Diet Meal Plans

“Low Carb Diets – How Do They Work And Are They Really Good For You? “

The term ‘low carb diet’ is one that every American is now familiar with. Over the past 10 years, more and more individuals struggling with weight loss have attempted a low carb diet. The views are varied on the success of low carb diets, and although they were immediately revered for their results, at a later time when real results were measured there wasn’t much success. Over the long term, these diets may be unhealthy for your body and only a short term solution to weight loss.

A low carb diet forces you to eat less carbohydrates, typically approximately 20 grams per day vs. the doctor recommended approximately 150 grams per day. Because you are decreasing your carb intake, you must replace the missing carbs with high amounts of protein and fatty foods. Most low carb diet recipes have an extremely large recommendation for meat intake. This supposedly works by forcing your body to use up fat that is already stored there, ridding your body of unwanted fat content.

There are pros and cons to these kinds of diets, similar to any diet. Here we will address a few of the compliments and criticisms of the low carb diet.

Pros Of A Low Carbohydrate Diet

The pro that most people get the most enjoyment out of is the ability to lose fat quickly. Typically over the first several weeks, dieters will see a dramatic decrease in pounds. This ability to lose weight quickly is what made the low carb diet a fast fad that spread like wildfire all over the country. Because of the immediate results, many people jumped on board the low carb diet train to see the same results, without thinking of the long term effects.

Besides just a quick effect, it forces dieters to cut out bad foods like potato chips and snack foods, and soda. Although anyone on a diet probably knows better than to eat these foods if they are hoping for results, the low carb diet does not allow food like these to even be eaten occasionally.

Also, the low carb diet can be good for your health. If you are sensitive to sugar, have diabetes, pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome) or have a history of diabetes in your family, a low carb diet is a necessity for you. For people suffering with diabetes, the structure that came out of the low carb movement was educational and supplied them with more food options when going out to eat because of the focus of cutting carbs out of their diets.

Cons Of A Low Carbohydrate Diet

There are many cons to these kinds of diets, one being the predominant complaint we have all heard. Even though the low carb diets are effective in the beginning, most participants report gaining weight back quickly. As soon as people start to incorporate any carbs back into their diet, they see weight gain, often more than they had prior to the diet.

Many people also report a severe lack of energy. Because your body doesn’t have as much sugar to burn, you will definitely feel it from the very start of the diet, and many people actually quit the diet because they can’t stand being tired all the time. Diet participants also often report side effects like muscle cramps, being constantly tired, bad breath. People with kidney problems can have really serious problems, which is why anyone with any type of kidney disorder should not try a low carb diet without doctor supervision.

Also, these diets are known to work for a little while, but shouldn’t be utilized long term because low carb diets wind up including more fat which leads to heart attacks and heard disease, and participants in some studies showed increased cholesterol and blood pressure.

Having A Holistic Health Plan For Your Life

When it comes to your life and health, you need to be clear on what you want to accomplish. Within reason, decide what kind of body you want, the level of energy you desire, and the kind of life you want to live (among other health objectives). Start with the end result you want in mind, and this vision of who you want to be will give you that drive and motivation to be healthier and a happier person.

When you can see in your mind’s eye the kind of health and fitness levels you desire for yourself, and you can already feel as though you have them, doing whatever it takes to be healthier becomes a whole lot easier.