Low Carb Diets

The Good And Bad Of Low Carb Diets

Low carb diets have emerged in the market as an effective way to lose weight. There are several low carb diets to choose from including Adkins, South Beach Diet, Sonoma Diet, and The Zone. While each varies in how the plan works they have a central theme. The concept is to lose weight quickly by eating less carbohydrates and more protein. The thought behind the diet plans is that we eat far too many simple carbohydrates. These foods are high in sugars such as white breads and pastas. Consuming fewer carbohydrates reduces the amount of sugar intake. That combined with eating more proteins results in quick and effective weight loss.

How do these plans really work? Most of the low carb diets include an induction phase where a minimal amount of carbs can be eaten for a certain period of time. Generally that time period is five to fourteen days. This allows the body to go into ketoacidosis. Your body then burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. After the induction period, most of the low carb diets allow you to gradually increase the amount of carbs you eat. You continue to increase the amount of carbs until you reach a plateau, where you are no longer losing weight. At that point, the dieter will lower the amount of carbs to begin losing weight again or stay at that amount of carbs if they are at their target weight.

Most low carb diets have books available to reach about the entire program. They also have additional resources including cookbooks. The internet is full of research information on low carb diets. Diets can find a great deal of support during their weight loss endeavors online. There are message boards, recipes, newsletters, and support groups.

Grocery stores and restaurants have made sticking to a low carb diet easy as well. Many grocery stores carry foods created by and sold under the names of the low carb diet plans. It is common to find restaurants that have low carb selections on their menu.

While there has not been conclusive evidence to show that low carb diets are dangerous in the long term, they are not generally recommended by medical professionals as an ideal method for losing weight. If you choose to follow a low carb diet, it is suggested that you consult your doctor before starting. You may also want to consider having regular checkups for blood tests and cholesterol levels.