by Eve Redstone

Created on: April 13, 2008

Low carbohydrate diets to lose weight are one of the newest, but most popular diets in the world. The advantages are well publicized. Once you understand what are high carbohydrate foods, and what are low ones there is no portion control, or counting involved. You just have to make sure that every meal you have is low carbohydrate.

It sounds easy, and if you understand the basic principles it is.

Low carbohydrate diets are not totally safe, however. The Atkins diet for instance is a no carbohydrate diet. This involves inducing a state of ketoacidosis in the body. Ketoacidosis is the state the body reaches when it cannot use sugar for energy, it is the state found in uncontrolled diabetics and can result in a comma and death.

Before this though people following the diet are likely to feel nauseous, and have sever headaches. They will probably be very thirsty. The damage done by diabetes is due to high sugar levels so this is unlikely to occur in response to a short-term use of Atkins.

Long-term health problems arise when following low carbohydrate diets as a result of the foods that are eaten, rather than those that aren't. If the dieter cuts out carbohydrates without paying attention to what they are replacing them with they will often end up eating a diet high in protein and fat, by eating mainly meat and cheese.

It is important to add other things to the low carbohydrate diet rather than just cutting out pasta, rice, bread and potatoes. The protein that you eat has to be accompanied by plenty of vegetables and some fruit. Processed and fast food is definitely out when following a low carbohydrate diet.

There is a misconception that all vegetables and fruits are carbohydrate rich but this in untrue. When following a low carbohydrate diet fruit and vegetables should provide a major part of the diet in order to provide all the vitamins and minerals that are required.

Lists of low carbohydrate fruit and vegetables are available in many low carbohydrate cookbooks. They include most salad vegetables, most nuts and fruits that contain a lot of water such as watermelon and passion fruit.

Low carbohydrate diets are healthy as long attention is paid to what is added to the diet, as well as what is taken away. A healthy diet always involves eating a wide variation of foods from different food groups.

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