Is a Low Carb Diet Effective?
Plus, learn the TRUTH about low carb foods.

Yes, a low carb diet is VERY effective, and the research proves it. Study after study shows the impact that a low carb diet has not only on weight loss, but also blood sugar and cholesterol. But most low carb foods are VERY unhealthy, especially the packaged products. We'll discuss this later.

Let's first discuss the difference between "good" carbs and "bad" carbs.

What are "good" carbs and what are "bad" carbs?

When I talk about carbohydrates, I'm referring to the starchy carbs like grains (flour, bread, cereal, oatmeal, pasta), rice, potatoes, corn, and any kind of sugar (including fruit). Vegetables are also a type of carbohydrates, but most vegetables are GOOD carbs, and we all need to eat more of this type of carb. The best (low-carb) vegetables are the green ones.

If you are at a healthy weight, and have no disease (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high cholesterol, etc.) it is ok for you to consume the "bad" carbohydrates in small amounts. But most of us do not fall into this category, so we need to strictly limit the amount of carbs that we eat. Doing this will help most people to achieve a healthy weight and vastly improve their overall health. (Many people have even been "cured" of their diseases through a high-vegetable, low carb diet.)

Why do we gain weight when we eat too many carbohydrates?

Here's a view into how the body handles carbohydrates:
Our bodies cannot store large amounts of carbohydrates; we are only built to store very small amounts. We are meant to use the glucose in the carbohydrates for burning through activity. But our diet (especially the "standard American diet") is VERY high in carbs. Because we cannot possibly burn off all that glucose, it gets converted by insulin into fat. Then that fat is stored in our stomachs, hips, thighs, and chins.

When we eat something that's high in carbohydrates, it causes a rapid rise in blood glucose (or "blood sugar"). This signals the pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. The insulin lowers the blood sugar, and makes this sugar available to our cells for energy. Any excess blood sugar that is not used for energy (activity, exercise) must be stored for future use. Unfortunately, the way this is stored is in our fat tissue.

It gets worse. When we consistently eat foods that are high in carbs, our insulin levels become chronically high. High insulin levels suppress two other important hormones (glucagons and growth hormones) that burn fat and sugar and promote muscle development. So eating excess carbohydrates not only promotes fat, it also makes it harder to lose that fat, and creates a vicious cycle.

Dr. Atkins would be proud. More research supports the use of a low carb diet, and its long-lasting effect on weight loss.

In the March 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers at Stanford University found that premenopausal overweight and obese women who followed the Atkins diet lost more weight than women who followed the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets. Their conclusion: "A low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss" (Gardner, Kiazand, Alhassen, et al).

This is just the latest in a long string of studies that are now showing the benefit of a low carb diet for effective, lasting weight loss.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to finally break the addiction to grains, potatoes, and sugar. Go through your kitchen and TOSS everything that's a grain, potato, or sugar (or made with any of those things). That includes anything that ends in -ose (that ending means "sugar"): fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, etc. I find that not having the "bad" stuff in the house makes a HUGE difference in my weight loss success.

The TRUTH about Low Carb Foods

My diet for weight loss IS a low carb diet, but it is very different from other low carb diets like Atkins or South Beach. It is a less extreme, more balanced low carb diet, and includes healthy meats and fats (no bacon or hot dogs even though they're "low carb"!) and NO artificial sweeteners. If you can find naturally made bacon and hot dogs, then those are great--but they can be hard to find.

Most packaged "low-carb" products are filled with junk and can make you sick. Ingredients like soy flour, soy protein isolate, aspartame (Nutrasweet), sucralose (Splenda), and modified food starch do more harm than good. People turn to these packaged products seeking an easy, convenient way to eat "low carb" with a busy schedule and on a budget.

But there are many other ways to eat HEALTHY low carb foods that are quick, easy, and affordable. Just follow my weight loss diet recommendations and healthy low carb recipes. Losing weight will not only be delicious, but it will also be a breeze!

I've created some healthy, low-carb, and low-sugar recipes. Click here to get these free recipes.

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