Over the years, low-carb diets have been criticized and labeled as unhealthy. While the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that 45 to 65 percent of your calories come from carbohydratres, low-carb diets restrict this nutrient to less than 20 percent, and sometimes as little as less than 5 percent, of your calories. To reduce your carbohydrate intake on a low-carb diet, you need to eliminate or limit your consumption of pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, pizza dough, crackers, muffins, cookies, soft drinks, desserts and even fruits, milk and yogurt. Consult your doctor if you intend to adopt a low-carb diet.
Fat vs. Carbohydrates
If you lower your carbohydrate intake, your fat intake will go up. For example, a low-carb diet is based on larger servings of protein from meat, fish, chicken, eggs and full-fat cheese as well as fat from butter, cream, mayonnaise, oils, bacon, nuts and nut butter. Usually about half, or even more, of the calories consumed on a low-carb diet are derived from fat. For this reason, low-carb diets have been vilified for decades. However, "refined carbohydrates are likely to cause even greater metabolic damage than saturated fat in a predominantly sedentary and overweight population," according to Dr. Frank B. Hu from the Harvard School of Public Health. Moreover, although saturated fat is vilified by many, a large-scale meta-analysis including 21 studies with 347,747 participants followed for up to 23 years showed that saturated fats are actually not associated with an increased risk of developing heart problems, as published in the January 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." If you choose to modify your diet, it is always advisable to talk to your doctor.
Body Weight
When it comes to losing weight, low-carb diets are a good alternative to traditional low-fat diets. Just like with any diet, your success depends on how well you comply with the requirements. In a study, four diets with varying levels of carbohydrates and fat were compared among 160 participants and all diets resulted in similar weight loss, as reported in the January 2005 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association."
Cardiovascular Diseases
Critics of low-carb diets have claimed that these diets are dangerous for your heart health. However, many randomized clinical studies have shown that low-carb diets can reduce your cardiovascular risk as much, if not more, than the traditional low-fat diets that are routinely recommended, something that was reported in the May 2011 issue of ConsumerReportsHealth.org. Low-carb diets can reduce your blood sugar levels and triglycerides; change your LDL cholesterol from a small, dense and atherogenic form to a large, fluffy and less harmful type; and boost your heart-protective HDL cholesterol levels, as explained in the July 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism."
A Healthy Low-Carb Diet
To ensure your low-carb diet is good for your health and provides you with all the nutrients your body requires, make non-starchy vegetables the foundation of your diet. Include generous servings of onions, broccoli, leafy greens, tomatoes, mushrooms or bell peppers at each of your meals. Complete your meal with a moderate serving, ranging for most people between 4 and 6 oz., of protein from poultry, fish, seafood, pork, meat, eggs or cheese. Add about 1 to 2 tbsp. of fat from olive oil, coconut oil, butter, nuts or nut butter, or have a few slices of avocado. Consult your physician before starting a low-carb diet, especially if you take medications.
References
- ConsumerReportsHealth.org: Rating the Diets
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies Evaluating the Association of Saturated Fat with Cardiovascular Disease; Patty W Siri-Tarino, et al.; January 2010
- "The New Atkins for a New You"; Eric C. Westman et al; 2010
- Mayo Clinic: Low-Carb Diet
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction; Michael L. Dansinger, et al.; 2005
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