|  Is
it Time to Stop the Low CArb MAdness?
By Del Millers, Ph.D.
To Carb or not to Carb? That seems to be the million-dollar question
these days. For whether it is nobler to eat your low-carb treats
and watch the pounds melt away, or to suffer the inconvenience of
a healthy life-style? Who is to say?
Let me start off by making it abundantly clear how I feel about
the "low carb" diet phenomenon that is currently taking
over the airwaves and the supermarket selves. Just a few years ago,
"low-fat" was supposed to be the way to lose weight and
get healthy. Even the government bought into it. Did it work? No.
Then came the high protein diet craze. Has it worked? No. Guess
what’s next? You guessed it. Nobody better lay a finger on
my "low-carb" Butterfinger.
As if it weren’t bad enough having the supermarket selves
stacked with "low-carb" candies, how about some "low-carb"
beer? And while you’re at it why not grab a slice of "low-carb"
pizza or better yet how about a slice of "low-carb" bread.
If I sound a bit irritated it’s because I am. How on earth
can bread be considered "low-carb"? By definition, wheat
is a complex carbohydrate. So to make "low-carb" bread
what did they have to do, get rid of the wheat and use what kind
of man made synthetic alternative?
The point is Americans have been dieting for decades, yet obesity
has become one of the nations most pressing health concerns, alongside
cancer, heart disease and AIDS. In fact, last month’s issue
of Time Magazine was entirely dedicated to covering the obesity
epidemic in America. When one-third of Americans are considered
obese and over seventy-five percent of the population consider themselves
overweight, does this sound to you like the "low-carb"
diet, or any diet for that matter, is working? I think not.
The problem with low-carb diets
The biggest problem with low carb diets is that it is impossible
to maintain a low carb lifestyle for any long period of time. This
is not healthy and it is counter-productive, if your objective is
body transformation. Notice that I didn’t say weight-loss
because every diet will help you to lose weight that’s what
they’re designed for. What they are not designed for is to
help you lose weight permanently. That would be equivalent to the
pharmaceutical industry finding a cure for cancer. Why on earth
would they want to do that when they can make more money selling
you drugs for your symptoms?
Anybody who has ever done competitive bodybuilding will tell you
that when you are on a low carb diet for a long period of time you
will start to lose more muscle than you lose fat. This is called
muscle catabolism. Do you lose weight? Of course you lose weight,
muscle tissue and water. If you continue to lose too much muscle
tissue, however, this will ultimately slow down your metabolism
which will cause you to gain all your weight back and more.
Not all fats are created equal
All "low carb" diets are also "high fat" diets.
While I don’t have a problem with people eating more fat,
I think it is a mistake not to make the distinction between types
of fats. Animal fat is primarily saturated fat. And no matter what
the "low carb" proponents say the research is very conclusive
that saturated fats can clog your arteries, which could lead to
a heart attack. Fats from plant sources on the other hand are either
mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated. These are the good fats that
you want to eat more of. Good sources of these fats are olive oil,
canola oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, etc. Another group of fats that
are vitally important to the body are the essential omega-3 and
omega-6 fats found primarily in cold water fish such as salmon and
trout and also in flaxseeds. These are essential because your body
cannot make them; they must be supplied through your diet.
Not all carbs are created equal
One of the few high points of the "low carb" movement
is that "low carb" dieters tend to cut back on their consumption
of simple sugars and refined carbohydrates. This is a wonderful
thing because these kinds of foods have no nutritional value at
all. The bad news is that most dieters are not taught to make the
distinction between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.
The body does not treat simple and complex carbs the same. Eating
such simple carbohydrates as cookies, candies, white rice and all
processed foods made with white flour will more easily end up around
your waistline. On the other hand, eating such complex carbohydrate
foods as brown and wild rice, yam, potatoes, oatmeal and a variety
of fresh fruits and vegetables will not only assist in your weight
loss efforts, they will also help to prevent cancer, heart disease
and a host of other degenerative illnesses.
Low carb or not, it’s the Calories that count
Remember the old "fat-free" trick that manufacturers still
use to lour diet conscious shoppers into buying their products?
What happened? Most dieters soon found out that "fat-free"
on the label did not mean ‘fat-free’ on your waist.
By the same token, just because manufacturers are now jumping on
the "low-carb" bandwagon with smart marketing labels like
"low-carb," "carb aware," and "carb-smart"
that doesn’t mean that these products are any lower in calories
than the foods they are supposed to replace. The truth is that most
low-carb products contain the same number of calories as the higher
carb versions. For example, a "low carb" beer has the
same number of calories as their "regular" counterparts.
So however you look at it, an empty calorie is still an empty calorie,
no matter if it’s "low-carb" or high carb. Your
"low-carb" pizza, pasta, beer, candy and cookies are still
a whole lot of empty calories. So do yourself a favor and add some
fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your next meal. You’ll
be healthier, happier and slimmer in the long run.
Low-carb as part of a program
I’m not trying to say that there is no place for a "low
carb" eating plan. I recommend a "low carb" diet
to my clients all the time. However, it’s only a small part
of a nutritional program, not the nutritional program itself. To
effectively build muscle and lose fat you must have a program that
changes regularly. That is why I recommend a three phase approach
to body transformation. In Phase One, you Cleanse and Detoxify the
body by cutting out all refined sugars, processed foods, alcohol
and caffeine. Phase Two is Strength & Muscle Building. To build
strength and muscle, however, your body will need a lot of complex
carbohydrates. Phase Three is the Fat Loss Phase where we cut back
on the carbohydrates for a couple of weeks at most, then add them
back into the mix. Unfortunately, it is beyond the scope of this
article to be more in-depth about this kind of program, however,
my newest book, Simply DELicious, has more details.
Low-Carb and athletic performance
There is absolutely no place for a "low carb" diet in
athletics. In fact, there is only one word to describe an endurance
athlete on a "low-carb" diet…suicide! I don’t
think I need to explain this because I’m sure you know by
now that complex carbohydrates are an athlete’s primary energy
source. Not fat, protein or simple sugars.
The bottom line
The truth of the matter is if your primary focus is on weight-loss,
you will always be fighting the same up-hill, never-ending battle.
And this is exactly what all these "low-carb", "carb
aware" and "carb smart" manufacturers are banking
on. You cannot win the battle-of-the-bulge by replacing one source
of empty calories, such as beer or cookies, with another lower carbohydrate
version. To successfully change your body permanently (I call this
body transformation), you have to develop a lifestyle of making
healthier choices. You need to train harder than you ever thought
possible in your life. And you need the right nutrition program
that will help you to build lean muscle and lose fat. You definitely
will not accomplish all this with a "low carb" diet.
DID YOU KNOW:
Did you know that fruit and vegetable capsules
can supply your body with an abundance of nutrients(without nany
calories) on a daily basis from a variety of fresh raw fruits and
vegetables that you may not be getting on a low carb diet?
Get more info...
— Del Millers, Ph.D. is a fitness and nutrition consultant
and author of three books. Visit his website at delmillers.com
to sign up for his e-mail nutrition newsletter.
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