Why do people go on a low carb diet? The most popular reason is to lose weight, but a low carb diet will also help to control your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. When the carbs are reduced in the diet, increased protein and fats are consumed with some of the diets regulating exactly which proteins and fats are allowed.

How do low carbohydrate diets help you lose weight? Carbohydrate is used as fuel for energy. Any carb that is not immediately burned is stored in the body as fat, to be available at some future time for energy.

So, if you constantly eat more carbs than you can burn, you will increase your body fat and put on weight. If you restrict the amount of carbohydrate in your diet, your body will need to find another source of fuel for energy; this alternate fuel source is your body fat. On a low carb diet, you burn fat and lose weight.

Some of the low carb diets, like Atkins, heavily restrict carbs, forcing the body to burn fat. Other diets, like Zone and South Beach are less severe, while some others only restrict the type of carbs that raise blood sugar levels quickly. These high glycemic index carbs are the ones that are digested quickly and released into the blood, causing blood sugar to spike but you feel hungry again soon after.

What are the pros (advantages) of a low carb diet? The “famous” low carb diet plans advocate that the modern diet is unnatural, and that humans evolved on a low carbohydrate diet. They believe that the modern trend of excessive carbs in the diet is the cause of obesity, diabetes and other health issues, like high cholesterol and blood pressure. Scientific research has, in fact, proven that replacing carbohydrate with protein and fat will increase “good” cholesterol in the blood, and lower the “bad” cholesterol.

What are the cons (disadvantages) of a low carb diet? The critics of low carb diets hold a different view to those who advocate them. This group claims that it isn’t carbs that cause obesity. They claim that obesity is caused by the over-eating calories from all food sources combined with a lack of activity. Also, a diet high in protein has been linked with kidney problems, osteoporosis and some cancers.

So, what is the answer? If you want to lose weight, try limiting your consumption of high glycemic foods – sugars, highly processed foods, pre-prepared foods that have added sugar, and fast food. Eat lean protein, whole grains, several serves of fresh fruit and vegetables every day and drink 8 glasses of water. Add in some mild form of exercise (walking for 30 minutes is great) on most days of the week. This type of low carbohydrate diet may be all you need to lose weight.

So, which one is best?

Well, I think that depends on your own preferences and how you like to eat. Some folks do very well on a low carb diet eating green leafy veggies and lots of meats. Others, like myself, don’t care too much for meat and struggle. The similarity between the two, is that each way of eating will help feel fuller longer, therefore you will eat less food, ingest less calories and lose weight. Of course, neither one will work if you ignore your body and
overeat at every occasion!

Most low carb foods are also low glycemic index foods and are acceptable for a gi diet, but many low glycemic index foods are high carbohydrate foods and not acceptable on a low carb diet. This being the case, it stands to reason that meat lovers will tend to do better with low carb, and fruit and veggie lovers may thrive with low gi.

Here’s a brief comparison of the two
below – for a more in depth comparison see our article Low GI Diet VS Low Carb Diet.

Low Carb Diet

• Has restrictive phase in beginning
• Huge weight loss in first 2 weeks
• Higher carb foods severely restricted or not allowed at all
• Is high in fat (other than the South Beach Diet which emphasizes lower fat eating)
• May not allow a lot of fruits and vegetables
• Focus is on limiting all types of carbs

Low Gi Diet

• Focus is on eating “good”carbs which are low in the glycemic index
• Allows for gradual and consistent weight loss
• All foods permitted – low gi and high gi foods can be mixed in a meal to create a lower gi meal
• Fiber rich eating
• You get plenty of vitamin and antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables as well as natural foods
• Many more choices for vegetarians

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Thanks and enjoy,

Lee Dobbins