The Truth About Real Low Carb Dieting

There's a lot of debate over low carb eating. There are those that are adamantly against it and those who are all for it. What I'm finding with these groups of people is that those who are opposed to it, really don't have all the facts. It's a bad misconception that eating low carb means you aren't eating healthy. This is far from the truth. In fact, if you eat a natural diet, especially adding more raw foods, you are not only eating the carbs and nutrients you need but you're getting a good caloric intake as well.

A true low carb diet is one that is natural. Real low carb eating means to cut out processed carbs. This means the breads, pastas, cakes and cookies. The best way to eat--and it IS relatively low carb--is to eat foods that grow from plants. I haven't seen any pasta, bread or cake trees lately.

Your body also has to have proteins, fats and sugar, but will convert natural carbs into sugar all on its own. If you are a vegetarian you can get protein from some plant sources, but you may want to supplement extra protein.

The Truth About Eating Carbs

All carbs contain sugar and your body does need sugars to function properly but not all sugars are created equal. Any word on a food label that ends in "ose" is sugar; maltose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, etc. They are processed sugars and should be avoided as much as possible.

Digestion extracts the sugar from the foods you eat and turns it into fuel. If the body doesn't use up the extra sugar as a fuel source pretty quickly it is then converted into fat and stored in the body.

When you eat processed carbs, fruit juices, table sugar, etc. this process happens rather quickly. That's why you get a sugar high, but then it quickly drops again because the pancreas has increased the insulin level in the blood to combat the extra sugar. This leaves you feeling hungry again and wanting more sugar. It's truly a vicious cycle and one of the leading causes of diabetes and obesity.

Sugar doesn't do your body any good when it's in the bloodstream. It needs to get into the organs where it's needed. This is where insulin comes into play. Insulin opens up the tissues in the body and organs, like a key that opens a door, and allows the sugar to enter.

This process works so well that it leads to low blood sugar, dizziness and lightheadedness causing you to need to eat again when you eat processed foods.

The difference between good carbs and bad carbs in the body is how quickly or slowly they are digested, converted to sugar and absorbed. Bad carbs, those that are highly processed like sweets, pasta, potatoes and sugars will digest and hit the bloodstream very fast causing the pancreas to release insulin faster than it should have to, to get the blood sugar level down.

Fiber Slows Digestion

Good carbs, on the other hand, contain fiber and are slower to digest. Fiber is a life saver and could be considered a miracle substance. Fiber intake is one of the key factors in preventing diabetes and heart disease.

When fiber is eaten with sugar it slows the absorption of the sugar. An apple, for instance, contains fiber in the flesh, but most of it is in the peel. During digestion, the stomach has to separate the fiber from the sugar so they can be used for different purposes. This process takes longer than an instant sugar surge from eating something that is highly processed and contains no fiber or from drinking the juice of a fruit or vegetable.

If you peel or juice that apple, you lose a lot of the fiber and it's just like eating something that was processed because it digests too fast.

Many people are into juicing these days, but you can see that removing the fiber pretty much turns the juice into something that's not much better than a soda.

Whole, raw foods are always best because digestion actually starts in the mouth with the chewing process. Your teeth are there to chop up the food you consume. Anytime you remove part of the process of digestion, it can lead to problems down the road.

When foods are processed in mass production lines the course of digestion has already started in the factory because everything has been pulverized for you.

Good Fats Also Slow Digestion

When digestion is slowed, the release of insulin is also slowed to a steady rate. You want slow digestion because it raises your blood sugar gradually, causing a gradual release in insulin. This also causes the blood sugar level to gradually be lowered, leaving you feeling satisfied longer.

It's very important to get your carb intake under control so digestion is regulated better and lowers your risk of developing diabetes.

You do this by eating natural carbs instead of processed carbs.

You can see that eating a true low carb plan is only removing unhealthy carbs from the diet while it IS adding healthy carbs through fresh vegetables and fruits, which should be eaten raw as much as possible.

Resources:

Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution - Robert C. Atkins, M.D.

The South Beach Diet - Arthur Agatston, M.D.

The New Glucose Revolution - Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD., Thomas M.S. Wolever, M.D., PhD., Stephen Colagiuri, M.D., Kaye Foster-Powell, M Nutr & Diet

Atkins for Life - Robert C. Atkins, M.D.

The Low Carb Bible - Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D.