A Second Look at Low Carb Dieting

The low carb diet is a diet plan that has gained a lot of popularity ever since the dieting world identified carbohydrates as one of the culprits for weight gain and obesity. In low carb dieting, one restricts the amount of carbohydrate-rich food that he or she consumes and substitutes these with food containing high protein and fat percentage. Some of the popularly known low carb diets are the Atkins diet and the Zone diet.

The food group which includes all forms of dietary sugars is called carbohydrates. Simple sugars such as glucose and complex sugars like starch are the ones converted by the body into energy. Once the body detects that it has enough energy, excess carbohydrates are converted into fat. This process is normal just as long as the amount of energy stored as fat is not excessive. Weight loss associated with low carb dieting is fast and dramatic. It is found that the diet tends to curb the body’s tendency to store energy from carbs as fat by getting energy from food high in protein and fat. Low carb dieters tended to consume fewer calories than their carbohydrate-consuming counterparts because foods high in proteins tend to make people fuller for longer. People doing this diet even claim that they are more energetic than before and they tend not to feel hungry all the time.

However successful in effecting weight loss they may seem to be, low carb diets are not perfect. Diets high in protein and fat seek to program the body into utilizing fat as the primary source of energy instead of glucose. Consuming little or no carbohydrates bring about low glucose levels in the blood which triggers a condition called ketosis. As the body is continuously deprived from carbohydrates, the liver is driven to break down fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. According to medical professionals, a high level of ketone bodies in the blood is a cause of alarm because it is an emergency metabolic state related to starvation. The condition brings the liver under unnecessary physiologically stressful conditions and can also cause the break-down of muscle tissue. Furthermore, increased intake of high fat and protein foods may result in an increase in saturated fat and cholesterol levels in the blood.

Are are carbohydrates evil or not? Health experts discourage extreme forms of low carb dieting because it may bring more harm than benefit. Instead, they encourage a sensible diet which includes the consumption of good carbs like whole grain bread, cereals, rice and oats. White refined carbs are the ones that should be reduced. Furthermore, whole grain food, fruits and vegetables also have high fiber content which helps promote good digestion. Instead of viewing isolated food groups as the villain of the pursuit for a healthier life, fine-tuning our food choices is a better option in assuring that we get everything we need to keep our bodies in tip-top shape.

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