Low Carb Diet - Introduction
The Battle of the Bulge was a great movie, but the real battle of the
bulge is that one around so many people’s bellies these day; and it’s
getting worse. It seems that not as many people heeded the low carb
warnings of Dr. Atkins back in 1972 as should have.
Dr. Atkins started the low carbohydrate revolution back in 1972 with
his book, ‘Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution’. The book and its teachings were
embraced by dieters, but the medical community nearly had a heart attack
over it. But, followers of Dr. Atkins went on to lose weight and get
healthier in spite of what the ol’ Sawbones said.
The premise of the diet is that in the absence of carbohydrates, the
body burns fat for energy, and that calories have little or nothing to
do with weight loss. So, instead of counting calories, you count
carbohydrates, which is easier because most foods you eat don’t have
carbs.
So, Atkins said by cutting out sugars and starches like breads,
pasta, carbohydrate rich fruits and vegetables, you lose weight. For
most low carbers, meals would now consist mostly of fatty meats, eggs,
salads, green vegetables, butter and other fats.
Essentially, a simple entry-level low carb day might look like this:
- Breakfast – bacon and eggs with cheese
- Mid-morning snack –a handful of cashews, beef jerky
- Lunch – half of a small chicken, asparagus in hollandaise sauce
- Mid-afternoon snack - a can of Vienna sausages and some pork rinds
- Dinner –steak, garden salad w/mayonnaise dressing, mushrooms/onions
in butter
- Nighttime snack – 50-100g hard salami, string cheese
Sounds pretty good, right? That’s what I thought, so I went on the
diet – and lost 20kg. I had been overweight all my life, and now I
had found a way to lose the weight and keep it off (providing I stay on
the diet). I was happy with the diet and the food, and I looked great.
As you progress in the diet, you gradually add more carbs back, so the
menu for the day listed above would include, among other things, more
vegetables, more nuts and seeds and even some carb friendly fruit like
strawberries, blueberries and cantaloupe. Creative low carb dieters have
come up with all kinds of low carb recipes to make one dish or main
course meals like breads, deserts, chili, mock lasagna and other
casseroles.
Warning About Low Carb Diets
Warnings were and have been everywhere since Dr. Atkins came out with
the diet. “It’s too high in fat”, and “It will raise your cholesterol”,
and “You must have carbohydrate in your system”, and “Ketosis is
dangerous” were some of the objections raised by the medical community.
Did the not read the book?
Dr. Atkins states that in the absence of carbohydrate, saturated fats
are not process as they are other otherwise and that cholesterol levels
actually come down. I can vouch for that; my doctor’s mouth dropped wide
open upon one visit when just a few months earlier my vitals were signs
of a dead man walking. But, they had returned to normal – without
exercise.
This isn’t to say that the low carb diet is for everybody, it isn’t;
no more than any particular diet is for everyone. But the medical
community is changing their mind about low carbohydrate diets, and it
seems they are finally seeing the value of them.
I said diets above because other variations have come out since Dr.
Atkins released his. The South Beach diet is one that comes to mind.
It’s a pretty good low carb diet, but it may not be strict enough for
some people. On the other hand, it might be great for low carb dieters
who have lost all the weight they need to and are now on a maintenance
program.
Again, be sure you consult with your doctor before making any
decisions about your health. Now, having said all that, I have made
myself very hungry. Please excuse me while I go make that ribeye steak
with mushrooms and onions in butter. |
