According to the Mayo Clinic, a low-carb diet is defined as a diet that limits carbohydrates such as bread, grains, rice, starchy vegetables and fruit and emphasizes sources of protein and fat. A myriad of low-carb diets exist, each with varying levels of restriction on the types and amounts of carbohydrates. Low-carb diets have continued to gain popularity due to the claims of weight loss and other positive health benefits, such as reduction of lipid levels, of those who were following a low-carb plan.
Induction
Most low-carb diets advise a detoxification period of sorts when beginning the new plan. The experts at Atkins Diet call this the induction period. During this phase of the plan your body will rid itself of any dependence on or addiction to carbohydrates. Atkins experts advise that you eat no more than 20g a day of carbohydrates, 12 to 15g of them as low carbohydrate vegetables. This means you can eat approximately six loosely packed cups of salad and two cups of cooked vegetables per day.
Good or Bad
There is a significant difference between the natural, wholesome, good carbohydrates we are designed to eat and the unnatural, highly-processed, refined carbohydrates we refer to as bad carbohydrates. According to GoodCarbs.org, bad carbohydrates are contributing to a health crisis in America and other parts of the world in the forms of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Millions of people are simply unaware of what they are doing to their bodies every time they eat processed carbohydrates. Good carbohydrates are the complex carbohydrates found in natural, unprocessed foods.
Daily Need
Depending on your goals and activity level your daily need for carbohydrates can vary. If a person is extremely active they may burn off enough energy to allow them to take more than 100g of carbohydrates per day and still be able to achieve weight loss. Atkins experts suggest increasing your carbohydrate intake by 5g per day until you achieve what they call, ongoing weight loss or OWL. This number will be unique for you.
Net Carbs
When reading about low-carb diets you will often see references to net carbohydrate counts. Atkins defines net carbohydrates as those that represent the total carbohydrate content of the food minus the fiber content. The net carbohydrates number reflect the grams of carbohydrate that significantly impact your blood sugar level and therefore are the only carbohydrates you need to count when following a low-carbohydrate eating plan. Foods that are low in net carbohydrates such as vegetables and fruits don't have a significant impact on blood sugar and are less likely to interfere with your weight loss.
How Many
According to Life Clinic, for a person not following a low-carbohydrate diet plan, 60 percent of the calories you eat every day should come from carbohydrates. To find out how many carbohydrates you need, multiply the number of calories you need by .6. For example, if you need 2,000 calories per day, 2,000 multiplied by .6 = 1,200. So you know you need 1,200 calories from carbohydrates. There are 4 calories in a gram of carbohydrate. Take your 1,200 calories and divide by 4 = 300g. Most low-carb diet plans will suggest that you to reduce the number of carbohydrates you eat daily significantly ranging anywhere from 20g to more than 100g of carbohydrates per day.
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