Low-Carb Diets, How Safe and Effective Are They?

In the past view years people have been doing Low carb diets again since the 70s where it was unpopular. The Atkins and the Zone diets have had the luxury of aggressive marketing and book sales which have kept them popular and in the consumers eye. Is there a way for us to tell if they work and are safe as well?

There are many different versions of low carb diets. It is then considered that all of these versions of the low carb diet have one thing in common, and that is a very strict diminution in the intake of carbohydrates. This particular thing is common among low carb diets and is actually part of what makes them low carb.

The premise of this diets is to eat mostly protein from some sort of animal fat. The body goes into a state of ketosis, which causes it to burn stored fat for fuel instead of the carbohydrates. It sounds to good to be true, just eat protein and burn off the stored fat and not eat the carbohydrates. What could that hurt? Ketosis is a state that is unhealthy for the body, it can cause kidney failure, kidney stones, gout and organ failure.

This type of diet replaces carbohydrates with essential fats and proteins. The diets offer different recommendations, but in general the low-carb diet is analogous to one that recommends an intake high in fat with a moderate amount protein. Often on these types of diets between 60-70% of consumed calories come from fat. The carbohydrates ought to then account for under ten percent, or , in certain cases, under five percent of your calorie intake per day.

Lastly, on the low carb diet, you are given the opportunity to eat until you are full, as long as you eat only those foods that are allowed for your diet. So to mention, some of the allowed foods for low carb diet include meats, fish, poultry, and cheese, which are then coupled with a limited amount of green vegetables. It is just necessary to stay away from those not allowed foods if you want to have the best results.

So, are low-carb diets, like the Atkins Diet, good for you? In my opinion, low carb diets could be good or bad for you depending on what you eat. Even though lots of dieters take on these diets this way, low carb does not mean “all meat, eggs and cheese, but no fruits or vegetables”.