The Pros and Cons of Low Carb Diets - Useful Facts You Might Not Know

If you're researching on diets to make you lose weight, you've probably come across a low-carbohydrate or low-carb diet. Atkins and the Zone are just some examples of this kind of eating regimen. Used primarily as a means to lose weight, the main feature of a low-carbohydrate diet is restriction of certain amounts and kinds of carbohydrates. An average restriction of 100 grams of carbohydrates is a common thread among these diet plans. Breads, rice, even starchy veggies and some fruit are restricted in this type of diet. Instead, food sources from meals are taken from proteins and fats.

A low-carb diet works to shed off excess fats based on the premise that carbohydrates are converted as sugar which gives rise to higher insulin levels in the blood which fuels the body with energy. This works against weight loss since stored insulin does not allow for fat loss. When carbohydrates are restricted, as in the Atkins or the Zone diets, insulin levels are decreased, prompting the body to use the stored fat to provide the body with the energy it needs to fuel its daily activities. This view, however, is still subject to much debate and controversy in medical and fitness circles.

Here's a lowdown on the benefits and risks of a low-carb diet should you decide to engage in it as a means to lose weight:

Benefits:

1. The initial weight loss is fast. This encourages dieters to stick with their chosen regimen, even if most of the weight lost initially is water weight.

2. Because of its high protein and fat content, increased feelings of fullness contribute to weight loss by letting an individual feel satiated for longer periods, decreasing the chances of unhealthy snacking.

3. It generally restricts intake of certain foods which results to ingesting a lesser amount of calories.

4. It lowers cholesterol levels when healthy fats are chosen instead of trans fatty acids to meet the fat requirement of the diet.

5. Strictly adhering to the eating plan can result in long-term weight loss.

Risks:

1. Severe carbohydrate restriction leads to a condition known as ketosis which causes weakness, nausea, dizziness, mood swings and in severe cases, coma and death.

2. Eating foods high in saturated fat content, as is advocated by some low-carb diets, increases your risk of developing stomach and colon cancers, high blood pressure and heart disease.

3. Severely restricting fruits and vegetables from the diet leads to low fiber consumption which causes a host of gastrointestinal problems, the most common of which is constipation.

4. It also restricts the benefits that the body can otherwise get from a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, poultry and legumes.

5. It's not a viable dieting program to observe for the long-term. Research has shown that those who tried restricting carbohydrates as a means of self-control did not have any significant difference in keeping the weight off for the long-term when compared with those who followed a well-balanced diet where all the food groups are represented.

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