Low-Carbohydrate Dieting

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verywhere we look, we see something about low-carbohydrate dieting-television, radio, bookstores, and newspapers. Everyone we know seems to be on a low-carbohydrate diet. But what is low-carbohydrate dieting and how do we know which diet to follow, which is the healthiest, and most important, does it really work? In this brief article I am going to show you exactly what low-carbohydrate diets are and compare and contrast the most popular ones currently available with a diet I have been working with for the past few years.

Low-Carbohydrate Dieting

In a nutshell, low-carbohydrate dieting consists of eliminating most forms of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates come in many forms. They can be sugars, breads, pastas, pretzels, crackers, fruit, vegetables, and soda and fruit juices. Many people can't believe that fruit and fruit juices are carbohydrates; but, they are mostly simple sugars. Several recent studies even go so far as to suggest that the rise in obesity in our population is directly attributable to the rise in the consumption of fruit juices.

Sugar
For those of you who may not be aware of how fattening fruit juices can be, apple juice has more sugar in it than the same amount of soda. In the United States, we eat 150 pounds per person, per year. That translates to 33 tablespoons each day. We consume more calories of sugar than we do of meat, chicken, vegetables, and breads combined.

Carbohydrates
Why is keeping a low carbohydrate level so important? The explanation requires a little understanding of the basics of how food is metabolized in the body. Our bodies metabolize food in the same manner as the bodies of our prehistoric ancestors. The body preferentially uses sugar for fuel since the body doesn't have to expend any energy to break it down for fuel. Next, the body will utilize simple carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, pretzels, and the like, simply because it doesn't take much energy to convert these into sugar for fuel. Next, the body uses complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, brown rice, legumes, and whole-grain starches as fuel because the body has to expend energy to process these foods back into sugar in order to be used by the body. The body will then use protein for fuel, and use fat last.

Fat
The reason the body uses fat last is because fat is the perfect storage molecule for the body. Fat holds more than twice the amount of energy than either a carbohydrate or a protein, so the body, in its infinite greatness, will store those bits of energy (also known as calories) for a rainy day. For most of us in this country, that rainy day never comes and it is our hips and waist that suffer the brunt of this storage of energy.

The next logical assumption should be to eliminate fat from the diet and by doing so would solve the fat problem-right? Wrong! We create stores of fat molecules, namely triglycerides, when we have an excess of sugar or simple carbohydrates in our bodies. The real key to dieting is therefore to eliminate the bottom of the food chain-sugar and simple carbohydrates-thus, forcing our bodies to utilize the complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat that we consume. Our bodies then begin to operate as efficiently as they were meant to operate. Our prehistoric forefathers never had processed foods, and that is what sugar and simple carbohydrates are.

Losing Weight

By eliminating sugar and simple carbohydrates, we can lose weight easily and efficiently. I explained this concept to a patient I will refer to as Susan. She was 43 years old and was a strict believer in the low-fat philosophy, yet no matter how strict she was, she gained weight, felt less energetic each day, and needed to lose about 60 pounds. In order to explain the concept of how food is metabolized, I often measure blood insulin levels. Her insulin level was twice the normal amount when she was fasting and more than four times the normal amount two hours after she had eaten.

Insulin levels
Insulin is the hormone that reduces the level of sugar in your blood, and causes sugar to be stored in the body as fat. When there is chronically too much sugar in your blood, a condition called insulin resistance may result, where your body produces a lot of insulin but can't use it properly. A high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet can never correct this insulin imbalance or any underlying cause of obesity because it is too high in sugar, and so too high in insulin as well. When you eat a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet, your body can better metabolize the food that you eat and the insulin levels return to normal, and the weight comes off. Even if you are not overweight, the proper regulation of insulin levels is the key to avoiding some of the deadliest diseases that we face in this country.

Safe and Healthy Eating

I keep emphasizing low carbohydrate rather than no carbohydrate because that is the real key to dieting in this way in a safe and healthy fashion. The body needs some good carbohydrates-in order to get the metabolism to function efficiently. When the body is placed into ketosis, for example, for an extended period of time, metabolism becomes less efficient. Ketosis is what happens to your body when it is starving and your body begins to break down muscle protein. Your body will adapt and the ketosis becomes less effective at helping the body to lose weight. You can only fool Mother Nature for so long. Look for a diet program that is low in carbohydrate, encourages eating healthy carbohydrates, and one where you don't enter ketosis.

The Thin Mind

Thin people think and treat food differently than we do. We need to learn how to eat and think like they do if we want to have any hope for success in the long run. And isn't that what it's all about-a lifetime of good health and looking good?

I should know, as I was once 80 pounds heavier than I am today. For the first time in my life, I can actually say that I have been thinner for longer than I was ever overweight. It is because I have been able to incorporate a sensible low-carbohydrate diet into my life.

Conclusion

Don't be afraid of low-carbohydrate dieting-it is healthy and it does work, if done wisely, and in moderation. Be afraid of gimmick diets. They may just be snake oil after all.