Best Low Carb Diet

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Author:
Carol Solomon, Ph.D.

Sign on a pizza restaurant: Get Your Carbs Here!
Low Carb everything!
I could see the value in reducing carbs LONG before it became the latest craze.
The fact that new products are being developed is a good thing. Manufacturers have been forced to make changes, such as increasing fiber in breads and pastas. (I am still waiting for low-carb fettuccini alfredo ;-).
Reformulating products to contain less sugar and still taste good generally seems like a positive change.
There are, however, some things to watch out for:
1. Artificial sweeteners have long been controversial and associated with negative side effects. Some people say they increase appetite and thirst, and stimulate the insulin response. People often report that using products with artificial sweeteners slows weight loss.
I recently bought some "light" orange juice, only to discover later that it was only 60% juice and contained artificial sweeteners.
All the more reason to read labels carefully to make informed choices.
When one ingredient is removed, something else has to replace it. Is it something you want?
Next time I want "light" juice, I will dilute it myself and leave out the artificial sweeteners.
2. One of the biggest traps for the low carb era is to avoid what happened when low fat diets were popular.
When we were advised to eat low fat, we did NOT snack on celery and carrots.
We munched on "low-fat" cookies, pasta, and bread, thinking that we were saving fat and calories, but ended up eating more. "It's low-fat, I can eat all I want." (Remember this logic?)
Same with carbs - it is easy to think that because something is low carbs, the quantity doesn't count.
3. Yet another trap is the fact that restricting ANY category of food can stimulate the urge for that food like nothing else.
Not eating carbs anymore? Gotta have 'em!
It becomes the 'forbidden fruit' (for more on this, see Lose Weight Now . . . Stay Slim Forever, page 8).
While as you know, I do not count ANYTHING, I try to avoid the traps. It's still smart to pay attention internally and LISTEN what your body is telling you.
The body doesn't lie.
With love, Carol

About the Author
Carol Solomon, Ph.D. is a psychologist and personal coach who specializes in helping people who want to lose weight and eliminate food and weight issues.

She is the author of "Lose Weight Now Stay Slim Forever," a practical "how-to" manual for learning to lose weight without dieting.

Go To: Lose Weight Now
to get your FREE copy of SLIM FOREVER.

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Popular Diet... South Beach Diet - What Are The Benefits And Pitfalls Of The South Beach Diet What is the South Beach Diet and what are its benefits and its drawbacks? The South Beach Diet is the creation of cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fla. And like the Atkins Diet, Dr. Agatston’s South Beach Diet also limits the intake of carbohydrates as well as including a severely restrictive two week induction phase that is followed by a long term diet. So this means that potatoes, fruit, bread, cereal, rice, pasta, beets, carrots, and corn are no longer allowed, especially during the induction phase. So, with the aforementioned similarities, you may be wondering where Atkins and South Beach actually differ. First of all, while Atkins promotes the obscene consumption of saturated animal fats, South Beach bans all unhealthy fats while, on the other hand, promoting the consumption of healthier unsaturated fats. The other difference can be found in their opposing views of carbohydrates. The South Beach diet doesn’t count grams of carbohydrates and low-sugar carbs are actually recommended. Therefore, South Beach is unable to be pegged as simply as “low-carb” unlike the Atkins diet, and it’s stance on fats disqualifies it from being labeled a “low-fat” diet as well. One of the more beneficial points that the South Beach Diet makes is for people to snack throughout the day so that hunger pangs are offset and their metabolism remains elevated. Actual meal portions will be just large enough to satisfy one’s hunger but no larger. Another point that many diets such as South Beach are stressing is insulin control by eating less refined carbs and more complex, fiber-rich carbs that will keep your energy levels high and your risk for diabetes low. But what about this harsh induction phase? As mentioned...