Low Carb Crib

Carb

About five years ago, low carb diets were all the rage. People were dropping pounds faster than the Roadrunner could beat the coyote (despite all the help he had from Acme products).

Low Carb Craze

Although low carb diets only became popular in the last several years, they've been around for a very long time. But more recently, they've taken a lot of heat. To understand why, you must first understand how they work. First of all, people need about 200-250 grams of carbs a day. But most of these diets take you down to anywhere from 20-60 grams a day. Since most of us take in well over the amount we need each day, suddenly slashing that amount is a shock to your system. Instead, the diet encourages eating a lot of protein. Ideally, this would be lean meats, like turkey, chicken, lean cuts of beef, pork and fish, but meats like bacon, sausage, steak and beef are also allowed. Some of those can have a lot of fat.

These diets also encourage you to eat eggs and cheese, but not the fat-free or low fat cheeses because those have more carbs than the full-fat versions. The idea behind this is that instead of using carbs for fuel, your body will burn protein and fat. When your body starts burning fat and excreting it through your urine, you're in a state known as ketosis, and it's how people lose so much weight. On the upside, most low carb diets gradually reinstate more carbs into your diet, and they encourage only eating complex carbohydrates (which are the good carbs you hear so much about.)

Other risks or side effects include:

An increased risk of heart disease - When you're on a high protein, low-fiber diet, you're eating a lot of animal proteins, cholesterol and saturated fat. All three raise serum cholesterol, particularly LDL or "bad" cholesterol.
Kidney stones - Uric acid and calcium oxalate stones are more likely to form on a high protein diet. This is presumably due to a lack of fiber in the diet.
Keto breath - Common for dieters who are in ketosis.
Gout - Again, attributed to uric acid.
Osteoporosis - Most people who are carb counting don't drink enough milk because of the carbs. This can lead to not having enough calcium in your system. And excess protein intake causes calcium to be excreted in urine, increasing the risk even further.

The moral of this page is that if you decide to go on a low carb diet, do it wisely. Don't cut fruit and vegetables out of your life entirely. They help prevent cancer and high blood pressure, and attribute to overall good health. If you want to cut carbs, that's fine. Cut the refined carbs (those in most desserts and sodas, as well as those in white bread, pasta and white rice) and replace them with complex carbs (found in whole grain or whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown or long grain rice and most fruits and vegetables).