To Carb Or Not

Spring Class Schedules:

To Carb Or Not To Carb

Article by Lori A. Geli

Before you skip your morning cereal or resist your craving for bread, you might want to think again. We are being bombarded with advertisements for low carbohydrate diets, but is this all “hype”? We have all seen such diets in the past and some of us have tried them. But we need to ask ourselves if we can be successful with such diets, or are we just setting ourselves up for failure and disappointment.

So what are carbs, and why the big fuss over them? Some background info is in order. Carbohydrates are one of the three major classes of dietary energy sources (the other two are protein and fat). Each gram of carbohydrate by weight provides four calories of energy. These help fuel our muscles and brain, and supply energy.

While all of the nutrient categories provide our bodies with energy, each has its own characteristics, therefore our bodies utilize each of them differently. For instance, protein has a more complex structure than carbs or fat, therefore it’s used as a muscle building ingredient, and the body takes longer to break down the protein in food to turn into a form that it can work with. Fat on the other hand is high in energy and somewhat more easily broken down. Our bodies need fat primarily to maintain the nervous system (including the brain), and for long term energy storage. Carbs are in between, with simple carbs (found in fruit juices, table sugar, plants, etc) being the most easily broken down for quick energy needs, while complex carbs take longer to break down, and thus are a more stable source of energy for daily activities.

As to the reason of why we should keep carbohydrates in our diet, it’s very simple. Without enough carbs in our diet, we are left weak, light-headed and tired. How can we be expected to keep our busy schedules and then also have enough energy for a beneficial workout at the gym? When we have too few carbs in our diet, we don’t have the energy level we’re accustomed to.

According to the ADA (American Dietetic Association), low carbohydrate diets are known to result in decreased blood flow to the heart. They may also raise the risk of kidney stones and overwork them due to the fact that these diets are designed to induce ketosis (an abnormal state that also occurs in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and starvation). The low levels of fiber in these diets are also not beneficial to your health. Certain low carb diets omit the fruits and vegetables we need to have a nutritionally balanced diet.

The American Heart Association is also in opposition to these diets, stating that they are hazardous to our health. The Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association states, “High-protein, high-fat dietary patterns [while excluding carbs], when followed over the long term, is associated with increased health risks.” Some of these health risks include colorectal cancer, heart disease, impaired kidney function, osteoporosis and complications of diabetes.

The media and many health food sellers publicize the short-term weight loss that occurs with some of these diets. The media typically omits the truth of the risks of such diets as Atkins and South Beach. As we have seen with the drug Phen Phen, the medical facts are usually distorted. Without proper information and knowledge many have taken that drug in the hopes of weight loss while ignoring medical risks.

In addition, the claim that “High-protein diets cause dramatic weight loss” has also been distorted. If one of these diets claims double the weight reduction offered by another, while they are similar in terms of nutritional value and content, what gives?

Researchers say that there just isn’t enough evidence whether to make a recommendation of these low-carb, high-protein diets and there is very little knowledge on their safety in the long-term. George A. Bray, of Louisiana State University states, “a calorie is a calorie”, and low-carbohydrate diets induce weight loss by reducing calorie intake. Bray adds, “Diets do not cure obesity.”

You may be asking what it is that you can do to effectively and safely attain your weight goal at this point. Diets such as the one by Weight Watchers have had great success by attempting to provide varied meals that are enjoyed by most. Spa Lady also offers its own healthy diet, which has been proven quite effective. With both regular activity and limited calories combined, you can reach your goal sooner than you would if you focused on only one of them. It may take a little longer to do so, but it will most likely be a weight loss that you can maintain on a more persistent basis. The key is to use a balanced approach to dieting and exercising, and to stay informed about both. †

Editor’s note: While researching various information sources and web sites for this article, the author searched for more positive material to report on the claimed benefits of low-carb, high-protein diets but found that it was extremely difficult to obtain such information that was not from a biased web site or source. During her research the author was able to locate just one paragraph from a non-biased source, which stated that there is a way to be on a low-carb, high-protein diet that is healthy. The advice given was to not go overboard and throw out important nutrients that are needed for our health and that a healthy low-carb diet should consist of 40-45 percent of calories from carbohydrates. Keeping fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, milk and yogurt while decreasing simple sugars such as cookies, soda and candy appeared to be an effective approach. If anything, it is the sheer amount of misinformation out there that appears to be the biggest problem facing those who wish to become better informed about the author’s subject in this article.

Sources used in this article: ivillage.com, atkinsdietalert.com, suewidemark.com, Consumer Reports magazine (June 2004), WebMd.com