http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carb/low-carb.html Low carb diets are all the rage. They work well for a lot of people, but is a low carb diet going to cut it for you? en-us Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:05:11 EDT Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:05:11 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 The Many Pros of a Low Carb Diet First of all, we need to distinguish between a low carb diet and an almost no carb diet. Part of the difference depends on your perception, and part of it is fact. The fact is, most low carb diets (think Atkins or South Beach) reduce your carb intake to only 20 grams of carbs a day during the first two weeks. That is basically a no carb diet. Eventually, more carbs are added back in to your diet though. Diets like The Zone allow up to 40% of your caloric intake to be carbs. Some people perceive this as a lot, but some perceive it as not being much at all. Of course, others think it's about right. In any case, cutting carbs does tend to help people lose weight. In fact, the major draw for most is that people seem to drop pounds so quickly. This is because your body burns fat and protein for fuel instead of carbs. In addition, the menu does sound somewhat appealing at first--what other diet allows you to eat steak, bacon and cheese and still lose weight? In fact, since these diets don't limit the amount of high protein foods you can eat, more people say they feel less hungry. There are even low carb diets that doctors "prescribe" for diabetics to help them control their insulin production better. But these diets aren't like the traditional low carb diets we hear so much about. Instead, the focus is on limited amounts of the good carbs, (a.k.a. complex carbohydrates). So it's not all about going low carb. Finally, studies have been done to show that low carb diets can have a positive effect on HDLs (your good cholesterol) and a drop in triglycerides. That is the bottom line here. There are a lot of pros and cons to a low carb diet. And the issue of exercising on a low carb can be viewed as a good or bad thing, depending on how much you like to work out. The Significant Cons of a Low Carb Diet It seems that the cons of a low carb diet are increasing more and more every day. And fewer and fewer people are sticking with it. For one thing, the menu that was so appealing in the beginning starts to lose its appeal. After all, what good is a cheeseburger without the bun? And what good is a brat without beer? And speaking of beer, most low carb diets make you give up alcohol. Restrictions in bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, desserts and alcohol make low carb diets too restrictive for some people in the long run, so they stop following it. Other reasons people might not stick with it is the side effects. People on low carb diets report having headaches, and the more restrictive ones that send your body into ketosis will give you bad breath. In addition, people report being in a bad mood more often on a low carb diet and having less energy. More serious side effects include kidney problems and gout. These problems are a result of your body using fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. In this state, your body produces uric acid and ketones which lead to the side effects. In addition, since a low carb diet and high fiber food don't usually go together, the lack of fiber can lead to constipation and chronic bowel disease. Neutralities A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the results of dieters on the Atkins diet for a year to the results of dieters on a low calorie diet. After only six months, people on the Atkins diet had lose more weight, but after a year, the results were the same. And in general, the slower weight comes off, the more likely it is to stay off. In addition, the lack of energy you have on a low carb diet makes you less inclined to exercise. If you hate exercise anyway, this is good news. If you're a very energetic person who likes to exercise, a drop in energy might not come as good news. Either way, if you can muster up enough energy to do it anyway, you'll burn even more fat than you would doing nothing at all. Now that you know a little more about low carb diets, you can make the decision for yourself. But if you decide to do it, read the books and do it right. Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:05:11 EDT http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carb/low-carb-foods.html Low carb foods are not merely good for you. Moreover, you can actually enjoy eating some low carb foods. en-us Mon, 06 Mar 2006 09:03:30 EST Mon, 06 Mar 2006 09:03:30 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carb/low-carb-food.html Low carb food can also make a low carb diet easier. But watch your labels--foods that are labeled as "low carb food" may be very similar to their full carb counterparts. en-us Thu, 01 Jun 2006 07:53:27 EDT Thu, 01 Jun 2006 07:53:27 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carb/low-carb-recipes.html Low carb recipes can make it much easier to stick with your low carb diet. Especially low carb recipes that are fairly quick and easy. en-us Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:04:56 EDT Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:04:56 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carb/low-carb-diets.html Low carb diets are not all created equal. On this page, we compare the three biggest low carb diets. en-us Mon, 22 Aug 2005 14:20:24 EDT Mon, 22 Aug 2005 14:20:24 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbfreecafe.com/carb/low-carb-diet.html A low carb diet might be tempting if you've decided to lose weight. But first, learn all you can about being on a low carb diet. en-us Sun, 05 Mar 2006 17:34:01 EST Sun, 05 Mar 2006 17:34:01 EST Weblog Editor 2.0