Low Carbohydrate Diet

Question: What is healthier - a low GI diet or a low carbohydrate diet? Is Doctor Atkins diabetes diet much different to his normal dietary advice?

Answer: A Low G/I and G/L diet is the best you can get. A eating bible for life. Here is a website with 2,480 foods listed. The load is the important one. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm This table includes the glycemic index and glycemic load of more than 2,480 individual food items. Not all of them, however, are available in the United States. They represent a true international effort of testing around the world. The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low. The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low. Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI. Both GI and GL are listed here. The GI is of foods based on the glucose index–where glucose is set to equal 100. The other is the glycemic load, which is the glycemic index divided by 100 multiplied by its available carbohydrate content (i.e. carbohydrates minus fiber) in grams. (The "Serve size (g)" column is the serving size in grams for calculating the glycemic load; for simplicity of presentation I have left out an intermediate column that shows the available carbohydrates in the stated serving sizes.) Take, watermelon as an example of calculating glycemic load. Its glycemic index is pretty high, about 72. According to the calculations by the people at the University of Sydney's Human Nutrition Unit, in a serving of 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrate per serving, so its glycemic load is pretty low, 72/100*6=4.32, rounded to 4. Atkin's diet is OK , but the Mendosa Index gives you the load of foods. It is simple to use and understand. Good luck >

Question: I would like to know if anyone has lost weight on a low carbohydrate diet? I would like to know how much weight you have lost and kept it off. I only want people to answer that have actually done the low carb. Thank you

Answer: Nearly 6 years ago, I started Atkins low carb way of eating to just quit gaining weight. I had to get my out of control appetite under control. I never imagined I could LOSE weight without hunger or exercise, since I've become disabled. I never bothered weighing or measuring til I'd noticed that my clothes got huge quick. When my health improved dramatically also, I knew this was my new way of life and since it's eat all you want (of low carb foods) I know I can do this for life. My personal carb level is low. I am older & disabled & don't move much (or cook much) but I eat all I want of meats, eggs, cheeses, yogurt, fats, green vegetables, almonds, berries, flax seeds, chia seeds, shirataki noodles and other foods. Someone active would have a MUCH higher carb level & can usually include all fruits, beans, whole grain products but not sugar & highly refined carbs in unlimited amounts. As long as you have <9grams carbs per hour, you will maintain insulin control & shouldn't gain weight, no matter the calories. Most overweight & obese people have blood sugar & insulin dysfunctions and can NEVER eat carbs as someone with a functioning body can. They make the mistake of going back to the way of eating that made them fat and that is not possible and yes they will gain all weight back if they eat what they ate that made them obese originally. Insanity is defined as doing the exact same thing, in the exact same way and expecting different results. Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar & maintain weight or health. You can lose more body fat eating protein & fat (don't eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast, eat all you want, but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter & half an avocado a day (for added potassium). Keep the calories high & the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace. The first 2 weeks eat several cups a day of (mostly) lettuce & celery, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, peppers & more vegetables thereafter - add 5 grams per day additional every week (20 grams day first 2 weeks, 25grams 3rd week, 30grams 4th week etc) til you gain weight, then subtract 10grams. That will be your personal carb level (everyone is different & depends on how active you are.) Start with meat, fats & salads for 2 weeks and then slowly add in more green veg, wk4 fresh cheeses, wk5 nuts & seeds, wk6 berries, wk7 legumes, wk8 other fruits, wk9 starchy veg, wk10 whole grains. You will learn how your body reacts to different foods. The first week is just water weight but fat is lost thereafter if you keep your calories high enough. Otherwise the body will strip it's own lean tissue for nutrition. Although that may look great on a scale it will make it MUCH easier to accumulate fat in the future (since all that pesky lean tissue burning up calories will be gone). The body won't release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow metabolism to compensate & store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering calories, it will continue lowering the set point, til it can survive off nothing & store fat on anything. The body will only release it's fat stores if it knows there is plenty of nutritious food. Eating carbs while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) & exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat. The core of Atkins program is converting the body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). Dietary fat levels need to be at >65% of total calories, if not, the body will still remain in glycolysis by converting 58% of excess protein into glucose (via gluconeogenesis). It takes minimum of 3 days to convert a body to ketosis, (but only one bite to convert back to glycolysis). People feel sluggish the first week but most feel better than ever thereafter. Simple carbohydrates (sugar, flour, bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice) trigger insulin which can store the calories eaten into fat. The more protein the more the fat burning hormone glucagon is released. The more carbohydrate the more the fat storage hormone insulin is released. High insulin levels promote inflammation, weight gain, hunger & unbalance other hormones. Controlling insulin levels will balance out other hormones & allow human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally so lean muscle will be gained even without exercise. Any exercise will greatly increase muscle mass with high HGH levels. Ground flax seed (2 Tbsp) 1/4 cup water, artificial sweetener, mix in a raw egg - let sit 10 min. to absorb liquid, put some cream cheese in the middle & nuke 2 minutes. Suggested for daily fiber needs.

Question: I'm on a low carbohydrate diet. Can I drink Absolute Vodka , red wine or white wine, champagne??? How many ca

Answer: Alcohol is generally not allowed on low carb diets because of the alcohol sugars, though that hasn't really stopped me. I just cut back if I'm not losing or if I'm gaining weight. Generally hard liquor is the better choice. Mix it with club soda or diet tonic or diet soda [Coke, Sprite] Champagne is nothing but sugar, so avoid it. Of course there are exceptions. Wine can be had in limited amounts. Check out the carb counter for more information. It's got a lot of great information

Question: Have you ever been on the low carbohydrate diet? How long did it take to work? Did it work well for you? Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Answer: Nearly 6 years ago, I started Atkins low carb way of eating to just quit gaining weight. I had to get my out of control appetite under control. I never imagined I could LOSE weight without hunger or exercise, since I've become disabled. I never bothered weighing or measuring til I'd noticed that my clothes got huge quick. When my health improved dramatically also, I knew this was my new way of life and since it's eat all you want (of low carb foods) I know I can do this for life. My personal carb level is low. I am older & disabled & don't move much (or cook much) but I eat all I want of meats, eggs, cheeses, yogurt, fats, green vegetables, almonds, berries, flax seeds, chia seeds, shirataki noodles and other foods. Someone active would have a MUCH higher carb level & can usually include all fruits, beans, whole grain products but not sugar & highly refined carbs in unlimited amounts. As long as you have <9grams carbs per hour, you will maintain insulin control & shouldn't gain weight, no matter the calories. Most overweight & obese people have blood sugar & insulin dysfunctions and can NEVER eat carbs as someone with a functioning body can. They make the mistake of going back to the way of eating that made them fat and that is not possible and yes they will gain all weight back if they eat what they ate that made them obese originally. Insanity is defined as doing the exact same thing, in the exact same way and expecting different results. Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar & maintain weight or health. You can lose more body fat eating protein & fat (don't eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast, eat all you want, but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter & half an avocado a day (for added potassium). Keep the calories high & the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace. The first 2 weeks eat several cups a day of (mostly) lettuce & celery, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, peppers & more vegetables thereafter - add 5 grams per day additional every week (20 grams day first 2 weeks, 25grams 3rd week, 30grams 4th week etc) til you gain weight, then subtract 10grams. That will be your personal carb level (everyone is different & depends on how active you are.) Start with meat, fats & salads for 2 weeks and then slowly add in more green veg, wk4 fresh cheeses, wk5 nuts & seeds, wk6 berries, wk7 legumes, wk8 other fruits, wk9 starchy veg, wk10 whole grains. You will learn how your body reacts to different foods. The first week is just water weight but fat is lost thereafter if you keep your calories high enough. Otherwise the body will strip it's own lean tissue for nutrition. Although that may look great on a scale it will make it MUCH easier to accumulate fat in the future (since all that pesky lean tissue burning up calories will be gone). The body won't release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow metabolism to compensate & store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering calories, it will continue lowering the set point, til it can survive off nothing & store fat on anything. The body will only release it's fat stores if it knows there is plenty of nutritious food. Eating carbs while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) & exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat. The core of Atkins program is converting the body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). Dietary fat levels need to be at >65% of total calories, if not, the body will still remain in glycolysis by converting 58% of excess protein into glucose (via gluconeogenesis). It takes minimum of 3 days to convert a body to ketosis, (but only one bite to convert back to glycolysis). People feel sluggish the first week but most feel better than ever thereafter. Simple carbohydrates (sugar, flour, bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice) trigger insulin which can store the calories eaten into fat. The more protein the more the fat burning hormone glucagon is released. The more carbohydrate the more the fat storage hormone insulin is released. High insulin levels promote inflammation, weight gain, hunger & unbalance other hormones. Controlling insulin levels will balance out other hormones & allow human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally so lean muscle will be gained even without exercise. Any exercise will greatly increase muscle mass with high HGH levels. Ground flax seed (2 Tbsp) 1/4 cup water, artificial sweetener, mix in a raw egg - let sit 10 min. to absorb liquid, put some cream cheese in the middle & nuke 2 minutes. Suggested for daily fiber needs.

Question: If you are on a low carbohydrate diet why is it wrong to eat anything white? For instance my brother suggested creoteen as a bad joke and he was slapped like bejjeepers.

Answer: Well, white foods usually mean refined carbohydrates, which don't take long to digest and result in a sugar spike and then a drop. Whole grains take longer to digest, have more nutrients, and keep you fuller longer. I'm not sure what the details of your question mean.

Question: What is the best food to eat if your a vegetarian & are on a low carbohydrate diet?

Answer: tufo (soy) is reali good for low carrbohydrate diet

Question: Low carbohydrate vegan diet? Hi, I want to go on a low [as possible] carbohydrate diet that is suitable for vegans, with a menu plan, either online or if someone here has followed this diet and could give me an outline of suitable foods and/or meal suggestions. Thanks a lot :)

Answer: hnn thats difficult and a bit dangerous.../// i thought vegans were preety much healthy anyway,.as long as staying away from too much sugars and flavourings..msg?? /// More soy bean products?? tofu~~~

Question: Low Carbohydrate diet for type 2 diabetes? How do people feel about a low carb diet with type 2 diabetes. i am on it and have lowered my blood glucose level but the information is confusing as doctors say you simply need a healthy diet and those with diabetes say low carb diet is the answer to bg control. any comments welcome.

Answer: Low carb is the answer to sugar levels in the blood. The Glycemic index is the best guide for low carbs . The best index available is : http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low. The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low. Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI. Both GI and GL are listed here. The GI is of foods based on the glucose index–where glucose is set to equal 100. The other is the glycemic load, which is the glycemic index divided by 100 multiplied by its available carbohydrate content (i.e. carbohydrates minus fiber) in grams. (The "Serve size (g)" column is the serving size in grams for calculating the glycemic load; for simplicity of presentation I have left out an intermediate column that shows the available carbohydrates in the stated serving sizes.) Take, watermelon as an example of calculating glycemic load. Its glycemic index is pretty high, about 72. According to the calculations by the people at the University of Sydney's Human Nutrition Unit, in a serving of 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrate per serving, so its glycemic load is pretty low, 72/100*6=4.32, rounded to 4. Try it you will like it...>

Question: What is good for a low carbohydrate diet?

Answer: Eggs, Veggies, Fruit, cheese (20g per day), some dips with veggie sticks, meats. If your serious about a low card diet, stay away from ALL bread, pasta, potato, pumpkin, bananas, mango's. You should look on Celebrity Slim or Atkins website. They are shake diets but are based on low carb diets and they will give you a list of low carb snack and meal ideas.

Question: Ketosis is one result of a low carbohydrate diet. What is ketosis, and is this a desirable for our bodies?

Answer: Your body normally uses carbs for fuel.. When your on a low carb diet your body starts using fat for fuel, that is ketosis... Ketosis okay for the body, it is especially good for fat loss

Question: Effects of low carbohydrate diet? What are the effects of a low carbohydrate diet, both negative and positive?

Answer: FOOD is more powerful than any prescription weight loss pills, because the FOOD that you eat can either make you THIN or FAT. You don't get fat because of a lack of exercising, that's a myth. You get fat because you don't eat the right foods at the right intervals each day. Also, the pattern that you choose to eat your meals each day is more powerful than any prescription weight loss pills. This is true because your body is like an "engine" and it only needs certain foods at certain intervals each day, and if you don't eat the right foods at the right times then it won't burn those calories -- and you'll wind up storing those calories as fat tissue. (Hint: You need to eat more than 3 times per day to lose weight, but we'll show you the details later). You have gotten overweight by eating the wrong foods, that much is a fact. And guess what? You can get SLIM by eating the RIGHT FOODS at the RIGHT INTERVALS each day. It's not really any more complicated than that, and the way to start losing weight has nothing to do with starving yourself or jogging. What about Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig Dieting Plans? Weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers (and Jenny Craig) usually involve slower dieting progress over a longer period of time, since such programs generally promise only 2-3 pounds of weight loss per week. Also, programs such as Jenny Craig usually involve buying special meals and/or dietary supplements during the initial phases of the program. While some people may like these types of dietary programs, we prefer a dieting plan which focuses on faster weight loss, such as the Accelerated Fat Burning Program shown below...

Question: I'm on a low carbohydrate diet...what are some good nacho recipes?

Answer: 1st : No-Guilt Nachos, 35g 2nd: Nacho Cheese Sauce, 6.7g (use low carb chips also) 3rd Link has a lot more:

Question: Have you ever followed a heavy lifting program while on a low carbohydrate diet? What was your experience?

Answer: Failure. You need carbs for energy.

Question: What foods can i eat if i want a low carbohydrate diet?

Answer: See: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/What_Foods_To_Eat_on_a_Low_Carb_Diet.htm where you can find all the information you need rather than taking any notice of the spam merchant here !

Question: what are good recipes for a low carbohydrate diet? deserts, starters, main course, anything will do

Answer: The biggest problem with low carb diets is enduring the people around you who aren't on your diet. If you don't eat with them, it will be easier for you. I like to take a couple pounds of several different kinds of ground meat and mix them together and make little cookie sized burgers out of them. Add some salt, pepper, and a little Tabasco and then cook them, cool them, and load them into a zip lock bag for snacking. Mix some olive oil & malt vinegar or olive oil & lime juice as a dipping sauce. Unfortunately, the concepts of appetisers, main courses, and desserts are really part of eating patterns for people who are trying to maximize their carb intake and don't fit in well with a low carb diet. Bacon, fish, chicken, and eggs are all good ways to mix things up. Your carb buddies will be bored with your diet and won't be able to control their urges to convince you that you shouldn't like your diet. But when you see your weight go down, your energy level go up, and your doc tells you that you are in the lowest risk category for heart disease, you will be happy enough. Good luck!

Question: how many carbohydrates are allowed daily on a low carbohydrate diet?

Answer: Low-carbohydrate diets restrict caloric intake by reducing the consumption of carbohydrates to around 20 to 60 g per day (typically less than 20 percent of the daily caloric intake).