The Lowdown on Low Carbs
by Lynne Leary-Khater, Optimom Fitness Affiliate
High-protein diets (a current trend these days),
generous in meat, eggs and cheese, may help you
lose weight at first, but research has found
that after one year, they are no more effective
than other diets, and involve some risks.
By avoiding complex
carbohydrates, found in grains, fruits and
vegetables on a high-protein diet, you deprive
your body of some key vitamins, minerals, and
fiber.
A high-protein diet tends
to be high in fat. Most high-fat foods contain
saturated and trans fats and dietary
cholesterol. These fats raise blood cholesterol
levels, increasing the risk for heart disease
and some cancers.
Rapid weight loss, more
than 2 pounds a week, actually signals the loss
of water and lean muscle, not fat.
A high-protein diet can
make kidneys work overtime, which can boost the
risk of dehydration, headaches, and bad breath,
not to mention weakness, nausea, fatigue, and
dizziness.
A protein overload can
cause a condition called ketosis, which is
especially risky for pregnant women and people
with diabetes. Ketosis promotes the
over-production of uric acid, which can lead to
gout and kidney stones.
Eating too much protein
drives calcium and potassium out of the body,
much needed minerals and vitamins that actually
are leeched away when following a high-protein
diet (very controversial, since Atkins
recently died of documented heart disease!).
So what do you do now?
When grocery shopping you’re faced with more
labels on products’ packaging such as Carb Smart
on Breyers ice cream and Light n‘Fit Carb
Control on Dannon Yogurt. Other brands like
Kraft cheese, pasta and even candy is
advertising their low carb foods. Carb Options
even advertises their name on salad dressing
(ranch), Skippy peanut butter and steak sauce
(come on, steak sauce?).
How does this work, and can
it be true? I read the fine print to find out
for myself, and here’s the scoop – When reading
the label or magazine advertisement for these
products an asterik is placed next to the words
net carbs. * Net carbs
are the result of total carbs less grams of
fiber and sugar alcohols, as these have a
minimal impact on blood sugar. Also the
words not a low calorie food are
commonly found on these products.
If you’re counting
calories, as you should be if you are trying to
lose weight, this is not the way to go. Kraft
lists at the bottom of their print
advertisements “If you’re counting carbs, you
should be counting calories too”. These
companies have found a way to lure the consumer
into buying these products solely on the fact
that they are a “low carb food”. The nutrient
breakdown is the subtraction of fiber (not
counted as a nutrient), because fiber has no
calories but is listed in grams for purposes of
bulk. Your RDA (required daily allowance) for
fiber is at least 20-25 grams per day. Yes you
may have gas or feel bloated when consuming high
fiber in raw vegetables and fruit, but you’re
not gaining weight – dense calorie weight – from
these foods. Sugar alcohols (replacing raw
sugar which is 100% carbohydrates) are found in
imitation sugar. Another gas producing food,
but you can’t gain weight from it. The products
are aimed toward weight loss, but essentially
they are offering products for consumers
watching their sugar intake, i.e. diabetics.
That is what’s in the fine print.
Peanut butter, cheese, ice
cream and chocolate are not high carb foods by
any means anyway. They are high in fat. Grams
of carbohydrates hold water in your body, which
may make you appear to weigh more. Protein and
fat have 9 calories per gram, and carbohydrates
only have 4 calories per gram.
If you are a “carb addict”,
who enjoys large quantities of bread, cereals,
pasta, bagels and other processed foods, make
better choices. When cutting back on carbs, by
preparing for a fitness event (or the summer
season of bikinis), I will eliminate white flour
and sugar from my diet. I replace these foods
with brown rice (if you must have white, rinse
first to remove additional starch), millet bread
(only 1 slice per day or none at all), long
cooking oatmeal or millet, and plenty of raw
fruits and vegetables. Whole wheat pasta has
less carbohydrates, because the wheat grain
hasn’t been processed as much as the white
pasta. (Even cake mix was stacked at a local
health food grocery, as a “low carb” cake. I
picked it up to read the ingredients. It was
almond flour. Hmm, never mind the fact that it
doubled your fat and calories per slice, albeit
unsaturated fat). Don’t eat any baked and
processed foods if you can help it, until you’ve
reached your desired weight. Then gradually add
them back in as a treat rather daily.
When choosing protein over
carbohydrates, why reach for fat laden bacon and
eggs? Fluffy egg whites with roasted turkey
breast offer the same amount of protein without
all the unhealthy fats. Instead of a steak,
choose white fleshed fish or skinless chicken
breast. Try rolling up your turkey on romaine
leaves and load up on salad.
Your brain runs on
carbohydrates. Carbs are not evil. They are
part of a balanced diet. When stripped of their
nutrients and bleached, processed and
preservatives are added, they may become evil
villains in our bodies.
We should never have to
count carbs, never mind calories, in our steak
sauce….ever!
Lynne Leary-Khater, a
personal trainer, Pilates instructor, writer,
and former fitness model, her husband George,
and 3.5 y.o. son Colin are expecting their next
baby in April. Lynne welcomes your thoughts and
feedback. You can reach her at
lkhater@comcast.net.
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