Downsides of a Low-Carb Diet

October 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Lipolysis sounds pretty attractive, doesn’t it? You’re effortlessly burning up fat, right? But it can lead to serious trouble.

The Archives of Internal Medicine ran a story last January by researchers who found that participants who ate a low-carbohydrate diet lowered their blood pressure levels more than did those who ate a low-fat diet while taking Orlistat, a fat-blocking medication. Since I’m a lot more interested in cutting fat from our diets than I am in counting carbs, this study caught my attention.

Twenty grams or less

But what really surprised me about this study was the diet that the low-carb participants were given to eat. They were allowed only 20 grams or less of carbohydrates per day–the equivalent of 1 medium apple or 1 standard slice of bread. This started me thinking about the possible dangers of a low-carb diet.

The body of a person who is eating only 20 grams of carbs a day is going to have trouble finding enough carbs to produce the glucose that the brain absolutely must have to function. Since carbs are our body’s chief source of energy, if the body is not getting enough of them, it must turn to “Plan B”: breaking down its own fat stores (aka lipolysis) in order to produce energy.

The trouble with Plan B

Lipolysis sounds pretty attractive, doesn’t it? You’re effortlessly burning up fat, right? But it can lead to serious trouble. When the liver starts breaking down fat for fuel, one of the byproducts of this fat metabolism are fatty acids called ketones or ketone bodies. If ketones build up in the blood, they will initiate a process called ketosis, which leads to unclear thinking, diminished energy, bone disease, and possible kidney issues. One of these ketones is acetone, an organic solvent as well as a material used in making plastics. Not surprisingly, acetone is potentially toxic to the body.

Determine a safe level of carbs

So, if you’re planning to embark on a low-carb diet, discuss with your doctor and dietitian the possible risks, including ketosis. Ask them what constitutes a realistic or “livable” carb level. This may not only help you eat more healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains, but may also help your body avoid breaking down fat and muscle to make essential glucose.

To put dietary carbs into perspective for you, the daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates is 130 grams per day. If that amount seems too high for your purposes, try to go no lower than 70 grams a day, to minimize your long-term risks of ketosis.

Two fruits, 2 veggies, and 2 starches, for example, contain a total of about 70 grams of carbs. Aiming for at least 100 grams of carbs a day is an even  better bet to ward off or get out of ketosis. And choosing a healthy variety of fruits and vegetables will help increase the vitamins, minerals, and fiber in your diet.

The other diet used by participants in the Archives study–eating a low-fat diet while also taking the diet drug Orlistat–was not risk-free either. Orlistat is not necessarily indicated for long-term use because it can result in decreased absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Which reminds me: No matter what diet philosophy you are following, I generally recommend that you get a blood test to determine your level of 25 (OH) vitamin D. Most people are now deficient in vitamin D, especially during the winter, and this deficiency can worsen issues with high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, as well as its more commonly known bone-related risks.

View the original article here

Posted by Valen | Filed Under Weight loss diet 

How to eat carbs without gaining weight - watch this video

January 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I have mentioned about the effect of carbohydrates on weight loss and also shared some information on low-carb diet in my earlier posts. If you are still wondering if carbohydrates can make you fat, then take a look at this video presented by Isabel De Los Rios.

In her video, Isabel reveals the truth about carbs and how you can enjoy eating carbs without putting on weight. After watching this video, I have a better understanding of how I can incorporate a variety of carbohydrates into my daily meals, without overloading my carb intake.

To watch this video, just click on the play (arrow) button. If your internet speed is slow, it would be better to pause the video and and let it finish downloading before you hit the play button again. While waiting for the video to download, why not do some stretching exercise? ;)


Do Carbs Make You Fat? from Isabel De Los Rios on Vimeo.

Start eating, and start living! Learn how you can eat and still lose weight with The Diet Solution Program.

Posted by Valen | Filed Under Carbohydrates 

Low-carb dieting for weight loss?

December 23, 2008 | 3 Comments

I have briefly mentioned about the relationship between carbohydrates and quick weight loss previously. Let me share some information about low-carbohydrate diet, or low-carb diet, in this post.

Losing weight is a goal for so many people - be it for health and medical reasons, or merely vanity at play ;) - that everybody is searching for quick and easy ways to lose weight. Low-carb dieting has become a weight loss trend in the recent years since the creation of the Atkins Diet by Dr Robert Atkins

Besides low-carb diets, there are also many different diets out there. The truth is - most of them will achieve weight loss if they are followed correctly. It is also important to find a diet that you can easily follow.

Low-carb diets seem to suit many people because the principles are quite easy to follow. As the name suggests, the diet consists of avoiding or limiting foods that are high in carbohydrates. These include bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and other grains. Sugar is also a carbohydrate. Once you understand what these foods are, it is a simply choosing dishes to avoid them.

However, low-carbohydrate dieting also receives a lot of criticism. Since dieters will get most of their daily calories from meat, dairy and other protein-rich and high fat products with this type of diet, it can lead to high cholesterol and other problems related to a high intake of saturated fats. It is therefore wise to ask for medical advice before starting this type of diet.

One of the problems that many people experience with low-carb dieting is the elimination of bread and pasta. You can forget about toast, spaghetti or pizza! You should know by now that many of the foods that are quickest to prepare are based around carbohydrates - burgers in their buns, fries, sandwiches, pasta and sauce.

Beer and other alcoholic drinks are high in carbohydrates, too. That is why alcohol is generally restricted on any diet - especially in low-carb diets - due to its high calorie content and very low nutritional value.

Nevertheless, there are many foods that can be enjoyed on a low-carb diet. If you are fond of meat you will relish the opportunity to consume beef, chicken and other animal products.

So, a lot of times people cannot handle this kind of diet restrictions in the longer term, despite seeing good weight loss results. Eventually, they start to deviate from the diet.

While low-carb dieting works for many people, it really is a matter of finding a diet plan that suits you in order to achieve your weight loss goal without hurting your health.

Note: You may want to find out whether your are a carbohydrate-, protein- or mixed-type person before even considering using a low-carb diet plan. Take the metabolic typing test in The Diet Solution Program. You can also read my review of the Diet Solution Program.

Posted by Valen | Filed Under Weight loss diet