What is a low carb diet?

 The low carb diet was first made popular by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970s, and has once again become the most popular diet trend. Low carb diets are based on the theory that restricting the amount of carbohydrates you eat will cause your body to burn fat to obtain the energy it needs.

When we eat, our bodies convert digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar (glucose), normally our main source of energy. As explained in How does my blood sugar level make a difference?, our blood sugar level determines whether we burn fat or store it.

When we greatly restrict our intake of carbohydrates and our bodies do not find a source of energy readily available in our blood, they turn to our fat stores. Through a process called ketosis, our body fat is "burned" or turned into fuel to provide the energy we need. Our bodies run on ketones instead of blood sugar.

Important Note

It is important to note that if you stray from a low carb diet plan and eat more carbohydrates than the plan allows, it may interfere with the process of ketosis and render the diet ineffective. When confronted with such failures, representatives of low carb diet plans have responded that the dieters are in effect not on the diet at all and thus it cannot be said that the diet plan failed.

Net Carbs

Because some carbohydrates are either not digested and simply pass through the body, or are digested but have little impact on blood sugar, some low carb diet plans suggest counting "net carbs" rather than total carbohydrates. "Net carbs" are calculated by subtracting the carbohydrates that do not affect our blood sugar level (fiber, glycerin, and sugar alcohols) from total carbohydrates. Our Low Carb Brands food lists specify net carbs as calculated by the manufacturers.

Are Low Carb Diets Safe?

There is much debate over the long-term effects of low carb diets on your health. While they restrict consumption of carbohydrates, they allow generous consumption of animal protein and fat which have been associated with heart disease and other maladies. Equally important, many of the foods that low carb diets exclude or greatly restrict have been associated with good health.