Low-carb diets are not new to the dieting world. They were first reported in 1863 in a booklet titled "Letter on Corpulence Addressed to the Public" by William Banting, an overweight middle-aged man that was able to successfully lose weight on a low-carb diet. Since then, numerous diet books have recommended dieters apply the same principles in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Low-Carb Diets Principles
In a typical American diet, more than half of the calories are provided by carbohydrates. Eating carbs results in an increase in your blood sugar levels, which stimulate the secretion of insulin, the hormone responsible for getting the extra circulating blood sugar into your cells where it is used for energy or, if not needed, stored as glycogen or fat. Therefore, the theory behind low-carb diets is that by consuming fewer carbohydrates, insulin levels are kept low and fat storage is reduced, making it easier for the body to burn stored fat as its main source of energy. Most low-carb diet plans recommend to aim for 50 to 150 g of carbohydrates a day.
Carbohydrate-Rich Foods
Carbohydrates are found in a wide array of foods. Grains, refined or whole, as well as any foods made with flour are rich in carbohydrates, whether it is rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, couscous, oatmeal, baked goods, granola bars, cookies or cakes. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, some winter squashes and corn also provide a lot of carbs. Finally, foods containing natural or added sugar, like fruits, fruit juices, milk, yogurt, sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, soft drinks and candies, also constitute a big source of carbohydrate in the typical Western diet.
Low-Carb Diet Foods
Low-carb diets restrict the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods and therefore include foods that are principally high in fat and protein. For example, staple foods of a low-carb diet include healthy sources of fats, such as olives, olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, peanut or almond butter and coconut oil. Adequate amounts of protein are also consumed at each meal and snack, whether it is poultry, fish, meat, eggs, cheese or nuts. Moreover, low-carb diets encourage the consumption of vegetables, especially non-starchy and low-carb vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, asparagus, mushrooms, celery and cucumber. Depending on the allowed carbohydrate intake, some low-carb fruits, mainly berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, are included in small quantities.
Weight Loss
A few studies have compared the effectiveness of low-carb and low-fat diets for weight loss. One of them was published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine" in 2004 and found that the participants following the low-carb diet, providing less than 20 g of carbohydrates during the first induction phase, lost about twice as much weight compared to the participants on the low-fat, calorie-restricted eating plan. The low-carb group lost an average of 20.7 lbs. compared to only 10.6 lbs. in the low-fat group in a period of 24 weeks.
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