by Mindy Horton

Created on: March 08, 2009

The general idea of a low carb diet is that you must give up breads, pastas, fruits, and all kinds of other foods that you really like and replace them with meats and salads. While this idea is partially true, the low carb diet is a bit more in depth.

A low carb diet restricts carbohydrate intake by replacing foods that contain carbs with proteins and fats. This is also called a ketogenic diet, which is when carbs are restricted in order to cause ketosis. Ketosis is when the liver excessively converts stored fat into acids and ketone bodies that the body uses for energy. This occurs because the body has to rely on fat stores since there is little or no other carbs coming into the body. This diet has also been used to treat other health conditions including Diabetes and Epilepsy, but these are not very common uses and are considered controversial.

Most people only know about the low carb diet because of Dr. Atkins, but this is not a new concept. In 1863 William Bunting published a letter about a diet giving up bread, butter, milk, sugar, beer, and potatoes for weight control. One of the first times that this diet became popular in the U.S. was in 1967 when the Stillman Diet was introduced. This diet was based on low carbs, low fat, and high protein.

Dr. Atkins first attempt at the low carb diet in 1972 was a little successful, but was seen as dangerous and misleading by the medical community due to risks of a diet with too much fat and protein. The true low carb diet craze really hit in the 90s with the Atkins, Protein Power, and South Beach diets being introduced. These diets are all based on the relationship between the consumption of carbs and their effects on blood sugar

There is no doubt that the low carb diet works very well in the beginning, but so far there is no proof that it is effective after 6 months. Most nutrition guides recommend 225 to 325 grams of carbs a day, but some of these diets only allow 20 to 30 grams a day. While the low carb diet does work for many people it does require a life long commitment to maintain your weight. There have been many people who reintroduced carbs into their diet and ended up gaining the weight back very quickly. This diet requires you to really think about the changes you have to make in your life before jumping in. The low carb diet is not for everyone; it is up to you to make the right decisions based on your own lifestyle.

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