Low Carb Tips

Over the last twenty five years the most common questioned asked me by frustrated exercisers, has been what exercise routine will get me the body I desire? My answer is always the same. They need to start exercising better judgement and learn that exercise alone will not solve their body composition problem. I believe the number one reason for starting an exercise program is weight reduction, even before fitness and health concerns. Exercise by itself is a poor weight manager and it increases the need for better nutritional requirements. I believe I would receive very little disagreement that a combination of nutrition and exercise is the answer to improvement in weight loss ( fat loss ), fitness and health risk concerns. With obesity reaching epidemic rates and the drop out rate of most health clubs remaining high this article intent is to lay the foundation why exercise and low carbohydrate diets are poor partners.

Over the last three decades I have seen extreme changes in the macro nutrients ( proteins, carbohydrates and fats ) combinations in our quests for the ideal body. Everything from high carbohydrate, low fat, high protein, to the current low carbohydrate craze has bombarded us, though the failure rates in managing our weight continue to rise. The problem lies in our bodies ability to adapt to change, especially extreme change. If your goal is to lose fat you must provide your muscle enough quality fuel without being over fueled. This is especially true if your goal to lose fat includes exercise. The secret is not found in elimination of macro nutrients, but in management of them. Understanding how to fuel your muscles prior to exercise sessions and replacing fuel after workouts is critical or your body will break down muscle for fuel.

Understanding how our muscles use the calories we eat as fuel for muscle contraction is the first step in knowing what to do and not to do. A basic nutritional knowledge tells us that proteins repair and rebuild cells, carbohydrates energize cells and fats provide hormonal foundation for cells. When we lack balance in protein, carbohydrates and fats are bodies adjust and can use all three as a source of fuel for muscle contraction and cellular energy. Though energy is needed for all cellular function, the focus of this article is muscle contraction and body composition. All muscle contraction derives energy from adenosine triphosphate or ATP. The primary source of ATP comes from glucose, which is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen ( glucose and water ). Muscle contraction during anaerobic activity ( resistance training ) can use glycogen directly to form ATP. The process is anaerobic glycolysis, meaning it can use the glucose as energy with very little oxygen ( 90% glucose, 5% oxygen and 5% fatty acid ). Our muscles only store enough ATP for short periods of muscle contraction, when depleted leads to muscle failure. The rest period between weight training sets allows additional ATP to be produced. During early stages of aerobic exercise, ATP is again created primarily from glucose until the heart and lungs provide enough oxygen to the muscles to allow fatty acids to be used to create ATP. So there you have it during resistance training and the beginning stages aerobic training the primary source of fuel is glucose.

This supports my claim that low carb diets and exercise make poor partners. To uncover why, we need to quickly look at the concept behind low carb diets and how they work. Any diet that provides 100 grams or less of carbohydrate daily. This article classifies as low carb diets. This will quickly deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. This by itself is testimony that our muscles primary source of fuel is glucose. Fatty acids stored in the adipose tissue ( fat cells ) are now released into the blood and processed by the liver and some are turned into glucose ( gluconegenesis ) and some remain fatty acids and both provide ATP for muscle contraction. One of the by products of this process is ketone bodies which can provide energy to brain and nervous system. The problem gluconegenesis ( non glucose turned into glucose ) provides fuel to the muscle less efficiently than glycogenesis ( glucose ). The end result is increased muscle fatigue, decreased muscle power, which leads to poor athletic performance.

A recent study performed at the University of Connecticut showed that exercisers who switched from a balanced diet ( proteins, carbohydrates and fats ) to a low carb diet experience the following drops in athletic performance. There was a 7 – 9 percent drop in muscle power and 6 percent drop in VO2 max of cardiovascular performance. Another factor to consider is the recuperation of muscle between workouts is decreased on low carb diets. So why would someone go on a low carb diet, especially when exercising? Because the initial weight loss that comes from the glycogen depletion is believed to be fat loss. We have become so focused on weight loss, that any weight loss is seen as good. As identified earlier in this article glycogen is a mixture of glucose and water and the majority are stored where? You guessed it, the muscle. A large percentage of the initial weight loss is coming from muscle loss. I dont think any exercisers desire is to have smaller muscles as a result of their exercising. The goal of exercise should be to improve body composition, the percentage or ratio of muscle to body fat. This can only be accomplished by losing fat without the loss of muscle tissue. Maintaining muscle mass is vital to sustainable weight control. The following steps will protect your muscles as your losing fat, while reaching your ideal weight and ideal body composition.

FAT LOSS COACH Keys to losing FAT without losing MUSCLE

1. Cycle fat burning days with recovery days.

The secret to losing fat without losing muscle starts with not being too aggressive or extreme with your reduction of carbohydrates. You need carbohydrate management, not carbohydrate elimination. Over the last 12 years, with more than 10,000 clients Ive found by reducing carbohydrates by 20% of daily needs and within 48 hours replenishing the glycogen in the muscle by eating 100% of daily carbohydrate requirements, allows for fat loss, without muscle loss. In essence you have two fat burning days, then a recovery day. By doing this youll have the best of both worlds. You will experience fat loss that averages between 1-2 pounds weekly, while muscles are being well fed. You never drastically deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle so athletic performance is not affected like on a low carb diet.

2. Exercise on days where you are receiving more carbohydrates.

Exercising on days where muscle are getting more carbohydrates for fuel and taking days off from exercise when you are being aggressive about fat loss. One of the most difficult thoughts for exercisers to accept is that most of the results from exercise come when we are not exercising. They come after we exercise and in direct response to how the muscles receive nutrition after exercise.

3. Exercise 1.5 – 2 hours after eating when blood sugar levels and insulin levels are slowly declining.

As insulin levels increase in response to a rise in blood sugar after a meal, the cells are in an anabolic state ( receiving nutrients ). Insulin is the hormone that feeds are cells. As blood sugar levels drop, insulin levels drop and the pancreas produces the hormone glucagon and nutrients stored in the fat cells are released to the blood and used for energy. The management of this blood sugar rise and drop is important. If blood sugar levels go to high insulin feeds the muscle cells and deposits excess into fat cells. If insulin levels go too low, the muscle cells are being under fed. A slow rise in blood sugar provides good nutrition to the muscles and a slow drop allows glucagon to take from the fat cells. Timing your exercise to this blood sugar decline allows the muscles to receive from the fat cells more effectively. It is important to never exercise without having at least one meal left in your day so that muscles can recuperate from exercise.

Final Thoughts

Long term success managing weight starts with the right approach. If you are overweight, the real problem is that you have too much body fat for how much muscle you possess. A body composition solution is needed, not just a weight loss diet. Your goal should be to lose fat without losing muscle or sacrificing your health in the process. To maintain your results your eating habits must develop life long character. Low carbohydrate diets provide initial weight loss, but at the high cost of losingmuscle and reducing metabolism. They are inadequate sources of fuel to support exercise activity, which is vital in maintaining good health. The risks to your health long term makes low carbohydrate diet’s poor solutions for life long weight management.

By Charles Remington

Nutritionist – Founder of THE FAT LOSS COACH – Customized Fat Loss System – 1303 Highland Ave Cheshire, Ct. 06410 – 203-272-0014 – charlie@thefatlosscoach.com

www.thefatlosscoach

Written By: Charles Remington

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The human body is designed to run best on a certain type and balance of fuel. Unfortunately the latest low-carbohydrate fad diets are not fuel that the human body was designed to run on. Low – carbohydrate diets can cause several health concerns over time. Here are the top seven.

1. Gout

Gout is a form of arthritis that occurs when excessive uric acid levels, start to crystalize in joints, leading to pain and inflamation. Uric acid is a waste product in the liver’s metabolism of protein. Excessive amounts of protein may lead to an inability of elimination of uric acid. The FAT LOSS COACH recommends you should not to exceed 1-1.25 grams of protein per lean pound of body weight.

2. Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are hard masses that form in the kidneys when uric acid or calcium oxalate crystalizes and over time form stones. Insoluble fiber found only in carbohydrates reduces the absorption of calcium, which cause urinary calcium levels to drop resulting in prevention of kidney stone’s formation. The FAT LOSS COACH program recommends the consumption of 30 or more grams of fiber daily. This is not attainable on low – carbohydrate diets.

3. Constipation and Poor Intestinal Health

To maintain good intestinal health our bodies require thirty or more grams of fiber daily. Fiber is divided into two types soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is vital in formation of stools and decreases the time process of waste elimination. Low carbohydrate diets are too low in insoluble fiber and increase risk of constipation. Poor transit time of waste material increases risk of certain colon cancers. Insoluble fibers prevent the buildup of mucus on intestinal walls which lead to poor absorption of nutrients into the body. Low carbohydrate diets are inadequate to maintain good intestinal wall health. The FAT LOSS COACH program uses whole grains, oats, beans, fruits and vegetable which are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. This lowers the risk for constipation, irritable bowel, diverticulitis, crohn’s disease, hemorrhoids and colon cancers.

4. Rise in Cholesterol Levels increase Risk Heart Disease

Risk of heart disease increases on a low carbohydrate, low fiber diets. These diets promote excessive amounts of animal protein, cholesterol and saturated fat. Exuberant amounts of protein increase homocysteine, which is a bi product of the amino acid methionine. Many experts believe that high homocysteine levels have many toxic effects which lead to increase risk of heart disease and hardening of arteries. Low carbohydrate, low fiber diets reduce the absorption and elimination of digestive bile in the intestines. Digestive bile is produced in the liver from cholesterol. A decrease in digestive bile production raises blood serum cholesterol levels which increases risk of heart disease. Unlike low carbohydrate diets the FAT LOSS COACH promotes nutritional balance providing 30% protein, 50% high fiber carbohydrates, 20% fat.

5. Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the reduction of bone density, due to the loss of calcium over long periods of time. Several dietary factors increase the risk of osteoporosis. When dietary protein reaches excessive levels, so does the loss of calcium in the urine. Most studies show that a life – long high protein diet results in an increase of osteoporosis. Poor intestinal health due to low fiber diets cause inadequate absorption of calcium in intestines contributing to poor bone formation. This would suggest that all low carbohydrate diets cannot become a life long lifestyle of eating. This is only one of many reasons why low carbohydrate diets provide poor Long Term Weight Control. Interestingly, a diet too low in protein can also increase risk of osteoporosis. There is no one size fits all when managing our weight. All FAT LOSS COACH programs are customized to the individual providing the right balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat.

6. Loss of Muscle and Reduction of Metabolism

Any diet that applies the restriction of calories less than the body’s daily requirements over long periods of time will result in the loss of lean muscle tissue and a decrease in the metabolism. All low carbohydrate diets are focused solely on weight loss. The loss of fat comes at a high cost, which is the loss of lean muscle. The loss of muscle reduces the resting metabolic rate, which is the major cause for rebound weight gain. Research shows 95% of all dieters’ will regain that weight back. WE DON’T FAIL AT DIET’S – DIET’S FAIL US! The FAT LOSS COACH is a nutritional breakthrough because of it’s three day eating cycle, called the GLYCO – CYCLE. The secret is we don’t try to lose fat every day. That would result in losing muscle and reducing metabolism. ( Go to FAT LOSS COACH story to learn how the Glyco – Cycle was discovered ).

7. Poor Exercise Performance and Recovery

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for your muscles and brain. Eating a low carbohydrate diet prevent proper maintenance of muscle and liver glycogen ( storage form of carbohydrate and water ), decreasing muscle performance and increasing muscle fatigue. ATP is the main source of energy for all muscle contraction. When a muscle is used, a chemical reaction breaks down ATP to produce energy. There is only enough ATP stored in the muscle for a few contractions. More ATP is needed. There are three enzyme systems that can create more ATP. The three sources of ATP for muscle contraction are carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acid proteins. Carbohydrates metabolize efficiently and are therefore used first. If carbohydrates are not available, your muscles metabolize fatty acids and amino acids as secondary sources of ATP. These secondary sources are not efficient, which consequently cause your strength and endurance to drop drastically. The FAT LOSS COACH is customized to your amount of muscle and exercise schedule. It provides 50% of your calories from high fiber, low glycemic ( turn into blood sugar slowly ) carbohydrates which are metabolized into muscle energy best. This will lead to increases in strength and muscle endurance.

Final Thoughts

Long term success managing weight starts with the right approach. If you are overweight, the real problem is that you have too much body fat for how much muscle you possess. A body composition solution is needed, not just a weight loss diet. Your goal should be to lose fat without losing muscle or sacrificing your health in the process. To maintain your results your eating habits must develop life long character. Low carbohydrate diets provide initial weight loss, but at the high cost of losing muscle and reducing metabolism. They are inadequate sources of fuel to support exercise activity, which is vital in maintaining good health. The risks to your health long term makes low carbohydrate diet’s poor solutions for life long weight management.

Charles Remington – Nutritionist – Founder of THE FAT LOSS COACH – Customized Fat Loss System – www.thefatlosscoach.com

charlie@thefatlosscoach.com

Written By: Charles Remington

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If I collected a dime for each time Ive seen or heard the word carbohydrate – or picked up a book on the subject, for that matter – Id be a wealthy woman. And of course weve all heard the buzzwords: simple carb; complex carb; high carb; low carb; no carb. But do we really know what a carbohydrate is? And are carbs really as bad and fattening as were told they are?

In this article, Ill make my best attempt to unveil the mystery of the carbohydrate – and why its gotten such a bad rap. After all, its the molecule both scientists and nutritionists know is the main source of the bodys energy.

BASIC CHEMISTRY:

First the boring stuff. The basic chemistry of a carbohydrate. Ill keep it brief: Carbohydrates contain a carbon atom attached to water molecules. This is important because its the structure and size of a carbohydrate which influences the speed by which its converted into glucose (sugar) and then into energy.

WHY ARE CARBS USEFUL?

Before we take a look at the different sizes of carbohydrates, lets look at why they are useful to us. Aside from supplying the bodys energy, carbs are also useful for the proper functioning of internal organs, as well as proper function of the muscles and nervous system.

The most exciting feature of a carbohydrate, in this writers opinion, however, is its ability to aid in protein and fat metabolism.So as it turns out, when used wisely, carbohydrates are actually useful in burning fat. THE THREE PRINCIPAL CARBS FOUND IN FOODS:

Next lets take a look at the three basic carbohydrates found in foods (Still boring but stay with me). They are: simple sugars, starches and fiber.

Simple Sugars come in two varieties. The monosaccharide (meaning one sugar) are quickly digested and almost immediately utilized by the body due to their simple structure (think fruits, fruit juices and honey). The second, disaccharides, act in almost the same way and are one molecule larger. The disaccharides, however, tend to be more of the refined sugars are very sweet to taste (think white sugar, candy etc.)

The second basic type of carb is the starches or what we would consider complex carbs (the polysaccharides): foods such as potatoes, wheat, rice, corn. These carbs are slow to break down and take some time to be converted into energy. Finally, theres the fibers (think bran). Fibers dont have a lot of energetic value, however, they do lend some support to the body. Because they dont add much sugar to the system, they make it further through the pipeline to help with intestinal function and elimination. Moreover, they reduce cholesterol and slow fat absorption. WHY SIZE MATTERS

The theory behind low carbohydrate diets is, when the body consumes too many carbohydrates the excess will become stored by the body as fat. This is true.

When the body ingests a carbohydrate, it aims to convert it to glucose as soon as it can, so that it can be utilized by the body. If there is some excess, no problem, it will get stored as glycogen in the limited space of the muscles. The trouble arises, when the stores exceeded capacity: the remaining molecules are stored as fat in fat cells that can infinitely expand (horrors!).

Yet, what if there was a way to outsmart this system by using the different sizes of carbohydrate molecules to your advantage? What if you could keep the body burning carbs at a steady rate according to the speed of your metabolism and your activity level?

Enter the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a scale which tells you (on a food-by-food basis) the rate at which a carbohydrate is converted into glucose. The scale is calibrated by glucose itself (which is rated at 100). The higher the number the faster the conversion.

First used by diabetics to prevent flux in blood sugar, the glycemic index (GI) has become a popular way to get all the benefits of carbohydrates without the threat of fat storage.

Heres what the scale looks like:

Low GI = 55 or less

Medium GI = 56 – 69

High GI = 70 or more

To see a chart with samples of some favorite foods visit: http://thecompounder.com/GlycemicIndex.html

HOW IS THE GI HELPFUL?

If weight loss or weight maintenance is your goal (isnt it everyones?), creating a diet around lower GI foods will decrease peaks in glucose levels. Its as simple as that.

You can implement this eating pattern by scanning the low glycemic foods and aiming to consume a serving at each meal (Be sure to see the article on food combining in this issue). This will also help you avoid both the highs and lows of the refined sugar rush.

Higher glycemic foods can be useful, too, and are considered the recovery foods. Medium and high GI foods should be consumed for up to two hours after exercise to recover lost carbohydrates and maintain steady blood-sugar levels.

Because metabolism varies from person to person, it would be well worth your time and effort to continue a personal study of the glycemic index. Enjoy your carbs by checking in on your favorite foods and decide when its best to consume them.

Where to get this information: You can get the skinny on the glycemic indexes of all your favorite carbohydrate foods. Check out the searchable data base at: www.glycemicindex.com

In closing, heres a few guidelines to help you put your carbs to good use:

Aim to eat several small meals during the day. Choose one serving of carbs for each, preferably low GI.

When in doubt choose carbohydrates that are naturally occurring such as vegetables and fruits.

Minimize refined sugars whenever possible.

When consuming breads aim for wheat instead of white.

Try to substitute white potatoes with sweet and substitute brown rice for white.

Laura Turner is the Sr. Editor of The New Body News and Wellness Letter: The premier online eZine dedicated to giving you the ‘Insight and Inspiration to Build a Better You.’ Raise your healthy I.Q. Subscribe today for F.r.e.e. visit: http://www.new-body-news.com or send any email to: mailto:newbodynews@getresponse.com.

Written By: Laura Turner

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It is estimated that about 32 million Americans are following some type of low carbohydrate diet. This is the result of fad diet authors claiming that carbohydrates are the cause for Americas rising obesity problems. The backlash against carbohydrates is a result of the low fat craze that started in the 80s.When consumers started cutting down their fat intake, manufacturers figured out that they could create low fat processed food products that the public would buy. Because these products claimed to be fat free, Americans didnt pay attention to the fact that they were not also calorie free, and as a result, the total amount of daily calories has slowly been increasing. In fact, although the total percentage of calories from fat has decreased, the actual amount of fat intake has increased by 10# per year since 1975! The increase of carbohydrate has also increased, at a rate of 20# per year, mostly as a result of highly processed foods.

It is estimated that 3800 calories are now produced for every American man, woman and child. We have evolved from a world of feast or famine, but were in a state of perpetual feast, although our bodies have not changed. We have no defenses against excess calories: Every year, 300,000 to 400,000 deaths in the US are attributed to obesity.

Meanwhile, Asian and Middle Eastern populations consume 50-75% of their calories from rice and have some of the lowest rates of obesity and heart disease in the world. People living in the Mediterranean also have fewer health conditions commonly seen in the US. This diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits. Their diets are rich in fish and low in meats and poultry. Although their fat intake is about the same as in America, the type of fat is primarily monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, where Americans eat primarily saturated animal fats.

Regardless of the actual advantage or disadvange to following a low carbohydrate diet, there are three recommendations for maintaining good health while following such a diet. The first is to choose healthy fats over the unhealthy, saturated fats, when considering fat intake. Examples of healthy fats would be plant fats that have not been hydrogenated, which makes the fat more solid at room temperature. It is believed that hydrogenation is actually more harmful to health than saturated fats found naturally in animal products. Plant fats would include nuts, avocados, and olives. Oils such as olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil are better choices than fats that come from animal sources, such as butter, lard or bacon grease. Multiple studies over the years have shown that excess animal fats lead to higher risks of cancer, heart disease and other inflammatory disorders. Saturated fats have been linked to increased cholesterol, LDL (the bad) cholesterol as well as to increased LDL cholesterol oxidation. In fact, in January 2004, an Atkins representative put out a press release advising the public to decrease their amounts of steak, eggs, and saturated fast to less than 20% of their total fat intake.

The next recommendation to ensure good health is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Although fruits and most vegetables are restricted in the initial phase of some low carbohydrate diets, they are then allowed back in limited amounts. The phytonutrients that come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have been shown to decrease blood pressure, as well as protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Its easy to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, once you get in the habit. Examples are; add some berries to breakfast, eat a tomato at lunch, include broccoli with dinner, drink some vegetable juice with snacks, and have a large salad with your meal.

The final tip to ensure good health is to eat a diet of whole foods, rather than fall back on the easy snack, convenience foods of today. If Americans had just cut down their amount of fat intake in the 80s, without finding new ways to snack, we may not be seeing the epidemic of obesity we see, today. When people started going on the low carbohydrate diets, they eliminated a large number of calories by eliminating snacking, especially at night, where common snacks are chips, crackers, and other high fat, high refined carbohydrate foods, such as ice cream. Today, though, much like in the 80s, manufacturers are now developing low carb and low net carb snack foods. We can now find low net carb chips, crackers, ice cream, popcorn, even low carb pizza! As Americans start to increase their intake of these foods, we will soon see a slowing of the weight loss many had seen initially. In order to call themselves a low net carb food, manufacturers subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates in the product, rather than produce products without carbohydrate. There is no actual FDA standard for what a low net carb food is, yet, though, so right now its anything the manufacturer wants to say it is. These foods also are very high in fat and saturated fat, usually through hydrogenation. So, not only will calories be added back into the diet through resuming unhealthy snack habits, but they will be calories consisting of high amounts of the unhealthy fats.

So, while following a low carbohydrate diet, in order to ensure continued good health, follow these three recommendations: 1) Make most fats you eat the healthy, plant fats, rather than eating a diet high in animal or hydrogenated fats, 2) Eat plenty of nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, which are high in disease-fighting antioxidants, and 3) eat mostly whole, fresh foods and very little processed snack foods, even if they say low carb, in order to avoid hidden and unnecessary fat and calories.

Marjorie Geiser has been teaching health, fitness and nutrition since 1982. She is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and life coach. As the owner of MEG Fitness, Marjories goal for her clients is to help them incorporate healthy eating and fitness into their busy lives. To order her 30-Day Health & Fitness Challenge e-course and learn more about Marjorie, go to her website at www.megfit.com or email her at Margie@megfit.com

Written By: Marjorie Geiser

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Low carbohydrate diets are now the craze in the U.S.A. Fast food stores even offer hamburgers in lettuce rather than in buns (still with the fats of meat and sauces). Breads and pastries modified for lower carbohydrates are now making fortunes for suppliers. “Low carb salads”, still drenched with high fat dressings, are offered for “dieting.”

So what?

This is a costly, stupid, perhaps health threatening fad.

When I was growing up, I did not understand that biblical quotation of “Man does not live by bread alone”, attributed to Moses (old testament, torah) and Jesus (new testament). Well, I understood that the message was meant to be “People have spiritual as well as physical needs.” But I had no idea how people could live very long on bread. At that time, I was used to spongy white bread with no character.

Somewhere along the way, I learned about whole grain breads, and how peasants through the centuries had lived mostly on dark breads that Marie Antoinnette would have rejected, with occasional fortifications of cheese, eggs, sometimes meat. Peasants tended to eat vegetables, but knights and nobles often dismissed such as “farmers’ fare”, preferring lots of meat, alcoholic beverages, pastries. Few people lived long in those days, so statistical studies of life span versus diet were not performed. (Statistics were not well known.)

So I read up on bread recipes, found a few health gurus who argued for blends of whole grain wheat, cornmeal, rye, and soy flour. A fairly recent development is triticale, a long sought hybrid of wheat and rye. Why these blends? It turns out that grains and legumes can provide all the balanced protein that we need, without meat. Verrrry interesting!
Also, such blends contain valuable dietary fiber.

The prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread”, is now explained. Properly made, bread really can be “the staff of life.”

I have learned to love Asian foods that make heavy use of soy beans, such as tempeh and tofu with noodles and stir fry vegetables. I usually am turned off by soy based foods that pretend to be something else, such as soy burgers, soy cutlets, soy cheeses. In fact, the fake foods not only can taste far from real, but those which contain Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HP) inflame my tongue and cause me anxiety, just as foods with a lot of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG).

Side observation: a chunk of land producing balanced protein from grains and legumes can support about 20 times as many people as the same land producing four legged meats. Oh, and the people getting most of their proteins and calories from plant sources are far less likely to have heart attacks, strokes, cancers, et cetera, than the big meat eaters.

I have written elsewhere that selecting sensible foods means one never has to count calories. I’ll go further and say that most carbohydrate restrictions are dumb.

Here are the only carbohydrate restrictions I recommend.
all refined sugars
(cane, beet, high fructose corn syrup, sorghum molasses, maple syrup, etc.)
beer in large quantities
anything made from white flour, even if “enriched”

If you have a craving for sweets that you just can’t break (which I don’t belive), learn how fruits and nuts together can taste very sweet. Also, the unsaturated fat in the nuts (or edible seeds, such as sunflower) will satisfy hunger with no risk to the arteries. My favorite is raisins and almonds, perhaps with some fresh red delicious apple slices.

Pasta, preferably made from whole grains, is healthful, if not served with lots of cheese, oil, sauces which contain oil, sugar, cheese. Noodles with little meat is a main menu item in the Orient.

Oh, about carbohydrates in potatoes: they are harmless if you don’t add butter, margarine, fat from frying, sour cream for topping, and other insults to a great food. People in parts of Central and South America eat little more than potatoes of traditional breeds.

** Diet with FACTS, not MYTHS. **

About the Author

Dr. Donald A. Miller is author of “Easy Health Diet” http://easyhealthdiet.com/diet.htm, “Easy Exercise All Ages” http://easyhealthdiet.com/eeaa.htm, and numerous free articles on health http://easyhealthdiet.com/articles/.
Seven of ten deaths are caused by preventable diseases.

Written By: Dr. Donald A. Miller

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Are low carb diets safe? How safe is Atkins diet? Are low carb and Atkins diets dangerous to your health? These are burning questions for dieters all over the world.

I have personally tried low carb diets and Atkins diet and these diets made me lose weight very quickly. However not only did I lose body fat weight, I also lost muscle weight. I had very obvious muscle and fat loss because I can visually see my reduced muscle mass in the mirror.

This certainly isn’t healthy. Furthermore, the more muscle mass that you lose, the less toned your body shape is. The end result is that you will end up thin and yet looked flabby with lose skin.

The frustrating part will be that after you are off the low carb or Atkins diet, you will very probably gain back all the weight that you have loss and even more. This is because your muscles are active and they continuously burn calories. Since you have less fewer muscle mass now, your body’s metabolism or capacity to burn calories slows down tremendously.

In other words, when you put on weight again, you are putting on body fat instead of muscles if you do not exercise. You will be fatter and less healthy than before you went on the low carb or Atkins diet. To compound matters, because of lesser muscle tissues resulting in lower metabolism and thus lesser calories being burnt, you are going to get fatter.

Since then I have stayed off both low carb and Atkins diet. Both types of diets are almost similar as they require you to cut down drastically on your consumption of carbohydrates. Atkins diet went a step further by advocating almost no carbohydrate consumption for 2 weeks before adding some carbs to your meals gradually thereafter.

Besides losing muscles, how safe are low carb diets? This is what Dr Lyn Steffen and Dr Jennifer Nettleton from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health commentated in a Lancet report, “Low carbohydrate diets for weight management are far from healthy, given their association with ketosis, constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache and general fatigue to name a few.”

The doctors warned that the diet increases protein load on the kidneys and alters the balance of acid in the body. This also results in loss of minerals from the bone stores and affect bone strength. The doctors went on to say that, “Our most important criterion should be indisputable safety and low carbohydrate diets currently fall short of this benchmark.”

Dr Atkins, the creator of the Atkins diet died in 2003 after he was alleged to have slipped on an icy road and hurt his head fatally. However his medical report stated that he had a history of heart attack, hypertension and congestive heart failure.

Were Dr Atkins medical conditions related to his low carbohydrates diet is anybody’s guess. Do you want to take the risk by going on a low carb diet? I don’t think I will. If I ever want to lose weight again, I will rather go on the proven method of healthy eating and regular exercises instead of jumping on any fad diets.

About The Author:

Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of actors, fashion models, pageant contestants and celebs. See his websites for more articles http://www.sgfitness.com and http://www.sgfitnessonline.com

Written By: Chris Chew

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When most people think of low carb diets they automatically think Atkins. For obvious reasons. Dr. Robert Atkins formulated the original low carb diet in 1972 and was met a with a hail of ridicule and negativity from the medical community at large.

The Atkins Diet, since renamed to the Atkins Nutritional Approach, works on a very simple principle. Carbohydrates are what our body normally use to produce energy. If you restrict the carbohydrate intake of a normal person their metabolism changes. Changes? Yes your body looks to the next available energy source which is….fat. So now instead of burning carbohydrates for energy your body does the same thing with your existing fat deposits.

In a low carbohydrate diet you actually increase your intake of fat and pure protein as opposed to reducing it. In theory the more fat you eat the more fat you burn because your body is now using fat for energy. It’s common to see low carb dieters eating enormous steaks smothered in butter with fried eggs and mushrooms on the side. A very high fat meal but also a perfect low carbohydrate meal.

The fat burning process is called lipolysis. As the fat is being broken down for energy a secondary phase called ketosis occurs. Ketones are the fragments of fat being broken down in the process of lipolysis hence the name ketosis.

Ketosis has a single nasty side effect -bad breath. For whatever biological reason the conversion of fat to energy can lead to really, really bad breath. This is a common complaint amongst followers of Atkins and similar low carbohydrate diets.

Amongst some of the bad press that low carb diets receive are worrying stories of people dying while on a low carb diet. These hyped up media tales are tied to one word – ketoacidosis. This particular condition occurs when a person goes on a zero carbohydrate diet and/or suffers from diabetes. During the ketosis phase the blood becomes overly acidic to a critical point. Coma and death can follow quickly if medical attention is not immediately sought.

Does everybody following a low carb diet run the risk of ketoacidosis? Not unless you have a history of diabetes (diagnosed or undiagnosed) and you also totally eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. Even then only a small number of people are actually susceptible to the effects of ketoacidosis when compared to the general population.

The results that low carb diets produce are hard to argue with. Rapid weight loss in a short space of time whilst on a high fat, high protein diet. These results fly in the face of conventional medical wisdom and serve to constantly annoy the established medical community.

Low carb dieting is not going to disappear any time soon. Especially not as long as major Hollywood celebrities are successfully using Atkins and showing off their results to the world media.

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This article was submitted courtesy of the Low Carb Advice website. You can find tons of useful information on low carb diets there. (C) Copyright 2005 Low Carb Advice

Written By: Niall Roche

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Low carbohydrate diets have really taken off over recent years, and the first to show off the effects of these diets are frequently A-list celebrities. We all watch these celebrities being snapped in newspapers and magazines with their svelte new figures, and this encourages the public to switch to the same sort of diet. Low carb eating plans such as the Atkins Diet have been catapulted to worldwide exposure through the recommendations of gorgeous, slim stars that swear by these methods.

Friends’ star, Jennifer Aniston, was a huge follower of low carb dieting, and her super-slim figure encouraged millions of normal people to quickly jump on the low carb bandwagon in the hope of shedding the pounds. Coupling her eating habits with yoga and exercise has helped Jennifer to develop an enviable and world-famous slim figure, making her an icon for millions of women around the world.

The UK’s Catherine Zeta Jones was the envy of millions when she quickly shed the pounds after giving birth to her first child with star husband Michael Douglas. It was soon impossible to tell that Catherine had even given birth, as her figure sprang back to its svelte and firm former state. Jones used a low carb eating plan in order to help her shed the excess weight after giving birth, and this diet along with exercise made it possible for her to be back on screen in record time looking better than ever.

Former UK Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell, was once a curvy and busty redhead. However, with the help of a low carb diet and plenty of yoga, Geri lost a great deal of weight and has spent the last few years sporting a super-slim figure to complement her new, chic look. Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow is also known to be a low carb diet fan, and enjoys supplementing her yoga with a range of low carb foods to keep her waif like figure in shape.

Many stars, both male and female, use low carb diets to shape up for movies, as this enables them to lose excess pounds quite quickly. Movie superstars such as Ben Affleck, have switched to low carb eating plans to get in shape for upcoming movies. Ben was known to favor low carb foods whilst shaping up for his role in Pearl Harbor.

And it’s not just Hollywood actors that use low carb diets to get in shape. Many musicians and pop stars also enjoy low carb diets in order to get them in shape for concerts and tours. This helps them to maintain energy levels as well as slim down and stay trim, an important factor for all stars, who are very conscious of their appearance. Low carb diets have always proven popular with high profile stars, and most low carb eating plans have these celebrities to thank for their popularity and exposure.

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Find out more about Diet and Nutrition at healthandfinesse.com

Written By: Nicky Pilkington

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Low carbohydrate diets will indeed help you to loose weight, but who likes the word “diet” anyway? The secret is to make low carbs a way of life for you and your family. Our bodies are made up of protein, fats, and carbohydrates – and of course, water and vitamins and minerals which all work together to make up our blood system, our tissues, bones, and organs to give us energy everyday. The problem for most people is when these major components get out of balance. Our systems are designed to withstand some turbulence (like eating a whole pizza or a gallon of ice cream) once in a long while, and then it will bounce right back whenever the proper nutrition is again added into the system. But, not major upheavals.

Most of us tend to overdue it on processed carbs. We drink too much soda instead of good clean water, eat drive-thru twice a day, and then come home for a dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes (from a box). This is not a balanced diet! The carb level on a day like this is through the roof! Really, the only thing good here was the chicken (protein) and possibly that little burger that was in-between all that bread and fries from the drive-thru! Where are the fruits and veggies? You need the balance. They do have carbs in them, but “good” carbs, and they also contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are naturally sweetened, too. As you can see, there is little room in this days’ intake to squeeze in some healthy food, so the best suggestion is to lower the carb intake by changing your lifestyle to a low carbohydrate diet.

A simple low carb diet means eliminating those bad, starchy, sugary junk foods, and unnatural foods that come pre-packaged and replacing them with some of the healthy, fresh, or at least canned or frozen veggies and fruits. Reducing the processed food will allow you to take in more protein which makes you feel satisfied longer, and builds tissues and muscle. In the long run, a person who cuts down on their carbs, and beefs up the rest of their metabolism with 8 glasses of water a day, and 15 minutes of exercise, natural types of food, will lose weight on a consistent basis. Let low carbohydrate dieting become a way of life for you, and you will feel much better for much longer.

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This article was written by T.Potter. You can visit Low Carb Guide for further information and low carbohydrate resources.

Written By: T.Potter

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