by Elaine Baglo

Created on: June 19, 2007

yes, a low-carb diet is safe. You are still having carbs but when on a low-carb diet, you are eating the 'right' carbs. Carbs will help to stop hunger pangs so you don't want to eliminate them altogether. With all diets, you should have 3 meals and 3 snacks a day as well as your 8 glasses of water.

When eating a low-carb diet, you are instead substituting sweets and white flours with veggies and whole wheat products which are high in fibre and will fill you up faster. It is important to drink your water to keep your body functioning with regularity.

Swap cookies and cakes with vegetables or fruit. Instead of eating white bread, rice and pasta, have whole wheat or multi-grain breads, brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Yes, the texture will be different than with the white products, but the health benefits are worth it. Instead of using cream sauces on your pasta's, use a tomato based vegetable sauce.

Carbs are not limited to flours and sweets. In the vegetable family, eat less peas and corn - they are the 'starchy' vegetables. Meats make a difference too. A diet should be high on chicken and fish and lower on red meats like beef. A serving would be the size of the palm of your hand - you don't need a lot. Red meats should be slightly smaller as they do have a higher fat content.

The general rule of thumb when preparing a healthy meal is to load your plate 3/4 full with vegetables, have some chicken or fish and add 1/2 cup of brown rice, pasta or a small baked potato complete with the skin on (eat the skin too, it's filled with vitamins).

For a snack, have something like 1/2 cup of fat free yogurt with 1/2 cup berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries); celery sticks and carrots; a small salad. Choose something that is not a bread products or filled with starches. If you eat oatmeal for breakfast, have a fruit half way through the morning, a salad with a little cheese and meat for lunch, a few graham crackers in the mid afternoon and a healthy dinner. If you do this and drink your water, you will lose weight and stay healthy.

Our society eats way too many carbs and has way to little exercise. The main reason for eating carbs is to keep your blood sugars even throughout the day so you don't get any huge dips and hunger pangs. My eating your three meals and three snacks a day, you should feel like you have more energy for exercise and doing things with your family. For myself, I try to have the majority of my water before 2 pm in the afternoon and then in the evenings, I drink green tea.

With a little experimenting, you can make an interesting low-carb diet that will suit your lifestyle. Remember, too many carbs and too little exercise will result in the carbs turning to fats and sugars and sitting on your hips - who wants that?

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