Low Carb Diets
Let's Blow Up the Bread Basket
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Health Issues Caused by Low Carb Diets
Strict carbohydrate-restricted diets are associated with kidney damage, heart damage, mood problems and have been linked to fatalities - particularly in individuals who had hidden health conditions including heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes.
Diet Bites received a comment on the low carb diets from reader Jill who found these strict low carbohydrate diets very troubling. She was seeking answers to the carbohydrate madness.
Jill's example detailed a luncheon she had with two friends who were low-carb dieting.
Both ordered cheeseburgers without the bun. Jill's comment: "I couldn't believe that these two highly intelligent people were choosing fatty meat and cheese and were throwing away a bun that contained minimal fat and calories. I am still reeling from the incident.
Bread vs Red Meats, Cheese & Eggs
Furthermore, I've never heard of anyone getting fatty arteries from eating bread, but I have heard of people developing heart problems due to fatty meat and cheese consumption. Can you please explain to me why two smart ladies have fallen into the crazy madness of low carb dieting?" ~ Signed, Confused Jill
This was our response to reader Jill: "Unfortunately there is a bit of madness to low carb dieting BUT there are also some very positive things about low carbohydrate diets. Throwing away that bun - especially if it was a whole grain bun while dining on the red meat and cheese wasn't the wisest decision based on the impact these two foods have on future health.
When it's all said and done, the central battle of the carbs involves simple carbohydrates versus complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs include donuts, cookies, cakes, and pies. When the dieter eliminates these foods from their daily diet, good things happen in the body, on the weight loss scales, and enhance the overall well-being of the dieter.
Let's hope that your friends reintroduce whole grain goodness back into their daily diet sooner rather than later - and shift the concentration to the leanest cuts of meat available - and reduced fat cheese when these selections are offered."
Restricted Carbohydrate Diets & Egg Consumption Health Concerns
Some of our biggest health concerns are the number of eggs that low carb dieters consume each day, as well as the amount of fatty meats and the amounts of cheese that are consumed.
Even though a few warnings have surfaced regarding the low carb diets, many people have experienced success in dropping unwanted pounds using sage choices - dropping the simple carbs from their diet, and the unwanted pounds in the process.
But take note that protein encourages the release of fluids from the body. Most of the initial weight loss on carbohydrate restricted diets is in the form of water weight loss rather than fat weight loss.
Dieters who discard the plan more-often-than-not quickly regain the lost weight - quicker than dieters who have embraced all the healthy food groups and who lost fat rather than water content.
Because a daily diet rich in protein works to expel water from the body, this can create havoc for certain individuals - such as the heart patients we referenced. A diet too rich in protein may also create an imbalance in the electrolytes calcium, potassium and sodium which balance the fluid-makeup within our body. Low carbohydrate diet plans are mined with foods rich in protein - such as the meats and eggs.
Jill's friends would have experienced a healthier meal if they had ditched the meat and enjoyed the entire bun with a slice of cheese, a leaf of lettuce and a couple of slices of tomato - and that's the madness that makes low carbohydrate dieting so ridiculous.
It's a bit like ordering a cheeseburger and a diet soda.
An even healthier lunch would have been a salad containing grilled chicken with a low fat dressing on the side, a wheat roll spread lightly with reduced fat margarine, and a glass of skim milk with 1 cup of raw fruit for dessert.
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