Low carbohydrate diets are still very popular and in this article I will look at low carb diets and whether they are are good alternative to low GI diet plans.
A very popular low carb diet program back in 2003/2005 was the Atkins diet which was all the rage.
The Atkins diet involves restricting carbohydrate intake so that the body's metabolism switches from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat.
The process is called ketosis which begins when insulin levels are low and in a normal functioning body insulin is at its lowest when blood glucose levels are low.
Low carbohydrate diets are similar to low GI diets in so far as they try to control blood sugar levels, although this is achieved through limiting carbohydrate consumption whilst low GI diets do it by selecting low GI foods.
Whilst low carbohydrate diets are effective, they are not without their own limitation: 1.
Low carbohydrate diets frequently focus on consuming a significant amount of fat.
And there are plenty of studies that suggestion high consumption of fats, in particular saturated fats, increase the risk of coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and other conditions.
However, that being said there's as yet no established link between low carbohydrate diets and heart disease.
2.
If the low carbohydrate diet restricts the amount of fruits and vegetables that you can eat, your body may not be getting sufficient quantities of fiber and vitamins A and C.
Nutrients as as carotenoids and phytonutrients or phytochemicals are only available in plant based foods.
Carotenoids are believed to be a powerful anti-oxidant and phytochemicals are believed to have positive health benefits which we are only now learning about.
3.
Diets that work on the basis of limiting the intake of certain food types are invariably difficult to stick with over the medium term and as a result tend to have a high drop out rate.
Restricting the amount of carbohydrate consumed increases the cravings for the eliminated food making it more difficult to follow and therefore more difficult to achieve the desired result.
4.
The body primarily gets its energy from the consumption of carbohydrates.
When the body is low on carbohydrate it is forced to synthesize glucose from digested or stored fats.
Its an inefficient process resulting in lower than optimal blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia.
This may leave you feeling lethargic and even confused.
It quite common to experience this particularly during the transition phase of moving onto a low carb diet.
It is not however a harmful state but it may reoccur especially when you body demands more energy such as during stress.
5.
A low carb diet is compatible with vegetarian diets since most low carb diet plans focus on the consumption of meats and other animal-based foods.
One of the main advantages of following a low glycemic index diet is its versatility.
You are not limited to a particular food type or restricting your carbohydrate intake.
As a result the drop-out rate will be much lower.
There is such an abundance of foods to choose from that are low GI and its okay to venture into the medium GI foods, so long as you don't eat them at every meal.
There is also a misconception that because the glycemic index of foods tend only to give information on fruits and vegetables that it is only really suitable for vegetarians.
Meat based products are not shown on the glycemic index because they don't contain much carbohydrate.
The purpose behind the glycemic index is simply to measure the affect of 50 grams of carbohydrate on blood glucose levels.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of low carb diets principally because it is not a nutritionally balanced diet.
A very popular low carb diet program back in 2003/2005 was the Atkins diet which was all the rage.
The Atkins diet involves restricting carbohydrate intake so that the body's metabolism switches from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat.
The process is called ketosis which begins when insulin levels are low and in a normal functioning body insulin is at its lowest when blood glucose levels are low.
Low carbohydrate diets are similar to low GI diets in so far as they try to control blood sugar levels, although this is achieved through limiting carbohydrate consumption whilst low GI diets do it by selecting low GI foods.
Whilst low carbohydrate diets are effective, they are not without their own limitation: 1.
Low carbohydrate diets frequently focus on consuming a significant amount of fat.
And there are plenty of studies that suggestion high consumption of fats, in particular saturated fats, increase the risk of coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and other conditions.
However, that being said there's as yet no established link between low carbohydrate diets and heart disease.
2.
If the low carbohydrate diet restricts the amount of fruits and vegetables that you can eat, your body may not be getting sufficient quantities of fiber and vitamins A and C.
Nutrients as as carotenoids and phytonutrients or phytochemicals are only available in plant based foods.
Carotenoids are believed to be a powerful anti-oxidant and phytochemicals are believed to have positive health benefits which we are only now learning about.
3.
Diets that work on the basis of limiting the intake of certain food types are invariably difficult to stick with over the medium term and as a result tend to have a high drop out rate.
Restricting the amount of carbohydrate consumed increases the cravings for the eliminated food making it more difficult to follow and therefore more difficult to achieve the desired result.
4.
The body primarily gets its energy from the consumption of carbohydrates.
When the body is low on carbohydrate it is forced to synthesize glucose from digested or stored fats.
Its an inefficient process resulting in lower than optimal blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia.
This may leave you feeling lethargic and even confused.
It quite common to experience this particularly during the transition phase of moving onto a low carb diet.
It is not however a harmful state but it may reoccur especially when you body demands more energy such as during stress.
5.
A low carb diet is compatible with vegetarian diets since most low carb diet plans focus on the consumption of meats and other animal-based foods.
One of the main advantages of following a low glycemic index diet is its versatility.
You are not limited to a particular food type or restricting your carbohydrate intake.
As a result the drop-out rate will be much lower.
There is such an abundance of foods to choose from that are low GI and its okay to venture into the medium GI foods, so long as you don't eat them at every meal.
There is also a misconception that because the glycemic index of foods tend only to give information on fruits and vegetables that it is only really suitable for vegetarians.
Meat based products are not shown on the glycemic index because they don't contain much carbohydrate.
The purpose behind the glycemic index is simply to measure the affect of 50 grams of carbohydrate on blood glucose levels.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of low carb diets principally because it is not a nutritionally balanced diet.
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