Low Carb Diets: Do they work?

Low carb diets are becoming popular, albeit in an underground, alternative sort of way.  They might be seen as the antithesis of veganism as they usually stress the consumption of protein and fat, normally found in meat, eggs and fish.  But many people still have grave reservations about the health properties of low carb diets.  They have their detractors in the mainstream nutritional community.  Some have doubts about the long-term effectiveness and safety of these Atkins-style diets.  Although vociferous in their condemnation of low carbing, they have yet to produce any scientific back-up for their viewpoint.  Generally, they parrot what they have read somewhere else and know little about what benefits a low carb diet can bring.

As in all things, low carb means different things to different people, and some people feel the need to eat very low carb, virtually no carbs at all, and others find they can consume quite a quantity of carbohydrate and still lose weight.

Why do some criticise low carb diets?

Critics of very low carb diets, consisting of eggs, fish, meat and a little green veg, claim that this misses out vital micronutrients and vitamins.  However it is of course possible to get these in supplement form.  Some claim that that fruit, for example, is essential due to antioxidants and other minerals, although low-carb advocates believe that fruits other than berries, for example bananas or apples, are nothing more than sugar bombs.

Some proponents of low carb just concentrate on eliminating the more refined sugars and starches, such as white bread, table sugar, biscuits, white flour, cookies and the like.  Others remove almost all carboydrate from their diets, so that they eat no pasta, rice, potatoes, bread of any kind, and no confectionary.

Low carb diets and weight loss.

If weight loss is the goal, a number of individuals, mainly men, find that just cutting down on carbs can lead to a dramatic weight loss.  Women tend to find it harder, probably for hormonal reasons, and may find they have to cut their carbs very strictly in order to lose weight, particularly as they get older and pass the menopause.  Although on a low carb diet you are not encouraged to count calories, portion control is still important for many.  It is a common misconception that low carb means gorging yourself on fat, drinking cream and slathering butter on everything.  Saturated fat is not despised in low carb, it is the main fuel source for the body, but for some individuals over-indulgence does pile on the calories and inhibits weight loss.

The main argument about low carb dieting is that it usually involves the consumption of saturated fat.  Saturated fat has been demonized in recent decades but the evidence is shaky.  The low-carb advocates argue that in the absence of excessive carbohydrates and insulin response, saturated fat is made safe.  This can be difficult for the mainstream diet industry to accept, as we have been so indoctrinated with the concept that low fat is the only way to go.  It would be hard for low-fat proponents to make a complete u-turn now.

So we end up with a compromise, where the diet experts recommend cutting out the more refined carbohydrates (the “white death” of table sugar and white flour), ending up with a diet – excuse the pun – which is neither fish nor fowl.  You have to study the research (or books by people like Gary Taubes who have studied it for you) and make up your own mind whether to go low-carb or low-fat in your diet.  One thing is for sure: low-fat diets seem to be failing us in the long run.  Low-carb takes a leap of faith in some ways.  But something inbetween, where abundant fat and carbohydrate (whole grain or whatever) are consumed together might be the most dangerous of all.

One fact alone is worth noting.  Huge numbers of diabetics have found they can control their blood sugar with a low carb diet and in many cases, stop taking drugs that are less effective.