The
No
Carbohydrate Diet Myth
"All Carbs are Not
Created Equal..."
Searching for a no
carbohydrate diet?
You may want to reconsider...In the case of a no
carb diet, what you don't know can hurt
you!
The low carb craze has been around for some time now. It all started
with the famous Atkins diet and now many other low carb diets have
caught on.
Why the low carb craze? Two words, it
works. Or at least low carb diets seem to
work. Those who
restrict carbs often do lose weight quickly. For individuals who are
desperate to lose weight this weight loss seems like the light at the
end of the tunnel.
Why the weight loss? When
there is an absence of carbohydrates your body will actually
manufacture its own in order to maintain tissues that absolutely need
carbohydrates. Because this process takes additional
energy your body will burn an excess of calories, a
process that promoters of such diets call the "Metabolic
advantage".
Along with the excess use of energy to produce carbs, people
who are on low carbohydrate diets are typically eating fewer
calories in the form of processed carbohydrates (refined sugar, white
flour, etc.).
It is this combination of excess use
of energy and fewer calories that
produce quick results.
Unfortunately the weight
loss is short lived...
A lack of carbohydrates causes the body to go into
survival mode,
meaning that it will store and ration any food consumption. When a
person who has been on such a diet begins to eat normal again, the body
will store the food just in case there is another famine. This storage
often leaves them in a worse state of obesity.
I know what you're thinking...
"Why not
just stay on the no carbohydrate diet?"
Not all carbs are
created equal. Your
body needs good carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetables, fruits) to
function. Vital organs such as your brain absolutely will not function
without carbohydrates! When these carbs are cut out of your diet for
any extended period the effects can be extremely dangerous.
It is not just the elimination of the good
carbohydrates...Low carb diets promote eating lots of protein, often in
the form of red
meat. As a result, people on no carbohydrate diets experience large
increases in cholesterol and blood pressure.
The very idea of a no carbohydrate diet implies
that carbohydrates make
people fat. In his book "Healthy at 100" author John Robbins discusses
several cultures that have almost no instance of
obesity. Their
diets are primarily carbohydrates!
It is a proven fact that the consumption of good
carbohydrates
contributes to a lean, fit body.
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No Carbohydrate Diet to Fad Diets Page
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