Once you start on a low-carb diet, you'll discover that many of traditional dieting conventions no longer apply. Rather than being concerned with the amount of fat or calories you consume, you'll focus on decreasing sugars and starches. You can fry or sauté foods in oil without worrying about the fat grams. If you adhere to a strict diet of a low-carb lifestyle, you'll most likely lose weight.
What is Different About Low-Carb Cooking?
In the beginning, you'll need a carb counter to learn which foods are low in carbohydrates. Most of your cooking will be on top of the stove or on the grill, because you're allowed to fry and baste with oils and other fats. Many baked items are loaded with sugar and flour, which you must avoid. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find it's easy to cook low-carb meals quickly and without having to look up the grams of each item.
Do You Have to Starve to Lose Weight?
Low-carb enthusiasts claim that their energy increases, while their appetite is satisfied with much less food. If this is the case, you can cook smaller portions of meat, eggs or other low-carb foods and not go hungry.
How to Cook Healthy Low-Carb Meals
When you cook low-carb, you should use healthy fats and foods with protein. Trim the visible fat off meat. Don't eliminate carbohydrates altogether. Include enough vegetables, fruits and whole grains to sustain good health.
Get Enough Fiber
Dietary fiber contains carbohydrates. However, it isn't digestible, so it passes through the body rather than converted to glucose. Most low-carb diets allow you to subtract the fiber content from the carbohydrate count to get the net carb effect.
Does It Work?
According to Marco R. della Cava in an article at USAToday.com, the New England Journal of Medicine and Harvard Health Letter reported that the low-carb Atkins diet worked, and people lost weight quickly. To top it off, many of the dieters' cholesterol levels dropped. The key is to be cautious about which fats you eat. Stay with the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats to prevent your cardiovascular system from taking a beating.
Proof That it Works
Research teams conducted controlled studies that compared low-fat diets to low-carb diets, according to an article on the University of Maryland Medical Center website. After six months, their subjects had a bigger drop in weight from the low-carb plan.
Warnings
If you choose a low-carbohydrate diet, don't use it as an excuse to eat everything filled with fat at the expense of heart-healthy fruits and vegetables. The University of Maryland Medical Center says the long-term effects of these diets is still not known.
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