"Some folks are wise and some are otherwise."Tobias Smollett
|
| |
9 Quick Ways To Conquer Cellulite
In our never ending search for the illusive "Fountain of Youth," nothing strikes a chord like the term "cellulite." Interestingly, the term "cellulite" was first introduced to us by a fashion magazine. That fact is sufficient to generate speculation among ...
Is the new "high-protein low-saturated fat" diet the answer to weight loss?
Is the new "high-protein low-saturated fat" diet the answer to weight loss?The heated debate, within diet circles, that began a few years ago and continues today is over the effectiveness of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate, type diet versus its ...
Vegetarian Does Not Have To Be "All Or Nothing"
Many people contemplate becoming a vegetarian at one point or another. Some consider a meatless diet because they feel sorry for the animals. Others think a vegetarian way of eating will improve their health. However, out of those well-intentioned ...
|
|
|
| |
"Cookie Cutter" Low Carb Diet Plans Explained
by Jenny Mathers
Most diet plans, including low carb diet plans are best taken with a grain of salt, because although one may work for your best friend, it may not work for you. For those with serious weight problems and have co-existing issues such as hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar levels) or like some of us hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) etc., the popular diet plans usually will not be able to cater to individual needs.
We are all individuals and as such we need to feed ourselves as individuals, having said this some diet plans will be more beneficial for the general population that others.
To assess which particular diet plan will be beneficial, you can follow these guidelines. They are very much common sense points, and provide a good framework which many nutrition professionals would broadly follow, and within which you can divide the scammy diet plans from those that can offer you safe and healthy diet ideas.
- Diet offers sufficient balance and a variety of carbohydrates, protein and fats.
- Diet does not exclude one particular food group, and encourage excessive consumption of another.
- Diet encourages exercise to complement sensible eating habits.
- Diet encourages awareness of portion sizes.
- Diet does not encourage unrealistic quick weight loss.
- Diet is backed up with medical research data.
In addition to these points, I've broadly outlined the low carb diet plans, which seem to be occupying the minds of dieters and researchers alike, as well as the research for and against pertinent to the low carb diet plans.
Low Carb Diets
A lot of the diet plans these days center around the low carb diet plans. These low carb diet plans are considered by some diet fads, others consider it the new wave in healthy eating. Diets such as The New Atkins Diet Revolution maintain that obese people are insulin sensitive and carbohydrates make them gain weight. Low carb diet plans such as The Zone lay down specific proportion of carbohydrates, protein and fats that should be consumed in order to lose weight and while fats are reduced, the main source of energy comes from the consumption of protein.
Low carb diet plans such as Sugar Busters, believe that sugar is your body's most heinous weight loss enemy and since carbohydrates are the foods that are processed into sugars – carbohydrates should be limited. The Scarsdale Diet also is a low carb, high protein diet and offers a 2 week crash dieting plan.
Popular diets such as the South Beach Diet and the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet are also low carb diet plans that have become popular with dieters who have tried and failed at the Atkins diet. All these diets see themselves as the worlds answer to the obesity problem.
To be fair, there are significant and many research papers that support and argue against the low carb revolution, as yet the wider medical community has not fully made it's mind up as to whether the diets are something that is favourable in the long term.
Recent research by Layman et. al., and Saris have found that the low carb and high protein diets provide little benefit to dieters. Researchers found that when protein was moderately increased and carbohydrates proportionately decreased, insulin levels stabilised but no significant weight was lost. Saris in his review concluded that it is probable that a low carb, high fat diet will increase the likelihood of weight gain.
While there is a lot of evidence against the low carb philosophy, there is also a lot of evidence to support it. Research published in May, 2004, found that when patients on a low carb diet were compared with patients on a low fat diet, those patients who had consumed a low carb diet had a greater weight loss, decreased triglyceride levels and increased levels of HDL's - in other words their cholesterol levels had improved. To put the icing on the cake research has just been published to support the long term efficacy of eating a low carb diet.
Despite the evidence to support low carb diet plans, mainstream medicine still does not recommend them. The main points of contention with the low carb, high protein diets is that they don't offer balance and variety and could prove dangerous for people at risk of heart disease. Particularly with low carb diet plans such as the scarsdale diet, they are not realistic and cannot be maintained in the long term causing yo-yo dieting and no one wants that !
References:
Wim HM Saris Sugars, energy metabolism, and body weight control Am J Clin Nutr 78: 850S-857S
Donald K. Layman, Harn Shiue, Carl Sather, Donna J. Erickson and Jamie Baum Increased Dietary Protein Modifies Glucose and Insulin Homeostasis in Adult Women during Weight Loss Nutrition.org
Yamashita T, Sasahara T, Pomeroy SE, Collier G, Nestel PJ. Arterial compliance, blood pressure, plasma leptin, and plasma lipids in women are improved with weight reduction equally with a meat-based diet and a plant-based diet. Metabolism. 1998 Nov;47(11):1308-14.
Yancy WS Jr, Olsen MK, Guyton JR, Bakst RP, Westman EC. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004 May 18;140(10):769-77.
Copyright © 2004 Jenny Mathers. All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Want more great ideas about which foods to eat and which to avoid ? Research fat burning foods at Savvy Fat Burning Foods
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Low-carb diets prove better at controlling type 2 diabetes - Genetic Engineering News
DURHAM, NC -- In a six-month comparison of low-carb diets, one that encourages eating carbohydrates with the lowest-possible rating on the glycemic index leads to greater improvement in blood sugar control, according to Duke University Medical Center ...
Toxins are all in the mind - Guardian Unlimited
With timing as beautiful as its conclusion is obvious, the charity Sense About Science has announced, with a triumphant calloo callay, that detox paraphernalia, which sprout up every January as reliably as overoptimistic gym memberships, are as ...
Nutrigenomics may help develop personalized diets for disease ... - Newstrack India
Washington, Dec 30 (ANI): In a new article, researchers have explored the emerging field of Nutrigenomics, which aims to identify the genetic factors that influence the body's response to diet - something that might one day help in developing ...
'Low-carb' best diets for type 2 diabetes - News-Medical.Net
In a six-month comparison of low-carb diets, one that encourages eating carbohydrates with the lowest-possible rating on the glycemic index leads to greater improvement in blood sugar control, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers ...
Nutrigenomics to develop diets for disease prevention - Times of India
WASHINGTON: In a new article, researchers have explored the emerging field of Nutrigenomics, which aims to identify the genetic factors that influence the body's response to diet - something that might one day help in developing personalized diets ...
New Year’s Diets - Lake Sun Leader
1. Myth: Eating at night makes you fat. Reality: Although some small studies have found mixed results, there’s no real proof to support this myth. Eating breakfast is linked to lower body mass index, but calories count whenever you eat them. It’s ...
The top 10 healthiest diets in America - CNN
If losing weight is at the top of your resolution list, you're not alone. An estimated 80 million Americans go on diets every year, spending more than $30 billion annually on programs and products. Relax -- some diets are more about burning calories ...
Feedback: What diets have you tried? - Daily Oklahoman
Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of ...
Find recipes to accommodate special diets - Carroll County Online
Alright, we’ve had two weeks of some pretty rich, standard butter cookies. This week, I’m focusing on some recipes for those with special dietary needs. Sadly, none of these are the best for someone with diabetes. There are some great sugar-free ...
Detox diets are a 'nonsense', dieticians warn - Daily Telegraph
The British Dietetic Association, which represents 6,000 dieticians across Britain, said that there was no "potion or lotion" which could "magically" rid the body of chemicals. The theory behind detox - that dangerous toxins build up in the body ...
|
