Low Carb Tips

Welcome to LowCarbTips.org, the site created to help you learn more about low-carbohydrates diets. As with all major lifestyle changes, please consult your medical practitioner before starting…

Low-carbohydrate diets or low carb diets, are food diet programs for dietary health as well as weight loss that advocate restricted carbohydrate consumption, based on research that ties carbohydrate consumption with increased blood insulin levels, and increased insulin with obesity.

Under these various dietary programs, foods containing carbohydrates (like sugar, grains, and starches) are limited or replaced in favor of foods containing more protein and fat. Vegetables, though classified as carbohydrates, are thought to be far healthier than grain-based carbohydrates.

Weight loss
Programs such as the South Beach, Atkins and Zone diets, are claimed to work because they reduce insulin levels, which in turn causes the body to burn its fat for energy.

As a process, these kinds of diets have been in and out of fashion since the Banting diet appeared in the 19th century. But long before modern scientific invention, anecdotal and holistic prescriptions, containing passages about limiting certain foods, including foods of mostly carbohydrates, have appeared throughout history. Although strong evidence suggests, and general agreement claims, that low carb diets can help achieve weight loss, some have been controversial among nutritionists, and their relative safety has been challenged.

Differences between low-carbohydrate diets
Low-carb diets are largely distinguished by the proportions of carb intake they recommend, and the method or methods used to determinine which source or sources of carbohydrates should be consumed and which should be avoided. While all agree that processed sugar should be eliminated, or at the very least greatly reduced, they often differ on the recommended levels of grains, fruits and vegetables, though there is broad agreement that, in general, vegetables are better than fruits, and fruits are better than grains.

Food producers have ascribed a commercial impact to the growing popularity of low-carbohydrate diets in recent years. For example, in May 2004, New World Pasta filed for bankruptcy protection, claiming that low-carbohydrate diets were reducing demand for pasta. In the same month, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts warned investors that its earnings would be below projections, and blamed low-carbohydrate diets on reduced demand for its products.

Other producers have taken advantage of the trend. In response to consumer demand for low-carb foods, the food industry has been marketing low-carb products in recent years and restaurants are increasingly offering low carb menus. These items typically replace carbohydrate-laden wheat flour with high-protein soy flour and replace sugar with artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and sugar alcohols.

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Low carb stupidity Believing that carrots, bananas or tomatoes are fattening because they’re high on the glycemic index and because a popular fad diet book says so.

Low carb intelligence Have Americans lost any remaining grip with common sense? With an average banana coming in at 120 calories do you really think that this yellow, nutrient-dense, low-calorie, all-natural, straight-out-of-the-ground fruit is going to make you fat? Compare that to the average serving of salad dressing which clocks in at over 160 calories with absolutely no redeeming nutritional value. Perhaps carrots, bananas and tomatoes have 5-10 more calories per serving than broccoli or cucumbers but try them against a low carb bar which clock in at typically over 200

Low Carb Stupidity Believing calories don’t count if you just count carb grams. Didn’t we go through this years ago when we were a nation of fat gram counters ??

Low carb Intelligence

1. Knowing that fat loss or gain always did and always will boil down to the fact that if you eat more than you burn you will gain weight. If you eat fewer calories than you burn you will lose weight .

2. Taking the time to understand the caloric value of the foods that you are eating

3. Learning to eat appropriate SINGLE servings instead of supersizing everything.

4. Keeping a food journal and taking some time to preplan and avoiding mindless boredom or stress eating

5. Knowing that the June issue of consumer reports shows that Low-carb versions of comfort foods — bread, pasta, and ice cream — often contain more fat and calories than regular versions

Low carb Stupidity Carbohydrates Make you fat, Protein makes you lose weight – We all know who started this one! People have somehow gotten it into their heads that weight gain is all about the carb grams, not the calories. People who quote this myth won’t touch a potato (100 calories, 0g fat), but then proceed to eat a 16oz steak for dinner (915 calories, 57g fat). They’ll refuse the hamburger bun (120 calories, 2g fat) but take an extra meat patty to make up for it (500 calories, 32g fat)

Low Carb Intelligence –

1. Realizing that If you eat more than you burn you will get fat, regardless of the source

2. Realizing that if you eat less and you will lose weight –

3. Knowing that Some people on low-carb diets do lose weight initially, but this is due to primarily to the fact that they have cut overall calories or have lost an abundance of water and lean muscle.

4. Understanding that overdosing on protein and cutting out carbohydrates does not equal successful weight loss. It does, however, mean missing out on vital nutrients from healthy carbohydrate foods which should be part of any well-balance diet. If you’re considering a low-carb diet, remember to count your calories and nutrients first. You should also consult your doctor or health professional before making this life-style change.

Low Carb Stupidity Eating lots of manufactured, over processed, chemical laden low carb foods and thinking you’re “being good” and “following your diet.”

Low Carb Intelligence

Realizing that natural, unrefined foods are one of the keys to lifelong weight control and that anything man-made and refined is neither healthy or an ideal “diet” food This bandwagon remind me of the “no fat” craze, when all those “fat free” foods were being passed off as healthy diet food, but were really highly processed and full of pure sugar and sodium –

Low carb stupidity – Selecting your beer or liquor carefully to make sure you have the brand with the fewest grams of carbs.

Low carb intelligence

1. Realizing that a few grams of carbs dont make all that much of a difference and that most lo carb beers have the same caloric content as lite beers Avoiding alcohol if youre trying to lose body fat.

2. Drinking only in moderation if youre trying to lose weight and be healthy

Low carb stupidity Thinking that very low carb (ketogenic) dieting is a maintainable lifestyle.

Low carb intelligence

1. Understanding that reasonable (moderate) restriction of carbs can be a helpful short term strategy for fat loss, a legitimate method to control appetite, and an effective way for some people to control insulin.

2. Understanding that there are no bad foods only inappropriate amounts

3. Understanding that the fact that most Americans eat when they are not hunger and dont stop when they are full NOT carbs are the reason that 66% of Americans are overweight.

4. Understanding that a balanced diet of natural foods is probably the most suitable of all the diets for health, lifelong maintenance and weight control.

Low carb stupidity Believing that if you cut your carbs you do not need to exercise to lose weight and maintain that loss long term

Low carb intelligence Knowing that dieting is the worst way to lose fat and that exercise in combination with a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to lose fat permanently

Low carb stupidity Using the argument; Theres no such thing as an essential carbohydrate as justification for low carb dieting.

Low carb intelligence Realizing that textbook definitions of essential can be taken out of context to promote a fad diet and that just because theres technically no essential carbohydrates (as there are essential amino acids and fatty acids) doesnt mean carbohydrates arent essential in other respects.

Low carb stupidity Using the argument, You have to eat fat to lose fat as justification for a high fat, low carb diet, without explaining it or putting it in context (exactly how much fat and what kind of fat?)

Low carb intelligence Understanding the importance of essential and omega three fats (the good fats), but not taking any single nutritional principle to an extreme (such as, If a little fat is good for you then a lot is even better.)

Low carb stupidity Not clarifying your definition of low carbs.

Low carb intelligence

1. Realizing that there are very low carb diets, low carb diets, and moderate carb diets and that you cannot classify them all together. (Some people consider The Zone Diet, at 40% of calories from carbs, a low carb diet, others consider 40% carbs quite high).

2. Understanding the importance of carbs as a portion of your total caloric intake

Low Carb Stupidity Thinking that all carbs are bad

Low carb intelligence Understanding that there is quite a difference between an over processed, refined donut and a wholesome, nutrient laden potato .

Low carb stupidity Going on the Atkins diet (or any other very low carb/ketogenic diet) with absolutely no idea why youre doing it or how it works (going on it because everybody is doing it and because you see it advertised everywhere.)

Low carb intelligence

Understanding that most of the weight loss is due to fluid loss .

Realizing that Americans eat an average of 200 calories a day more than they did 10 years ago and move far less

Understanding that if you eat 10 calories a day more than your body needs you will gain 10 pounds a year and blaming “Carbs for the weight gain

Understanding that unless you make changes towards an overall healthful lifestyle most people will gain all their weight back the minute they go off the diet

Low Carb Stupidity Believing that if you eat zero net-carbs, you will lose weight won’t gain weight . Buying into the carb-counting craze, food manufacturers have come out with a new term to sell their products. “Net carbs” is a deceptive way to count only the negligible carbohydrates that come from artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, and ignore the others from starch and regular sugars.

Low Carb Intelligence

Realizing that sugar alcohol and fiber are not “nothing”, they still have calories

Understanding that “Low-carb” labels are meaningless. In manufacturing low-carb products, sugars are replaced with “unnaturally high concentrations” of sugar alcohols, refined grains, and starches — all of which are carbohydrates and contribute to caloric intake.

3. Understanding that because these “replacement carbs” move through the small intestine without getting absorbed, manufacturers subtract them from the carb content. That’s the “net carbs” number listed on the product label

4. Realizing that the recent focus on low carbs will continue to draw people away from healthy eating and just provide them with another excuse to live off junk food

5. Remember, any “low net-carb” claim is diverting your attention away from the fat and calorie content of a food.

About The Author

Copyright © Custom Bodies, Inc. 2004

Article written by Dianne Villano, President of Custom Bodies Personal Training and Weight Loss Programs. Dianne is a personal fitness instructor certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine with over 16 years of experience who specializes in weight loss programs and programs for beginners. For more articles or free fitness tools visit www.custombodiestampabay.com.

Written By: Dianne Villano, CPFI

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The terminology “low-carb” wasn’t really coined until around 1992 when the USDA announced America’s model food pyramid included six to eleven servings daily of grains and starches. However, low-carb dieting dates back more than 100 years before the trendy Atkins diet to 1864 with a pamphlet titled Letter on Corpulence written by William Banting, as close to the first commercial low-carb diet as you could get. Banting had suffered a series of debilitating health problems due mainly to being overweight or “corpulent”. He searched in vain for cures to his weight problem, which many doctors at that time believed to be a necessary side effect of old age. He also tried eating less but he continued to gain weight and have various health problems. He could not understand how the small amounts of food he was eating led to his weight problem:

“Few men have led a more active life – bodily or mentally – from a constitutional anxiety for regularity, precision, and order, during fifty years’ business career, from which I had retired, so that my corpulence and subsequent obesity were not through neglect of necessary bodily activity, nor from excessive eating, drinking, or self indulgence of any kind, except that I partook of the simple aliments of bread, milk, butter, beer, sugar, and potatoes more freely than my age required…”

Many contemporary Americans on the go may recognize Banting’s previous unhealthy daily diet:

“My former dietary table was bread and milk for breakfast, or a pint of tea with plenty of milk, sugar, and buttered toast; meat, beer, much bread (of which I was always very fond) and pastry for dinner, the meal of tea similar to that of breakfast, and generally a fruit tart or bread and milk for supper. I had little comfort and far less sound sleep.”

Just substitute a Pop tart, doughnut or muffin with coffee and plenty of cream and sugar for breakfast, a fast food burger and fries with a super-sized soft drink for lunch and a frozen pot pie or pizza for dinner followed by dessert and you can see how Banting’s diet was so much like the typical fast-paced modern day Americans.

When his physician placed these items on a “forbidden foods list,” Banting lost 50 pounds and 13 inches in one year. He kept it off, living a long and much healthier life.

His new diet plan consisted of a number of meat dishes and he listed it as follows:

“For breakfast, at 9.00 A.M., I take five to six ounces of either beef mutton, kidneys, broiled fish, bacon, or cold meat of any kind except pork or veal; a large cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar), a little biscuit, or one ounce of dry toast; making together six ounces solid, nine liquid.

For dinner, at 2.00 P.M., Five or six ounces of any fish except salmon, herrings, or eels, any meat except pork or veal, any vegetable except potato, parsnip, beetroot, turnip, or carrot, one ounce of dry toast, fruit out of a pudding not sweetened any kind of poultry or game, and two or three glasses of good claret, sherry, or Madeira- Champagne, port, and beer forbidden; making together ten to twelve ounces solid, and ten liquid.

For tea, at 6.00 P.M., Two or three ounces of cooked fruit, a rusk or two, and a cup of tea without milk or sugar; making two to four ounces solid, nine liquid.

For supper, at 9.00 P.M. Three or four ounces of meat or fish, similar to dinner, with a glass or two of claret or sherry and water; making four ounces solid and seven liquid.

For nightcap, if required, a tumbler of grog (gin, whisky, or brandy, without sugar)-or a glass or two of claret or sherry.”

So great were the changes in his appearance and health that his friends and acquaintances began to notice and just like today wanted to know what diet he was on. Most important of all Banting could feel and see a difference himself.

“I am told by all who know me that my personal appearance greatly improved, and that I seem to bear the stamp of good health; this may be a matter of opinion or friendly remark, but I can honestly assert that I feel restored in health, “bodily and mentally,” appear to have more muscular power and vigour, eat and drink with a good appetite, and sleep well. All symptoms of acidity, indigestion, and heartburn (with which I was frequently tormented) have vanished. I have left off using boot-hooks, and other such aids, which were indispensable, but being now able to stoop with ease and freedom, are unnecessary. I have lost the feeling of occasional faintness, and what I think a remarkable blessing and comfort is, that I have been able safely to leave off knee-bandages, which I had worn necessarily for many years, and given up the umbilical truss.”

His how-to dieting book became very popular and was translated into multiple languages. However, over time it was abandoned.

Banting noted in Letter on Corpulence that a common health paradox of our time did not exist in his. This was the paradox of obesity, widely believed to be a problem of excess, among the poor. The poor of the 19th century could not afford the refined sugary foods that cause weight gain. But poor people of the 21st century sure can today.

In a recent Associated Press article titled, “Health Paradox: Obesity Attacks Poor”, the reporter noted that many poor families are stretching their food dollars by purchasing unhealthy processed and refined foods. Of one family Barbassa wrote,

“During winter, jobs are scarce, so Caballero feeds her husband and three children the cheapest food she can get: potatoes, bread, tortillas… As processed foods rich in sugar and fat have become cheaper than fruits and vegetables, the poor in particular are paying a high price with obesity rates shooting up, followed by diabetes.”

Unfortunately for the Caballero family, these cheap staples are bad for their health. Fresh meat, low-starch fruits and vegeta-bles may be more expensive and have a shorter shelf life, but they are definitely worth the price in saved medical expenses and better health.

Throughout the years, as “calories” became known, variations of counting them were included in dietary solutions. And a variety of other issues were explored like how many of which foods should be eaten and how frequently.

While Banting’s diet eventually fell out of favor, low-carb diets did begin appearing again in the 20th century. The most famous of these are the Atkins and Scarsdale diets that came to popularity in the 1970s. While Scarsdale has a set 14 day meal plan that must be followed and greatly restricts calories, the Atkins diet allowed for unlimited calorie consumption as long as those calories were from protein, fat and vegetables and carbs intake was kept low.

Atkins and Scarsdale fell out of favor in the 1980’s as the U. S. Department of Agriculture encouraged the consumption of grains and grain products with the USDA food pyramid.

It was only in the 1990’s that we began to see a return to low-carb dieting that seems to be more than a fad. It’s a lifestyle! As more and more people realize the weight loss and other health benefits that are available to people who eat low-carb, the number of diets and stores that sell specialty low-carb products continue to rise.

In a nutshell, most low-carb diets carry the same basic premise: that too much of simple, refined carbohydrates leads to over overproduction of insulin, which leads to the storage of too much fat in the body. This fat storage is especially prominent around the middle.

While there are degrees of difference among the many diets, they all agree on the negative effects that excess insulin production have on our systems.

About the Author

David Riewe is the Editor of Daves Health Buzz. Daves Health Buzz covers a wide variety of health and wellness related topics. Do You Want To Know How to Conquer Obesity? If YES, then Click Below To Read More http://www.daveshealthbuzz.com/conquerobesity

Written By: David Riewe

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Anyone who has been in a grocery store recently knows that food companies are tripping over themselves in the rush to introduce low carb versions of everything from bread to candy to soda to cereal. Do not think for a minute that these companies are motivated by the health interests of consumers. The reality is that they are mainly concerned with the wallets of consumers and will market anything that they think a gullible public will buy. Low carb junk food is still junk food.

I know some of you reading this may already be raising your defenses because you have lost weight by cutting your carb consumption. Let me first congratulate you on your weight loss, and secondly say that this is not an anti-Atkins or anti-South Beach piece. This article is simply meant to educate readers on the reality of carbohydrates, good carb choices vs. bad carb choices, what they do, why your body needs them, and how to make better nutrition choices than food company marketing efforts want you to.

The first thing to understand is that carbohydrates provide the body with its main source of fuel, glucose (blood sugar), which is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Any muscle contraction, whether during exercise, getting out of bed, or blinking an eye, is fueled primarily by glycogen. So, for those of you engaging in resistance training, this should immediately point out the fact that you need carbs for fuel in order to maximize your efforts in your resistance program. The next fact to understand is that your brain (which burns more calories than any organ in the body) and nervous system can only use glucose for energy. This is why, especially in the early or induction phases of carb restricted diets, dieters often feel sluggish and less alert than normal. By cutting out carbs, you are cutting off your brains main source of fuel.

Some of you are probably thinking, Thats exactly what I want, because now my body will need to burn fat for energy! Yes and no. Yes, your body will burn some fat for energy; however it will also generate glucose by breaking down protein stores in the muscles, organs and other tissues. This will severely compromise tissue growth, repair, and maintenance, and as discussed in previous articles, slow down your metabolism. Certainly, that is not the result you are looking for.
As I said, this is not an anti-(insert your favorite low-carb guru here) piece. But, the truth is, carbohydrates are a nutrient, and a nutrient is defined as a substance that an organism must obtain from its surroundings for growth and the sustainment of life. So, does it make sense to follow a program that calls for the wholesale abandonment of vital nutrient? Of course not. What is needed is an understanding of the difference between supportive, quality carbohydrates that provide essential nutrients and fuel, and overly processed and refined carbohydrates that provide empty calories and support fat storage.

What do I mean by overly processed and refined carbs? Think about white bread, donuts, muffins, pastries, white rice, candy, sugary breakfast cereals, white pasta, potato chips, crackers, soda. Foods like these digest very quickly and give your body a rapid spike in blood sugar, which, when fat loss is the goal, is something we want to avoid. After your body takes the blood sugar it needs to replenish muscle glycogen, whatever is left over from that spike will get stored as fat.

What makes supportive, quality carbs different? They digest more slowly, producing a more gradual rise in blood sugar and providing a more even source of fuel. Look for breads and cereals made from whole grains, pasta made from whole wheat flour, brown rice instead of white rice, sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, fruits in moderation and vegetables in abundance. Whole grain carbs will keep you feeling satisfied longer, and not looking to devour a bag of chips within an hour of eating your plain bagel.

So, the lesson is to not get taken over by carb phobia and fill your shopping cart up with all of the new low carb products. Just like in the early 80s when the food manufacturers were frantically trying to come up with low fat versions of every product under the sun, they are doing the same now in order to sell more products, not because they are concerned with your health. Back then, consumers were tanking up on SnackWell cookies. They are low fat, so they must be okay right? Well, since the low fat boom of the 80s, the obesity rate in this country has skyrocketed. That is not because the true culprit is now carbs. No, the reason is because junk food, whether low fat, low carb, or low whatever, is still junk food.

About the Author

Dave Soucy, Fitness Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer, is the owner of Perfect Fit, LLC.

Dave can be reached at (603) 641-8297, via email at news@perfectfitonline.com, or through www.perfectfitonline.com

Written By: Dave Soucy

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Fads fade for a reason. Like pet rocks, low-carb diets will disappear because they just don’t do anything worthwhile. The drop-out rate is high – about 50 percent because the diets are boring and are unpalatable to most people. More than 90 percent of dieters return to their previous weight within 5 years, most of them even sooner. Minor side effects such as headache, fuzzy thinking, irritability, halitosis and constipation are almost universal among Atkins adherents. Severe side effects are, fortunately, rare.

Physicians are concerned that long-term adherence to a high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet may lead to kidney stones, osteoporosis and heart abnormalities. Kidney stones and disturbances of heart rhythm are well-documented complications of the decades-old ketogenic diet (high fat, low protein, low carbohydrate) that paediatricians have used to lower the seizure frequency in children with neurological disorders.

A reputable journal reported in May 2004 that low-carb diets helped people lose weight without causing adverse effects on cholesterol levels. There was joy among food manufacturers, who had already rushed to market low-carb products that covered the spectrum from beer to bonbons. Lost in all this was the cool scientific observation that overweight persons experienced only a moderate weight loss, and that severely overweight individuals lost, on average, only one pound per month during the study year. The cholesterol profiles did, indeed favor the low-carb dieters, but those levels remained high because thats where they started out. Finally, few journalists revealed that the Atkins Foundation funded one of these studies

Those who can successfully navigate the inconvenience and side effects of the low-carb diet and then maintain a significant loss of fat will gain much benefit. The early weight loss, however, is mostly water. Much of the later weight loss consists of lean body mass, mostly muscle. Long-term success depends not only on careful attention to diet, but also to regular exercise. Those who do not incorporate an exercise routine into their life are destined to gain all the weight back, and then some.

In what direction is the low-carb phenomenon going? First, proponents are already backing away from saturated fat. The South Beach diet recognizes that polyunsaturated (from fish) and monounsaturated (from olive oil) fats are not only acceptable, they are essential to good health. Second, the distinction between refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugar) and whole grains is one that needs to be widely disseminated. Third, the low-fat establishment cannot and must not ignore the overwhelming benefits of fruits and vegetables in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

The low-carb craze has probably reached its peak, but remnants will persist for a generation or more, and permutations of it will rise episodically like phoenixes among those who are looking for effortless weight loss. Like the phoenix, that is a myth.

About The Author

Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with a 45-year career in clinical and academic medicine. Dr. Goscienski has written for the Saturday Evening Post and Currents, the national newsletter of the American Heart Association and is a featured writer for North San Diego County Magazine. He has drawn on his interests in biology, anthropology, paleopathology and physical fitness to develop Better Life Seminars, a series of presentations in which he explains how our most distant ancestors lived, and how we can apply this knowledge to extend our healthspan and avoid the major chronic diseases of our age. His book, Health Secrets of the Stone Age is based on his seminars, and on the most recent findings in medical and anthropological research. It is scheduled for a January 2005 release date. You can visit his web site at www.stoneagedoc.com.

Written By: Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.

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There is no question about the fact that the low carb diet is in. Magazine covers proclaim its success, books like Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and The South Beach Diet remain on the top sellers list week after week, and stores that specialize in low carb foods are popping up all over the country.

Low carb products now account for over $2.5 billion dollars in retail sales every year. The effects of this trend can be seen in the grocery store. According to Maureen Putman of the Hain-Celestial Group, sales of high carbohydrate foods such as pasta and bread are down 7.5 and 3 percent respectively. At the same time, sales of foods in the low carbohydrate categories, such as breakfast sausage, are up 7.5 percent.

The Low Carb Diet is based on the theory that over consumption of carbs and the way our bodies process them is a key factor in obesity. The low carb diet restricts processed and refined carbohydrates and limits the consumption of sugar, breads, pasta and starchy vegetables. If the body burns fat and carbohydrates for energy, by limiting carbs it burns fat.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently cited two studies that found people on the low carb diet lost twice as much weight over 6 months as those on a low fat diet, and had the added benefit of improved levels of good cholesterol.

With low carb diets on the rise, its estimated that over 35 million consumers will be seeking low carb versions of the foods they consume. Hain Celestial is among the food companies working to meet the growing need.

We are using our core competencies in natural and better-for-you foods to launch Carb Fit, says Putman. Carb Fit is a complete line of products that leverage demand for low carb products with the increasing demand for natural products, to deliver a strong one-two punch. The initial Carb Fit line up includes snacks from Hain Pure Snax, Pastas from DeBoles and Cookies from Health Valley.

* Carb Fit Pasta from DeBoles contains only 9 net carbs (the carbohydrates that can be digested and processed by the body as dietary carbohydrate and therefore directly impact blood sugar) per serving, 75 percent less carbs than regular pasta (42 grams), and comes in 4 of the top selling shapes — spaghetti, elbow, penne and rotini.

* Carb Fit Cookies from Health Valley contain only 6 to 7 net carbs per serving, compared to regular cookies 30 to 45 grams. And like all Health Valley products, they contain no hydrogenated oils or trans fats. Varieties include Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter and Almond.

* Carb Fit Soy Nuts from Hain Pure Snax, in Salted and Red Hot varieties, contain only 5 net carbs and have the healthful benefits of soy. Carb Fit Twirls also contain just 5 net carbs, compared to regular snacks 15 to 20 grams. They come in two delicious flavors, nacho and ranch.

These products are just the first in a line-up of over 45 products across 21 categories expected to roll-out over the next few months from The Hain Celestial Group. For more information about Hain-Celestials Carb Fit line, log onto www.carbfit.com or call (800) 434-4246.

About the author:

Courtesy of ARA Content

Written By: ARA

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A low carb diet, also known as a low carbohydrate diet, is a diet program designed to promote weight loss while restricting the consumption of carbohydrates. The theory behind a low carb diet is that carbohydrates consumption is linked to increased insulin levels and obesity. Some nutritionists have varying opinions regarding the validity and safety of a low carb diet, but others refer to the strong evidence lending truth to the claim that a low carb diet can actually promote weight loss.

A low carb diet specifically consists of eliminating or reducing foods that contain sugar, grains and starches. With each of these products being labeled as carbohydrates, they are replaced with other foods containing increased fat and protein. Many people enjoy vegetables as part of a healthy diet and while they too are classified as carbohydrates, they are believed to be much healthier than grains.

As with most diet programs, there are two sides to the story with individuals who oppose and those who agree with the approach. Specifically, some experts believe that low carb diets carry their own risks and possible side effects, including headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and/or dehydration. By lowering or eliminating dietary fiber, many believe that constipation may also occur as a result of the fiber absence. In addition, some believe that the replacement of cholesterol and foods high in saturated fat my increase the risk of developing heart disease. There are also some concerns that kidney problems may ensue as a result of the organs becoming overworked, but there are no scientific studies to support this theory as of yet.

The acceptance of low carb diet foods have had various impacts on some of the worlds largest food producers. Pasta makers, for example, suffered a reduction in the need for their products and believed that the loss was connected to low carb diets. A popular doughnut manufacturer admitted that earnings were lower than usual and associated the reduction with low card diets, which reduced the demand for their product as well. Several companies, on the other hand, watched as their profits were on the rise as they promoted low carb products in stores and restaurants.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or a nutritionists recommendation. Prior to beginning any dietary program, including a low carb diet, individuals should consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or an appropriate path toward weight loss.

About the Author:

To find out more about low carb diet, please visit our website at www.best-low-carb-diets.info . It contains tons of free low carb diet articles, resources and tips.

Written By: Rory Peters

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