Low-Carb Diet Facts:
A Guide for Teens
You've probably heard about low-carb diet plans such as Atkins, Zone, and South Beach or seen low-carb meals on restaurant menus. Maybe you've tried some of the new low-carb foods like energy bars, yogurt, or bread. With all of this new advertising about low-carb foods, it's hard to know what to believe. If you're confused about whether eating low carbs will give you the nutrition you need, you're not alone. This guide will help answer questions about the different types of carbohydrates, how your body uses energy from carbohydrates, why carbohydrates are important, and the truth about low-carb diet claims.
What are carbohydrates?
Carbs, short for carbohydrates, are a source of energy found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods. Carbs supply your body with the glucose (sugar) it needs for energy. Extra glucose is stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, your body's energy reserve. Carbs are divided into two types: simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates are also called sugars. They taste sweet and are found in soda, cookies, candy, and other sugary foods. Some natural foods like fruits and fruit juices also have simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs are absorbed fast by the body and will give you quick energy. Some simple carb food choices, like cookies or candy, may give you quick energy, but don't provide many other needed nutrients. Having a piece of fruit can give you energy, as well as the many vitamins that your body needs.
Complex carbohydrates, also called starch, take longer to digest than simple carbs. Complex carbs are found in foods like corn, peas, rice, potatoes, pasta, breads, cereals, and whole wheat. Some complex carbs also have fiber, which allows them to be absorbed more slowly by your body. Fiber is found in whole grain breads (usually darker in color), bran-containing cereals (like Fiber One, All Bran and Raisin Bran), fruits, and vegetables. Eating fiber gives you a feeling of fullness so chances are you won't feel hungry in between meals.
Are carbs unhealthy?
No! Carbohydrates give your body needed energy. Some people think that eating carbs will make them gain weight, but carbs will get stored as fat only if you eat too many of them. Many other important nutrients come from carbohydrate foods, so eating no carbs is not a good idea. Because high-fiber carbohydrates foods help you feel full longer than sugary carbohydrates, it is a good idea to choose these as much as possible.
Is a low-carb diet safe and healthy?
Your body needs carbohydrates as a source of fuel. If you don't eat enough carbs, your body will use stored energy (muscle or fat cells). In low-carb diets, only 15% to 20% of energy (calories) comes from carbohydrates. It means that the other 75% to 80% of energy must come from proteins and fats. Both protein and fat are important in a balanced diet, but if you are watching your carbs, you may eat more fat and protein than your body actually needs in order to supply missing energy. High protein diets are also high in saturated fat (found in meat, whole milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and ice cream), which may increase your risk of heart disease. Also, digesting protein takes calcium from the body and requires extra work by kidneys, so some health care professionals are concerned about possible long-term risks of a high-protein diet/low-carb diet.
Do low-carb diets work?
A low-carb diet may help some people lose weight quickly because of limited food choices. The poor variety and low food intake, not the lack of carbs, causes the weight loss. It's important to know that if weight is lost, it is very easy to gain it back when this diet is stopped. Instead of eliminating carbohydrate foods, try reducing portion sizes and choosing complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates. For longer-lasting energy, remember to balance carbohydrates with protein foods.
What's the deal with food labels that claim to be low in carbs or low in net carbs?
You may see a lot of foods labeled as low carb. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which regulates nutrition facts food labels, is currently working on a definition for low-carbohydrate foods. In the mean time, food companies have come up with the term net carbs to promote their low-carb foods. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting carbs that don't have a major impact on blood sugar like fiber and sugar alcohols (like manitol and sorbitol) from the total grams of carbohydrate. Food companies put net carb labels on their products to attract low-carb dieters and many companies will add sugar alcohols to their products to keep the net carbs low. Overeating sugar alcohols should be avoided because they can cause a laxative effect.
What does "low glycemic index" mean?
Glycemic index is sometimes used to describe how a food affects blood sugar-the higher a food raises blood sugar, the higher the glycemic index. High-fiber complex carbs have a lower glycemic index than simple carbs. Combining a carbohydrate food with another food can lower the glycemic index because it allows your body to absorb the carbohydrate more slowly. For example, if you add peanut butter (protein) to toast (carbohydrate), your blood sugar will go up more slowly than if you had eaten the toast alone.
What is the healthiest way to eat?
A healthy eating plan should include:
With all the hype about low-carb diets going around, it's hard not to get sucked in to the low-carb craze! Remember, carbs are healthy and needed by the body. Instead of avoiding carbs all together, consider replacing some carbohydrate foods that have lower nutritional value such as cookies, chips, and fries with carbohydrates that are rich in vitamins and minerals such as vegetables, fruits, whole-grain breads and cereals, and dairy products! |
Internet Resources
Time Magazine: Low Carb Nation
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,1101040503,00.html
Updated3/15/2005
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