gained a lot of followers and has captured the imagination of a whole new group of active dieters searching for other ways to lose weight. Many have tried following a conventional low calorie diet but have failed in maintaining it for long periods of time. Then out comes the first low carbohydrate diet.

It preaches a low carbohydrate intake would make one lose weight. Instead, dieters are encouraged to follow a high protein and fat regimen that seemed to go on the opposite way with other traditional diet programs which rely on counting and maintaining a low calorie intake in order to lose weight.

The low carbohydrate diets even go as far as encouraging people to eat as frequent and as much as they want to provided that they keep their carbohydrate intake to an absolute minimum. Others have thought that such a diet won’t work. But surprisingly, a low carbohydrate diet really works and sometimes even better than the low calorie diet.

But how does the low carbohydrate diet work? The simplest explanation for it is that maintaining a low carbohydrate intake makes the body change gear and burn body fat as a primary source of energy in the absence of ample supply of carbohydrates. Burning fat takes as much effort in the body than it takes for it to burn carbohydrates as fuel. With each reaction as the body burns fat, more heat (calories) is expended and the body loses excess weight that takes the form of body fat. A low carbohydrate diet reasons that no matter how much protein of fat a person consumes as long as he maintains the very minimum carbohydrate intake allowed, he will continue to lose weight.

A low carbohydrate diet follows its own food pyramid that many dieters have come to follow. The main food group that low carb dieters consume should come from protein such as those found in meat products, seafood and eggs. Dieters are also encouraged to consume healthy amounts of monounsaturated as well as polyunsaturated fats as frequently as possible. Good sources of these “healthy” fats are those that you can find in olive oil, canola oil, a wide variety of nuts and avocadoes among others.

Next on the low carb food pyramid are the phytonutrient rich green and bright colored vegetables like tomatoes, artichokes, eggplants, broccoli, green beans and many others. They can supplement these vegetables with a variety of delicious cheeses, nuts, seeds, butter and other low glycemic foods which form the third part of the low carb food pyramid. At the top of the low carb food pyramid is the food group that should be consumed as rarely as possible. These are the carbohydrates that include bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and high sugar fruits like oranges, pineapples and bananas.
 
Following the low carb diet food pyramid will help a lot in making dieters lose a substantial amount of weight. What the low carb diet offers is a regimen that is fairly easy to follow. With the low carb diet, a person isn’t prevented from eating food like meat products, seafood and eggs which is an important part of everyone’s idea of a delicious meal. As long as one avoids eating carbohydrates, he still can stick to the diet program. If followed to the letter, a low carb diet can effectively help a dieter lose excess weight the easy way.