A variety of low carb diets are out there, including diet books like Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, The Carbohydrate Addict’s Lifestyle Plan, and many others.
They all seem to have a thing in common – a severe reduction in the consumption of carbohydrates. Most of the low-carb diets in existence replace those carbohydrates with fats & proteins.
As a general rule, remember that a low-carb diet is synonymous with a high-fat and moderate protein diet. Those on low carb diets should get at least 60-70% of their daily calories from fat. Carbs should make up less than 10% and in some cases, less than 5% of their daily calories. As is turns out, dietary fat is not inevitably converted into body fat.
Carbohydrates, instead, are converted into fat through insulin. When you eat high carbohydrate foods, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production by the pancreas.
Insulin is the critical hormone that allows blood sugar to be used by the cells. However, a side-effect of insulin is that it also may cause fat deposits, and it stimulates your brain to produce signals of hunger, usually causing you to consume more carbohydrates.
Limiting the intake of carbohydrates puts a halt to this cycle. Once you define your carb intake, your insulin levels fall and the levels of glycogen increase.
Glycogen is a hormone that causes body fat to be burned and cholesterol to be removed from deposits in the arteries.
If you severely restrict carbs, your body is put into ketosis state – burning fat with the further production of ketone bodies in the bloodstream. The result is that blood sugar levels become stable, your insulin level goes down, and because your body is burning fat, you ultimately lose weight.
Some people use the help of supplements to replace calories they use to get from carbohydrates and for convenience sake. Good recommendations on the best keto protein powders you can find at: https://www.healthnerdy.com/best-keto-protein-powder-low-carb/
One of the side effects of ketosis is bad breath. Many people using low carbohydrate diets try to drink more water and use sugarless mints or gum to counter this. Most low carb plans include long-term “maintenance” phases.
Breaking through some of the Low Carb Confusion
At the peak of the low-carb trend in 2004, an estimated 44 million Americans were on a low carb diet or were watching their carbohydrate intake. About 5 million of those were taking supplements, according to the Natural Marketing Institute. Estimates of how much we spent during 2004 on low carb products vary from $1.3 billion to $2.5 billion.
Is a low carbohydrate diet a healthy diet? Low carbohydrate diets may take off more weight than low-fat diets and may be better for cholesterol too. At least three formal studies from the Dr. Atkins diet have stated, and all have reached similar results: Rather than making cholesterol soar, as feared, the diet appears to improve it, and volunteers take off more weight.
Both the food industry and the various consumer groups have been pushing the FDA to issue guidelines for food manufacturers using the terms “low carb” or “reduced carb” in their food labeling- similar to existing guidelines concerning labels for low-fat products.
Under an agreement worked out with the FDA in 2001, food makers can subtract the fiber and sugar replacements from the total carbohydrate count and calculate the remainder as “net carbs”. Consumers are confused by the terms “low-carb” and “net carb,” and the new rules are expected to explain the terms better. It’s also possible that the definition of “net carb” will change.
Americans who are considering dieting should not be distracted by a currently fashionable concept like diet food delivery, or, the glycemic index. The index shows the speed at which foods are turned into sugars in the body. Carbohydrates are transformed faster than proteins, and backers of high protein diets and foods have promoted their products as having better scores on the index.
Although some research has suggested a lower glycemic index indicates a lower risk of diabetes, the evidence is not substantial enough for all people to base their basic eating plans upon, a government panel decided.
Do Low Carb Dieters need Vitamins?
As the number of low carbohydrate products on the market continues to grow, a related product is booming—vitamins and supplements for low carb dieters. Vitamin makers are now exploiting the pitfalls of high-protein diets, namely that you lose certain nutrients when you cut back on the carbs.
For example, you may be deficient in B vitamins found in grain-based products, and in Vitamin C and E, and beta-carotene found in fruits and vegetables. Sales of One-A-Day WeightSmart are soaring. However, healthy diet experts generally agree that it’s best to get your vitamins and minerals you need from food.
Just how popular is Low Carb?
While a recent survey showed that 1 in 10 Americans are currently on low carb diets and 25% of all adults were limiting their carbs, a study that included a random sample of 500 people recruited over the Internet in a 48-hour showed that 1 out of 5 Americans had tried a low carb diet. But starting a low carb diet can raise many questions. It is essential to learn how to structure a low carbohydrate meal plan that will work properly. Some dieters use a low carb program to achieve short-term, rapid weight loss, but a properly designed and followed plan can help you make your long-term weight loss goals.