Best Reasons to Start a Low Carb Diet

September 29, 4:53 PMDenver Low Carb ExaminerLinda Duffy

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Denver Low Carb Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Losing weight isn't the only reason to start a low carb diet

#10 You Want to Lose Weight

A low carb diet has been successfully used for weight loss since William Banting published his Letter on Corpulence in 1863. Over the years, many individual doctors advocated low carb for weight loss with great results but without public notice. Then in the 70's, Dr. Atkins came out with his successful but much maligned low-carb Diet Revolution book. Recently, the results of the past were again confirmed by a 2-year study in Israel compared a low carb diet to a low fat diet and a Mediterranean diet. The low carb and Mediterranean diets resulted in a higher weight loss than the low fat diet. Along with the weight loss, the low carb diet ALSO showed an increase in good (HDL) cholesterol and a significant decease in triglyceride levels - an important indicator of heart disease risk - which brings us to our next reason...

#9 You Have a Family History of Heart Disease

Heart disease, once blamed on saturated fat, is more likely caused by carbohydrate consumption. Carbohydrates raise blood sugar which raises insulin levels. Both high insulin and glucose levels in the body cause inflammation, which scars the inside of your arteries. The plaques associated with heart disease is made up of cholesterol, which is what your body uses to repair arterial damage. For the last 30 years, doctors have encouraged people to lower their cholesterol levels to prevent heart attacks, but it is the cholesterol that is repairing damage caused to the body by excess carbohydrate consumption. When you reduce your carbohydrate levels, your blood sugars are more stable, your insulin levels are lower, and you cause less damage to your circulatory system.  

One of the best indicators of heart disease risk is, as previously mentioned, triglyceride levels. According to Dr. Mike Eades, "I can tell you one thing with pretty much certainty: Low-carb diets reduce triglyceride levels markedly. And I can tell you that low-carb diets reduce blood sugar levels as well. Most of the patients with the highest fasting triglyceride levels also have elevated fasting blood sugars. On a low-carb diet, these patients drop their triglyceride levels like a rock."

#8 You Have High Blood Pressure

Carbohydrates drive your body to retain water, increasing your blood pressure by increasing your insulin rate. Excess insulin appears to signal your body to increase heart rate, vascular resistance and sodium retention, which mean an increase in blood pressure. On a personal note, my blood pressure went from 149/95 to 101/62 in less than a year on a low carbohydrate diet.

#7 You are Related to Someone with Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is an inability of the body to properly regulate either blood glucose or insulin levels. It is estimated that 38% of siblings and 33% of children of people with type 2 diabetes will develop diabetes or abnormal glucose metabolism at some point in their lives. 

#6 You Want to Reduce Your Cancer Risks

Carbohydrate consumption has recently been tied to prostate tumor growth, esophageal cancer, and breast cancer. Animal studies have shown that low carbohydrate consumption can actually lead to tumor shrinkage. The tie between carbohydrates and cancer is nothing new though. Missionaries in Africa had noted that when native populations switched from their regular diet to one that included sugar and flour, that incidence of cancer increased right along with heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity cases. All those diseases together are commonly referred to as "diseases of civilization" though a more accurate name would be "diseases of carbohydrate consumption".

#5 You Like Vegetables

While people often associated a low carbohydrate diet with meat, non-starchy vegetables play a very important part in a low carber's daily menu. Many low carb dieters report they eat more vegetables since beginning low carb than they ever did before. I eat more vegetables as part of a low carb diet than I ever did in the 5 years I spent as a vegetarian.

#4 You Support Small Farming

In the quest for better health, low carb dieters often frequent farmer's markets for fresh vegetables and buy local grass-fed beef, organic eggs and pastured pork. By supporting local, family-owned farms, you reduce pollution due to transportation costs, as well as chemical use to ripen foods that must be picked prematurely and shipped long distances. My personal experience with shopping at farmer's markets is you can also save 30% - 50% on price as well.

#3 You Want To Look Younger

One of the least known but most visible side effects of carbohydrate consumption is collagen damage. What happens when you ingest sugars or carbs is that they attach to proteins in your body and form what are called AGES (Advanced Glycation End productS). The more sugar and carbs you eat, the more AGES you produce. AGES destroy your skin's collagen and elastin, which leaves your skin looking old.

AGES are also tied to other problems, including eye damage in diabetics and atherosclerosis lesions. But if destroying you on the inside isn't enough of a motivation for you to quit the sugar habit, having your face look like a prune might get you to consider a low carb lifestyle.

#2 You are a Human Being

Humans evolved to eat a diet high in animal fat and protein. Early man ate meat, fish, nuts, berries, fruit, and some roots. This omega 3 and b-vitamin rich diet allowed us to develop our very large brains.

Easily digestible carbohydrates like wheat, rice, potatoes, fruit juices, sugar and corn were either not available, or available only in small quantities on a seasonal basis. In our current culture, these items are not just eat every day, but at every meal with disasterous results. Easy access to sugar and displacement of natural dietary fats is resulting in younger and younger children developing obesity, fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes.

#1 Bacon

Nuff said.