Low Carb Diets

These days low carb diets are getting more and more popular. Carbohydrates are seen as the main cause of putting on pounds, and many people are embarking on high protein and low carbohydrate diets in order to lose weight. There are many benefits of low carb diets, but they also come with a few risks as well.


What Are Low Carb Diets?

Low Carb diets are basically diet plans that have either entirely eliminated, or drastically reduced the amount of carbohydrates one is allowed to eat, throughout the duration of the diet. These diets have a well balanced combination of non carbohydrate food items that are especially designed to help one lose weight.

How Long Should Low Carb Diets Be Followed For?

Low carb diets ideally should not be followed for more than two weeks. Carbohydrates are also an essential food group, and unless you are extremely over weight, you should try to include a few complex carbohydrates like whole grains into your diet. Low carb diets contain a lot of high protein and high fiber food items.

What Are The Constituents Of a Typical low carb Diet Plan?

A typical low carb diet plan will allow you to consume egg whites, legumes, vegetables (except potatoes and other starchy roots), fruits (except bananas and other high sugar fruits), and a limited amount of meat. All kinds of white bread, pastries, cereals, rice, and pasta are off limits and only whole grain cereals and breads are allowed to be consumed in limited quantities. In low carb diets most certified health professionals also prescribe a calcium supplement for you to consume, as loss of calcium from the body is one of the major side effects of these diets.

Disadvantages of a Low Carb Diet:

One of the most major disadvantages of a low carb diets is the loss of body muscle tissue instead of fat. Low carb diets are very successful at helping you lose weight, but if they are not followed with a good exercise regime and adequate protein intake you may end up losing muscle mass instead of body fat. Restricting carbohydrates also reduces your basic metabolic rate, so this in turn makes you lose weight slower than you were previously losing.

 

Share

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

User Reviews

Reply

Your email address will not be published

8 − 1 =

Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

View all post by HealthStatus Team