Low Carb Diets For Women Over 45

For women over 45, low-carb diets may offer health benefits in addition to weight loss. The Nurses Health Study followed more than 82,000 women for 20 years. The Harvard School of Public Health evaluated the results to examine the relationship between low-carbohydrate diets and coronary heart disease. The researchers reported in "The New England Journal of Medicine" that low-carbohydrate diets weren't associated with increased risk and that women on low-carb diets who opt for vegetable-derived proteins and fats may experience a moderate risk-reduction for coronary heart disease.

Dr. Atkins' Age-Defying Diet

"Dr. Atkins' Age-Defying Diet" includes approaches to supplements and nutrients specific to women's heart-health and for menopause and post-menopause life stages. The book provides guidelines for a low-carb, low-glycemic eating program. It also suggests exercises and vitamin supplements for defying the aging process. Dr. Robert C. Atkins' stated aim is for you to improve your health so that you're less vulnerable to disease.

In addition to discussing hormones, good fats vs. bad fats and boosting brain power, the diet provides guidelines for reducing carbohydrates and offers many recipes. The Age-Defying Diet consists of 50 to 75 percent protein and fat, 25 to 50 percent complex carbohydrates and less than 10 percent simple carbohydrates, such as fruit, sugars and milk. Atkins recommends eating primarily low-sugar fruits such as berries and melons for this category and staying at the lower end of the allowed carbohydrate range. The goal of eating in these proportions is to stabilize blood sugar.

See your doctor before making diet or supplement changes. Some supplements may interfere with medications.

South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet, developed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston, carries the subtitle, "The Good Fats and Good Carbs Diet." Though not as low in carbohydrates as the Atkins Diet, it has a very low-carb two-week diet phase in common with Atkins. The diet involves choosing protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains over simple carbohydrates such as sweets and white bread. The South Beach diet is lower in fat than the Atkins diet, and allows nuts, olive oil and low-fat dairy. These foods help to provide heart-healthy vegetable fats and calcium important for protecting women's bones at midlife.

Dr. Agatston specializes in preventive cardiology, and developed the South Beach diet from the belief that it's possible to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The Mayo Clinic website, which does not recommend low-carb diets, refers to the South Beach Diet as a modified carbohydrate diet.

The South Beach diet allows fruits and whole grains after the first phase, and emphasizes protein choices with moderate fat levels, such as low-fat cheese, fish and poultry and not the range of high-fat options allowed on the original Atkins Diet.

The diet recommends avoiding refined wheat products, starchy vegetables such as corn, beets and potatoes, high-sugar fruits such as bananas, juices, raisins and watermelon, as well as ice cream, jam and honey. The South Beach diet allows wine and chocolate in moderation.

The Zone Diet

A Stanford study found that women on the Zone diet improved their intake of some key nutrients compared to women on three other diets, including the regular Atkins diet. You may find the Zone diet more comfortable to keep up long-term than a more restrictive diet. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study, only about half of diet volunteers stayed with the regular Atkins diet and the low-fat Ornish diet, while 65 percent of volunteers stuck with Weight Watchers or the Zone diets for a year. All the dieters lost weight and reduced heart disease risk factors, leading the researchers to conclude that the specific diet is less important than sticking with a diet.

In common with the Atkins and South Beach approaches, the Zone diet aims to support healthy blood sugar by reducing the intake of high-glycemic foods. In the Zone diet, you fill your plate with 1/3 protein, 2/3 fruits and vegetables and a small amount of monosaturated fat such as olive oil, almonds or avocado. The Zone diet teaches portion control. You learn that a portion of protein is the size of your palm. The diet recommends a number of "Zone Blocks," or food portions, per day. For most women, it allows 11 blocks. The premise is that staying in the zone, the target range of protein, carbohydrate and healthy fat, promotes weight loss. The Zone Diet ratio is about 1g fat to 2g of protein and 3g of carbs.

The Mayo Clinic website discusses health risks associated with increased belly fat in women, such as often occurs at mid-life. These risks include heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure and diabetes. The website suggests an exercise program including abdominal toning and a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables and grains replacing simple carbohydrates, such as foods made from white flour. The Zone Diet provides an opportunity to create a weight loss diet without the extremes of a diet requiring extremely low carbohydrates. As with any diet, consult with your doctor before undertaking changes in what you eat.