Find out the truth about the low-carb fad
and what to do about it.
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Originally Published March 23, 2004 -- Your Wellness GuideLife Without Food Fads, To Carb Or Not To Carb
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Unless you have been living outside of the modern world for the past year, you have heard of the low-carb phenomenon. I was once again reminded about this new high-reaching fad as I perused the Sunday paper’s coupon inserts, which featured a number of newly introduced product promotions with the same theme: low carb.
There were new brand names like Carb Solutions, Carb Options, Blocks Carb, Carb Freedom, Choice, CarboRite, and Carb Control. Other products didn’t change the brand name but instead listed large-print carbohydrate grams per serving.
Yet other products, mostly breads and cereals, sadly attempted to justify their existence with a focus on fiber and related slogans like “Fiberlicious” and “Helps Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease.” Even a major juice manufacturer now has a defensive campaign to prop up orange juice with positive nutritional labeling like “Light ’n Healthy,” “Low Acid,” and “Healthy Heart.”
Food has never before been so carefully crafted, packaged, and marketed. What is the truth and what is the best way to eat healthy?
Dr. Shawn Talbott, director of the University of Utah’s Nutrition Clinic, says “The whole low-carb thing is history repeating itself with the whole low-fat thing. Don’t we learn from our mistakes?”
In Talbott’s research, the truth is that weight loss all boils down to calorie intake coupled with exercise. “Some low-carb diets work -- The Zone, Atkins, Low-Carb, or The South Beach Diet -- because they are a fairly low-calorie intake more than anything else. Our perspective is ‘can you follow the diet?’” he says.
When you bring down the calorie intake to around 1500-1800 calories and add exercise, you have created an excellent condition for losing weight. If that calorie reduction is part of a balanced diet, then all the better.
“Dangers can come in following a low-carb diet that restricts fruits and vegetables. Focusing on meat is an inflammatory diet. Fruits and vegetables provide necessary anti-oxidants,” says Talbott.
Many of the low-carb diets will start with an induction phase of dietary restrictions. Then, if the dieter follows the complete plan, once-curbed foods are reintroduced for a more balanced diet. But, many people don’t follow these plans to the finish line and, instead, cop out after the first few weeks.
In the end, Fitness Coach Jim Labadie says that people will treat the low-carb trend the same as they did in the 80s and 90s with the low-fat fad: continue to avoid exercise and eat poorly.
“People will do just about anything to avoid the truth when it comes to losing body fat. Who is selling the latest dream? It doesn’t matter,” says Labadie.
He says most of his new fitness clients are those who have tried the fad diets and who haven’t lost the weight. Labadie find that the best approach to permanent weight loss is a steady regimen of good eating and exercise, with a focus on eating smaller food portions overall.
“This is America, and people want (weight loss) immediately. We can have what we want at any given time except when it comes to our bodies.”
What are some solutions so as to not get caught up into passing food fads and to lead a truthful, healthier lifestyle?
1. Realize that calories count more than carbohydrates or fat. Shape Up America! conducted a recent survey in which 51 percent of respondents thought that carbohydrates were more important in weight loss than calories: a false assumption. Instead, you can simply reduce calories through smaller food portions.
2. Understand what importance different food groups have in your diet. University of California-Davis Nutrition Professor Barbara Schneeman says that if you are going to restrict certain foods from your diet, you need to know where you are going to get the missing nutrients. Even if your eating habits change, your body still functions best from a balanced diet, which will include carbohydrates. Take a nutrition class or healthy cooking seminar to learn more.
3. Learn which foods are better choices. Instead of completely condemning or eliminating a certain food, look at food in terms of choices and preparation options. For example, Foodfit Managing Editor Frances Largeman says that pasta can be good if paired with protein (like chicken) and a little fat (like olive oil), as well as served in a moderate portion.
4. Avoid fad diets and stick to improving your overall food and exercise lifestyle. This is the safe and ideal way to lose weight and feel good. Utilize the services of a nutritionist and personal trainer to coach you into a better life.
For lifestyle-oriented, non-fad food education and choices, take a look www.footfit.com.
Terra Wellington is a national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
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