subject: Low Carbohydrate Diets: What Are They? [print this page] The suggestions of Dr Robert Atkins and the benefits of a low carb diet first came together as a concept during the 1960s and 1970s. Since he first postulated his theory its been surrounded by debate. On the one hand there are those who fervently support The Atkins Diet, proclaiming it a diet revolution and on the other there are those who believe it to be no better than eating a balanced diet and that it may in reality be harmful. This controversy didnt prevent The Atkins Diet from becoming a worldwide sensation and at its peak in 2003/04 its believed that one in ten Americans were pursuing its recommendations.
Dr Atkins came to the conclusion that people can achieve amazing weight loss results by following a low carbohydrate diet after reading a study printed in the Journal of the American medical Association. His diet plan says that weight loss can be achieved through substituting the carbohydrates in our diets for fat and protein. Dr Atkins' argument had been that you can immediately increase the number of calories you use up by eliminating carbohydrates and instead eating protein and fat. Those who believe in the benefits of Atkins system say that research has shown followers of this diet to have had reduced risks associated with heart disease, inflammation and diabetes and have shown raised levels of the good High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased insulin resistance.
If the mentioned benefits are true what you need to do in order to get them? The first step would be to remove all carbohydrates from your diet. This is quite drastic for most people because it means a person cant eat sugar, flour, potatoes, rice, wheat or oats, this means no more pasta, bread fruit juices, pastries, most carbonated soft drinks and anything else in your diet which has carbohydrates. This does not mean you will not get to eat these things ever again, once you have been with the low carb diet for a time you can start eating some of these things in small amounts.
The low carbohydrate diet stirs up strong emotions in some people and on the other side of the argument many contend this diet is downright harmful. They point to research that has shown this diet can actually increase risks in many significant health areas, such as inducing increased levels of osteoporosis, kidney stones, arrhythmia, heart disease and ironically also cardiovascular disease. The drastic changes required by The Atkins Diet plan leave many of those opposed to it to claim that it's just a more famous fad diet that will more harm than good in the long-run. Those who argue that a low carb diet is generally a poor choice say that its followers can be afflicted by other, more minor ailments, such as cramping, weakness and diarrhoea, which also suggests to these people that the low carb system isn't all it's held up to be.
The discussion over the health benefits of a low carbohydrate diet will no doubt rage for years to come. It's not just the medical implications of the low carbohydrate diet that a potential follower of this type of program needs to be aware of. The first couple months on a low carbohydrate diet can be pretty hard work. Because of this, many people find a low carbohydrate diet so difficult to keep to the long-run. As we have seen, many would reason that the majority of people would do better to find a more balanced diet program. Another important factor in these difficult economic times is that just eating protein and fat is a far more costly way of life. Meat prices are set to continue to increase throughout the world as the third world countries become wealthier.
Because of the strong arguments and conflicting studies it is difficult to come to one final conclusion on the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet, it's something you need to decide for yourself. As you can tell choosing a diet is an important venture. You've got to make sure they fit into your way of life and is not detrimental for your long-term health.
by: Jen Jones
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