Carve Out Carbs

Carbs

Considering cutting carbs from your diet? It helps to know the difference between the good and the bad, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of a low carb diet before starting one.

Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

If you want to lose weight, cutting back on carbs is a good thing. In fact, you can start by replacing the bad carbs you eat with good ones. Examples of good carbs include:

Whole grain or whole wheat foods like whole grain or whole wheat breads, whole wheat pasta and brown or long grain rice.
Low-fat or non-fat milk and cheeses
Fresh fruits and vegetables

Carbs to avoid (a.k.a. bad carbs) are:

White breads, regular pasta and white rice
Fruit juice and sodas
Sweets and desserts

Good carbs are harder for the body to break down than bad carbs, so it takes them longer to digest, which means you'll feel full longer and your blood sugar levels remain stable. Bad carbs are easy for the body to break down, which takes your blood sugar levels on a roller-coaster ride and causes you to eat more.

Benefits and Drawbacks of a Low Carb Diet

Low carb diets are popular because people who follow them tend to lose weight quickly--but this only on the highly restrictive low carb diets. They are practically no carb diets. When you lower your carb intake to 20-40 grams of carbs a day, your body starts burning fat and protein for fuel instead of carbohydrates. Staying on a diet that restricts carbs so much in the long term can cause kidney damage and possible heart problems. In addition, when your body is burning fat, ketones are released in your system and expelled through urine. This is a state called ketosis, and it can leave you with breath that smells like nail polish. Also, the absence of carbs can make you grumpy because when you eat carbs, your brain produces serotonin, which is a "feel good" chemical. A lack of carbs leads to a lack of serotonin which leads to grumpiness.

Many people opt to go on a low carb diet because it doesn't require exercise to be effective. This is good news for people who can't exercise due to physical problems or who just don't have time. Low carb diets typically don't leave you with enough energy to exercise, but if you do, it just makes your body burn even more fat. The first 20 minutes of exercise typically burns carbs, and the rest of the time spent burns fat. If you don't have the carbs to burn, you burn fat much sooner. But carbs are a better source of fuel for your body. They give you the energy to get out and exercise in the first place.

Ultimately, the decision about whether or not to go on a low carb diet is up to you. But get the facts before you decide on anything.

Top Results for "Carbs":

Carbs.com - Everything you need to know about carbohydrates
Excerpts from Dr. Jim's book, Carbs From Heaven, Carbs From Hell, are featured prominently on our site, along with his recommended products. ...
- carbs.com
Be Choosy About Carbs
Yet most people don't really know what "carbs" are. Many of the boosters and haters talk as if all carbs were the same (not true). This refresher course on ...
- www.wellnessletter.com
Low Carb Diet Tools - Hidden-Carbs Calculator
Carbohydrate counter, hidden carbs calculator and other low carb diet tools from the Atkins Diet & Low Carbohydrate Support: Atkins diet and low ...
- www.lowcarb.ca
Your Carb Questions Answered
Confused about carbohydrates? Not sure if you should be eating more or less? Not even sure you know which foods they're found in? We've got all the answers ...
- diet.ivillage.com
Low-Carb Pavilion -- Hidden Carbs
Use diet alone, by restricting carbohydrates, to control type 2 diabetes and to lose weight. It also improves cholesterol and blood pressure.
- wilstar.com
Low Carb & Smart Carbohydrate Dieting
Low carb diets, dieting, and weight loss. Nutritional background of low carbohydrate plans. Atkins, South Beach, Carbohydrate Addict, Go-diet, Protein Power ...
- bestlowcarbs.com
Carbs Diet Information
Eaten regularly, carbs do NOT lead to weight gain, unless (like any food group) they are eaten to excess. After all, eating too much of anything and not ...
- www.annecollins.com
Low-carb diets: An interview with a Mayo Clinic specialist ...
Low-carb diets — A Mayo Clinic specialist answers questions about carbs and low-carb diets.
- www.mayoclinic.com
Low Carb Diets
One of the most popular diets these days is low-carb, high protein like those promoted by "The Atkins Diet Revolution," "Enter The Zone," and "Sugar Busters ...
- exercise.about.com
Carbohydrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This distinction between "good carbs" and "bad carbs" is a large part of the low-carbohydrate diets, which in general promotes a reduction in the ...
- en.wikipedia.org