Low Carb Diet for Weight Loss

You may wish to restrict your carbohydrate consumption for weight loss. Here’s what you must learn about the high-protein low-carb diet.

A low-carb diet restricts consumption of foods that are rich in digestible carbohydrates. These foods are replaced with foods high in protein and sometimes also fat. Low carb diet is synonymous with high protein diet and is often called low-carbohydrate high-protein diet. Low-carb diets can also be called non-energy restricted diets as they do not restrict the calorie intake of the individual.

Refined carbohydrates and sugar are often held responsible for the rise of many diseases including obesity so carb-restricted diet is considered to be the solution.

There are different versions of the low-carb diet: the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Paleolithic Diet and the Protein Power Diet.

The specific amount of carbohydrates allowed differs from diet to diet. In general, the low-carb diets are defined as diets limiting the carbohydrate intake to 20-60 g per day. By contrast, the usual recommendation for carbohydrates is not less than 130 g per day.

Carbohydrate-restrictive diets can be divided into three groups according to the percentage of calories from carbohydrates:

• Moderate Carb 40-50%
• Low Carb 25-39%
• No Carb to Very Low Carb 0-25%

What Is More Effective for Weight Loss: Low-Carb Diet, Low-Fat Diet or Low-Calorie Diet?

The low-carb diet, low-fat diet and calorie-restrictive diet are found to be an equally effective treatment for weight loss. You should choose the diet you can stick with. "Because of our diverse health requirements and inherent biochemical individuality," says Rebecca Kirby, Physician and Senior Research Scientist for Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning, "some people will do better on low-fat diets and some people will do better on low-carb diets." The general rule is that the carbohydrate level should be adjusted to the individual.

How Safe Is Low-Carb Diet for Long-Term Weight Loss?

Low-carb diets are often criticized as being high in fat, which is wildly regarded as harmful and causing heart disease and other health problems. However, low-carb diets can also be low in fat. It is important to distinguish between saturated fats (found in meat, poultry and dairy products) and unsaturated fats (found in vegetable oils, nuts and avocado). The later fats do not increase your cholesterol lever but help lower it. While saturated fats should be restricted, unsaturated fats must be added to the diet.

Restricted nutrient composition also raises great concerns about the safety of the low-carb diet. However, it is a general misconception that the low-carb diet eliminates all vegetables, fruits and berries. Only high-carbohydrate vegetables such as potatoes and corn are restricted. An optimal low-carbohydrate menu must include a variety of non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, carrot and spinach. Most fruits and berries are largely water. Though they contain sugar, they still cannot be considered a significant source of carbohydrates. You can add them to you diet even when following the low-carb style of eating.  If the amount of minerals and vitamins in the diet falls below 100% of Daily Value, the nutrient deficiencies can be remedied by multi-vitamin and mineral supplements.

Low-carb diet is nowadays recognized as a legitimate approach for short-term weight loss (up to one year). However, there is a lack of evidence supporting the safety of the low-carb diets over the long term.

What Are Side Effects of Low Carb Diet?

Some low-carb diets restrict carbohydrate intake sufficiently and cause ketosis, a metabolic state in which the organism breaks down body fat for energy and produces ketones due to the shortage of insulin in the blood. Low-carb diet advocates argue that the human body is designed to function in ketosis. However, ketosis can be considered harmful as it stresses the liver. Ketosis can cause fatigue, bad breath and nausea. High levels of ketones can lead to ketoacidosis, which is a very dangerous condition, especially in people with metabolic disorders. You should not restrict carbohydrates too much over the long term. Remember that low-carb diet does not mean no carbs at all.

Another common side effect of a very-low-carbohydrate diet is constipation due to the lack of dietary fiber.  Remember that there are a number of foods that are high in fiber and low in carbs: collard greens, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and blackberries, to name a few.

The low carb diet can increased the risk of osteoporosis. For digestion of high-protein foods, calcium is required.  Your diet must include hard cheese such as Swiss and cheddar cheese, dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and other foods that are high in calcium; otherwise your bones may begin losing calcium.

If your low-carb diet is high is saturated fats, it may increase the risk of heart disease and colon cancer. You should reduce the intake of saturated fats even when following the low-carb style of eating.

The low-carb diet can cause a stress to kidneys. If you have kidney or liver disease, you should never try the low-carb diet without medical supervision as the low-carb diet can speed the progression of kidney and liver disease.

Whether or not you decide to adhere to the low-carb style of eating, it is still a good idea to reduce unhealthy carbs in your diet. You should avoid white flour, refined sugar and white rice. These foods are considered “bad carbs” as they are over-processed and stripped off important nutrients such as fiber and vitamins.

More Low-Carb Diet Tips

• Low-Carb Food List

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