Whether you want to lose weight, kick a sugar habit or just get healthier, you might be considering low-carb. However, there's more to it than throwing out the candy bars and stocking up on bacon. Find free low-carb diet information and make informed decisions. Consult your physician before starting any diet, especially if you take medication.
Informational Websites
Learn about the foundational principles of low-carb diets on websites devoted to covering the basics. Why-Low-Carb-Diets-Work.com explains the science of carb restriction and compares it to conventional low-fat calorie restriction. Free Healthy Diet Plans presents low-carb in the context of balanced, whole-foods nutrition. LowCarbIsEasy.com and Atkins Diet & Low Carbohydrate Weight-Loss Support review a wide range of low-carb diet plans, books and cookbooks.
Specific Low-Carb Diet Sites
A few diets are generous with free information on their official websites. Atkins Nutritionals is a good example; the site explains the diet and the science behind it and even dispels myths. For instance, the Atkins diet includes several cups of vegetables daily, yet is mistakenly criticized for prohibiting vegetables. On Mark's Daily Apple, author Mark Sisson freely shares much of the nutritional information in his book "The Primal Blueprint." Sisson approaches diet and exercise from a pre-agricultural, and thus pre-grain, standpoint. Obesity researcher Zoe Harcombe, author of "The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused it? How Can We Stop It?" provides free articles and videos about the Harcombe Diet on her site.
Podcasts
Find low-carb oriented podcasts and listen for free to conversations with doctors, researchers, journalists, nutritionists, filmmakers, dietitians, public policy officials, elite athletes and influential bloggers to learn about the scope and substance of the low-carb movement. These include include Dr. Robert K. Su's Carbohydrates Can Kill, Chris Kresser's The Healthy Skeptic, Latest in Paleo, Cheeseslave, The Low Carb Journey Podcast, Our Natural Life, Underground Wellness and The Paleo Solution Podcast.
Forums
Forums can provide useful information as well as camaraderie. Long-running low-carb forums that are free to join include Low Carb Friends, Active Low-Carber, Active No-Carber, LowCarbSite.com and A Pinch Of Health Forum.
Books
Books don't have to cost a penny if you check them out of your public library. Start with classics like "Protein Power" and "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution." Check out cookbooks by Dana Carpender, George Stella or Robb Wolf, trusted names in the low-carb community. Low-carb books available to read free online --some in limited preview -- include "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" by Gary Taubes, "Eat Fat and Grow Slim" by Richard Mackarness and the seminal 1864 "Letter on Corpulence" by William Banting. "Adventures in Diet" is Harvard anthropologist Vilhjalmur Stefansson's 1935 "Harper's" magazine article about his experience with the Inuit's traditional low-carb diet.
Movies
View "Fat Head," a low-carb rejoinder to the documentary "Super Size Me," via DVD or stream free with your Netflix subscription. If you're not a subscriber, watch free clips on YouTube. There you can also see parts of "My Big Fat Diet" and numerous low-carb cooking demos. Another film, "In Search of the Perfect Human Diet" is in post-production as of June 2011.
References
- Why-Low-Carb-Diets-Work.com; Why Low Carbohydrate Diets Work: A Guide to This Website; Adam Kosloff
- Free Healthy Diet Plans; Free Diet Meal Plans; Misty Humphrey
- LowCarbIsEasy.com; Atkins, Low Carb, Low GI and GL Diet and Nutrition Books; Jackie Bushell
- Atkins Diet & Low Carbohydrate Weight-Loss Support: Comparison of Low-Carb Plans
- Atkins: The Program
- Mark's Daily Apple: Primal Living in the Modern World; Mark Sisson
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