High Carb Diets

Each year, people across the country embark upon a new diet to lose unwanted weight. Although many variables exist across such diet plans, a number of them remain linked by their high carbohydrate content. Although such diets tend to be championed by the low-fat brigade, arguments continue as to the effectiveness and the long-term effects of such regimes.

Pritikin Diet

Named after the creator, Dr Nathan Pritikin, this particular diet first captured widespread attention in the 1970s. The diet provides a lot of carbohydrates and fiber, but very little cholesterol, fat and protein. Holistic Online notes how people following the programs may eat six or seven meals per day, with items like meat, eggs, fats and processed items like white bread excluded. Dr Pritikin defends the extreme regime, claiming that participants experience an improvement in weight, vitality and clarity of mind. However, criticism remains as to the carbohydrate intake that has been linked with excessive insulin production, and the low fat content may impair absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K.

Weight Watchers

Less extreme that the Pritikin diet, the Weight Watchers diet stands out as one of several weight-reduction diet that bases food intake around calories. Healthnotes explains that their Flex Plan, the most popular form of this slimming club's regime, allocates points to particular foods based on their calorific value, then encourages participants to eat a certain number of points. Because fats contain more calories per gram than carbohydrates do, low-fat high-carbohydrate items attract a lower points value and therefore become the mainstay of meals on this plan.

Low Fat Diets

Many low fat diets result in a high carbohydrate intake. Such regimens have received vicious criticism from many nutritional experts. Dr Joseph Mercola, a U.S. physician and the author of "The No Grain Diet," points out that humans evolved on a diet based around meat and vegetables, a low carbohydrate intake by today's standards. He explains that higher carbohydrate intakes trigger the release of insulin, a storage hormone. This hormone, released from the pancreas, stimulates the movement of carbohydrates into the liver and muscle for storage but also increases fat storage. Mercola also links higher insulin levels with increased inflammation and a number of chronic degenerative diseases.