Dieting can be very frustrating in this day and age of no carb or low carb or high carb diet plans. Food low carbohydrates have been recognized as legitimate weight loss foods by several medical groups. The American Academy of Family Physicians in 2006 stated that diets which limit carbohydrate intake are a legitimate weight loss approach. In 2009, the American Diabetes Association stated that carbohydrate-controlled diets are an effective treatment for weight loss among people with type two diabetes who are obese. There is more and more evidence that a diet low in carbs and high in protein and fiber can be healthy.
Most times a low carb diet product is going to be one based on meat or vegetables. Although vegetables are generally not zero carbs they are very low in carbs and can usually be consumed in a low carb diet regimen. No carb high protein diets were made famous by Dr. Adkins. They really took off in the 1990’s as the effects of high carbohydrate fast food meals and pre-processed meals started to become apparent. The South Beach diet is another low carbohydrate diet that along with the Zone diet has helped millions of people to lose weight. The low carbohydrate-high protein diets actually started in the 1960’s with the Stillman Diet.
Sugars contain carbohydrates and thus should be limited when following a no carb or low carb meal plan. No carb sugar would not be possible although artificial sweeteners generally contain less than one gram of carbohydrates per serving. Some plans do not recommend using artificial sweeteners because of the possible health affects but others claim the affects from obesity and high insulin levels in the blood is more pressing. A diet of no carb foods can tend to get boring for someone with a sweet tooth so it may beneficial to use artificial sweeteners for taste if it is needed to keep to the food list.
One problem with no carb food lists is the lack of fiber in the diet. Fruits, which contain natural fiber, are generally high in carbohydrates so are not allowed in a low carb diet. A lot of vegetables, on the other hand, are relatively low in carbs while being high in fiber. Most low carb diets would accept a reasonable amount of vegetables. I have friend who has followed a low carb diet for years. He lost weight and has kept it off for over ten years. His philosophy is to eat as many green vegetables as he wants. There are some carbs but the value of the fiber far outweighs the carbs for him.
When no carb shopping, you have to be careful of the hidden carbs found in some foods. For example, meat including beef, chicken and pork are high in protein and have zero carbs per serving. So I thought beef hot dogs would be good to eat. I happened to read the package nutritional label and found out they were not a good as I thought. Most hot dogs are meat but they have fillers like grains and soy bean meal added as filler. These fillers often times are high in carbs and thus make a product you think would be low carb or no carb into one that is high carb.
This can be devastating for someone who is on a low carb or no carb diet because of diabetes and insulin production in their blood. Carbohydrates tend to break down very easily in the body to glucose (blood sugar) when consumed. High levels of glucose in the blood stream is actually toxic to the body. This is why diabetes is such a debilitating disease. In a person whose blood sugar regulation mechanism is working properly, when a person consumes carbohydrates they are digested and turned into glucose that is secreted into the blood stream. This glucose is not bad for the body as long as it is kept under control. In fact glucose acts as a fuel for the muscles and organs. There is a problem though when the levels of glucose from the diet is too high.
In a person with a properly functioning blood sugar regulating mechanism, if the glucose level rise too high, the pancreas starts to work and secrets insulin into the blood stream. This insulin is a limiter to the amount of glucose in the body. The insulin triggers the liver to convert the glucose into glycogens and triglycerides which are then converted into and stored as body fat. So you can see there is a direct connection between the amount of carbohydrates consumed and the storage of body fat and ultimately obesity. A no carb diet or low carb diet limits this process so instead of the body storing fat it actually uses the fat up as fuel.
In a diabetic this process of using insulin to trigger the liver is interrupted because the diabetic’s pancreas does not produce the proper amounts of insulin. Thus a high carbohydrate diet will cause the blood sugar levels to rise but there is not safety valve. The liver does not know to convert the glucose into body fat and thus the levels keep rising. Eventually, usually if a few hours or days, the levels get so high that they actual start to poison the body. The poison tends to settle in the extremities which is why it is common for untreated diabetes to cause loss of feet, legs, and hands.
Using no carb foods to keep blood sugar levels low is an effective treatment. By eating a high protein high fiber diet the system is not stressed when high levels of sugar are added to the blood stream. Instead, the no carb diet or low carb diet will allow the body to consume its body fat for energy and thus the person loses weight. Carb or no carb foods is a question that every person should ask themselves but in particular everyone who wants to lose weight or who is diabetic.
No carb foods to go from a fast food restaurant are usually not available. Most fast food restaurants rely on cheap carbs to make their food taste better. The buns and other breads are usually made out of processed white wheat flour. This flour is high in carbs and is easily converted to blood sugar. They also add lots of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. These are also substances that contain lots of carbs. Finally, fries are made from potatoes which are high carb foods. Potatoes contain some of the quickest digesting carbohydrates which means they will cause a dramatic spike in blood sugar levels when consumed.
A no carb high protein diet or low carb high protein diet is definitely something you should consider if you want to lose weight or you are diabetic. Dieting and weight loss plans abound but the ones that limit carbs seem to me to be more effective. A low carb diet combined with an exercise program matched to your age and health requirements is a good prescription for weight loss.