|
Home | Diet Quiz | Diet Reviews | Fad Diets | Diet Recipes | Dating | Women's Center | Men's Diets | Diet Food Delivery Fitness Center | Self Improvement | Medical Center | Diabetes | Weight Loss Factors | Hot Topics | Diet Books | Site Map Will the Atkins low carb diet approach help you lose weight? It works for the short term, but what do critics say? Is it a fad or a mainstream dieting sea change? Take our Top 60 Diet Quiz to find out whether the Dr Atkins diet is the best diet plan for you. Our comprehensive diet analysis examines your lifestyle and dieting preferences, and reviews your needs versus Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, the Dr. Phil diet, South Beach, medical programs, health club chains, healthcare professionals and other popular celebrity diets. Then BestDietForMe.com provides you with unbiased, in-depth reports on your matches, complete with detailed reviews of diets like Dr. Atkins, to help you choose a diet that’s right for you… |
|||
About Our Service
Consumer Protection
Hot New Topics... Top 10 Weight Loss Myths & Mistakes
Factors Affecting Weight Loss
Dieting for Events
Diet Companies & Products Diet Programs Included in our Database
Medical
Miscellaneous Top 10 Weight Loss Myths & Mistakes
Business Opportunities
Diet Programs in our Database
24 Hour Fitness
Lindora Online
Weight
Watchers Online
|
Low Carb Foods The Low Carb Craze Is Over How fast things can change. Research firms estimated that the number of low-carb dieters peaked at 9% of all adults in February 2004, and fell to just 2.2% by mid-2005. Atkins Nutritionals laid off hundreds of employees and reported a net loss of $340 million in 2004. At one point, things were so bad that unsold food products had to be donated to charity. On Jan. 10, 2006, Atkins Nutritionals announced that it had emerged from bankruptcy. The company completed its Chapter 11 reorganization and has introduced a new business strategy that focuses on providing portable foods with a nutrition advantage to healthy, active men and women. This is a distinct shift from its pre-bankruptcy strategy of educating the population about the benefits of controlled carbohydrate nutrition. Atkins Nutritionals, created in 1997, is a privately held company. At its peak, it had revenues estimated at more than $200 million. Apparently, charging outrageous prices for its low-carb products, with high profit margins, wasn't enough. The company that parlayed the low-carb trend into a national frenzy filed for bankruptcy court protection on July 31, 2005. Under the new approach of “controlled carbs, as opposed to low-carb, and a lot more focus on the glycemic index, the company has a much smaller target market, people concerned with healthy eating, ones with medical conditions such as diabetes and heart problems, and wellness in general. The company has adjusted its organization to accommodate a smaller business and will broaden it focus to health and wellness. After it emerged from bankruptcy, the Long Island, NY-based firm now focuses on nutrition bars and shakes (meal replacements). According to MSNBC, the low-carb diet became one of the most popular in U.S. history. But, it also was heavily criticized by experts for its focus on fatty foods and low fruit and vegetable consumption. Atkins owed $300 million in outstanding debts. The company’s product line ballooned to 120+ and Atkins low-carb products began appearing in supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as via “Atkins Certified Retailers”. What seemed like another “fad diet” became much more mainstream and longer lasting than most had imagined. Low-carb eating truly became an international phenomenon, affecting bakeries and growers of rice and potatoes in the United States and worldwide. In addition, most of the large weight loss commercial chains such as Weight Watchers saw their enrollments substantially decline. This trend lasted almost two years—an eternity in the weight loss product life cycle. As the low-carb frenzy has died down, enrollments and business at commercial weight loss chains such as Weight Watchers and NutriSystem have grown substantially. How Does A Low Carb Diet Work? There are many different versions of the low carb diet, such as diet books like Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifestyle Plan, and others. All of them, however, have one thing in common -- a strict reduction in the consumption of carbohydrates. Most low-carb diets replace carbohydrates with fats and proteins. As a general rule, a low-carb diet is synonymous with a high-fat and moderate protein diet. Those on low carb diets should get at least 60-70% of their daily calories from fat. Carbs should make up less than 10% and in some cases, less than 5% of your daily calories. Dietary fat is not necessarily converted into body fat. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are readily converted into fat by the action of insulin. When you eat a high-carbohydrate meal, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that allows blood sugar to be used by the cells. However, a side effect of insulin is that it also causes fat to be deposited, and it stimulates your brain to produce hunger signals. So, you eat more carbohydrates, and the cycle repeats. Restricting the intake of carbohydrates puts a halt to this cycle. When you restrict your carb intake, your insulin levels fall and the levels of glycogen increase. Glycogen is a hormone that causes body fat to be burned and cholesterol to be removed from deposits in the arteries. If you severely restrict carbs, your body is put into a state of ketosis--burning fat with the subsequent production of ketone bodies in the bloodstream. The result of ketosis is that your blood sugar levels stabilize; your insulin level drops; and because your body is burning fat, you lose weight. One side effect of ketosis is bad breath. People using a low carbohydrate diet should be aware of this and try to drink more water and consider using sugarless mints or gum. Summary: Low-Carb Confusion? There are many different versions of the low carb diet, such as diet books like Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifestyle Plan, and others. All of them, however, have one thing in common -- a strict reduction in the consumption of carbohydrates. Most low-carb diets replace carbohydrates with fats and proteins. As a general rule, a low-carb diet is synonymous with a high-fat and moderate protein diet. Those on low carb diets should get at least 60-70% of their daily calories from fat. Carbs should make up less than 10% and in some cases, less than 5% of your daily calories. Dietary fat is not necessarily converted into body fat. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are readily converted into fat by the action of insulin. When you eat a high-carbohydrate meal, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that allows blood sugar to be used by the cells. However, a side effect of insulin is that it also causes fat to be deposited, and it stimulates your brain to produce hunger signals. So, you eat more carbohydrates, and the cycle repeats. Is a low carbohydrate diet a healthy diet? Low carbohydrate diets may take off more weight than low-fat diets and may be better for cholesterol too. At least three formal studies of the Dr. Atkins diet have been presented, and all have reached similar results: Rather than making cholesterol soar, as feared, the diet actually appears to improve it, and volunteers take off more weight. More than 1,000 products carrying "low-carb", "reduced-carb" or carbohydrate-free" labels have hit store shelves in the past three years. So far the government has only regulated what alcohol, meat and poultry producers can put on their labels. Both the food industry and the various consumer groups have been pushing the FDA to issue guidelines for food manufacturers using the terms "low carb" or "reduced carb" in their food labeling- similar to existing guidelines concerning labels for low-fat products. Under an agreement worked out with the FDA in 2001, food makers can subtract the fiber and sugar replacements from the total carbohydrate count and calculate the remainder as "net carbs". Consumers are confused by the terms "low-carb" and "net carb" and the new rules are expected to better explain the terms. It’s also possible that the definition of "net carb" will change. Americans who are considering dieting should not be distracted by a currently fashionable concept, the glycemic index. The index shows the speed at which foods are converted into sugars in the body. Carbohydrates are converted faster than proteins, and backers of high protein diets and foods have promoted their products as having better scores on the index. Although some research has suggested a lower glycemic index indicates a lower risk of diabetes, the evidence is not solid enough for all people to base their basic eating plans upon, a government panel decided. Are We Growing Weary of Low-Carb? Are we tired of cutting out foods that we’ve been eating for most of our lives? Half of Americans who have tried a low carb diet have given them up. Only one in 10 Americans are on low carb diets, a survey shows. Only time and more clinical research trials will tell if this is indeed a truly healthy diet approach for the long-term. The peak of the low carb trend was reached in August 2004. Consumers were starting NOT to purchase the low carb products that are entering the marketplace, according to a Packaged Facts report. A survey by research firm TNS NFO found that low-carb diets attracted the greatest number of obese followers, but low carb followers weren’t necessarily happy about it. Nearly 40% were "uncommitted" to low-carb, more than low-fat and low-calorie dieters. In addition, only 42% of dieters carried a positive opinion of low carbohydrate diets, lower than for other diet regimens. And, while 25% of all adults were limiting their carbs, 45% were limiting their fat, more than any other ingredient. Furthermore, many of today’s diets, including low carb plans, include long-term "maintenance" phases. However, nutritionists worry that even those phases keep dieters focused on leaving out specific ingredients, rather than just eating less of a balanced diet. Also, some of the maintenance phases may be too restrictive, say dietitians. Low-Carb Critics Regarding the safety of low-carb diets, the jury is still out. Studies published in various journals have generally looked at the short-term effects of a high-protein diet, but have not evaluated their long-term safety. Some claim that it increases your risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, and Type-2 diabetes. The main criticism of nutritionists and others is the diet’s high fat intake, linked to heart disease and certain cancers. In addition, cutting out the beneficial carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is not good for your health, say others. The majority of consumers use the diet for the short-term, rapid weight loss, however.
|
|
|
|
Home | How The Service Works | Sample Report | Diet Programs Included | Health & Fitness Products | Press Releases FAQs | Our Experts | email this site to a friend | Non US Residents click here | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Associations | Eating Disorders | Weight Loss Info | Weight Loss Counselors | Meal Replacements | Diet Frauds Stress Management | Diet Pills Report | Diet Books | Diet Infomercials | Diet Websites | The Non-Diet Movement Fasting Programs | Metabolife | Herbalife | Diet Drugs | Low Cal Foods | Low Carb Diets | Weight Loss Franchises
Weight Loss Surgery | Exercise & Weight Loss | Clothing & Weight Loss | Diet Reviews Diabetes & Weight Loss | Pregnancy & Weight Gain | Smoking Cessation & Dieting | Dieting for a Wedding Diets & Medical Conditions | Diet Food Home Delivery Services | Self Improvement & Diet | Food Allergies & Weight Loss |
|||
|
|||
|
About Us | About Our Service | Testimonials | Site Map
Copyright © 2008 Marketdata Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
|||
email this site to a friend