Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Compare and contrast low carbohydrates diets and low fat diets
Low carbohydrate diets essays
Compare and contrast low carbohydrates diets and low fat diets
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Although low-fat, low-calorie diet has always been the gold standard of weight loss, low-carbohydrate diet cannot be dismissed. However, despite its popularity, low-carbohydrate diet’s safety and effectiveness continue to be subject of debates. It was not until recently that low-carbohydrate diet is properly studied due to the difficulty of measuring adherence and the high rates of drop-outs. This article will review six original reports done on low-carbohydrate diet. It will analyse the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diet over short and longer period of time as well as its effects on metabolism, coronary heart disease risk factors, glucose tolerance and psychological aspects.
Westman, Yancy, Edman, Tomlin, and Perkins’s (2002) did a randomised trials for high-protein, low-carbohydrate (HPLC) diet’s effects on metabolic system and body weights. They found that in average, participants lost 7.7 kilograms (Westman, et al., 2002). In addition, majority of subjects experienced favourable lipid profile change. However, all subjects were also found to develop ketunoria while undergoing the diet (Westman, et al., 2002). As this research was done on subjects with broad age range, the result of this study may be used as guidance for large age groups. It has to be noted that the research is funded by Atkins Centre for Complimentary Medicine which was founded by Robert Atkins, promoter of low-carbohydrate diet, Atkins diet. This introduces bias into the research and while authors of the paper claimed that the research was done independently, it does not satisfy ethical aspect of research.
Foster ef al. (2003) also published a research paper based on a randomised-controlled trials of HPLC. Foster et al. (2003) argued that HPLC diet pro...
... middle of paper ...
....
Foster, G.D., Wyatt, H.R., Hill, J.O., McGuckin, B.G., Brill, C., Mohammed, B.S., …, & Klein, S. (2003). A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 248 (21), 2082-2090.
Krebs, N.F., Gao, D., Gralla, J., Collins, J.S., & Johnson, S.L. (2010). Efficacy and Safety of a High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diet for Weight Loss in Severely Obese Adolescents. The Journal of Pediatrics, 157 (2), 252-258.
Lim, S.S., Noakes, M., Keogh, J.B., & Clifton, P.M. (2010). Long-term effects of a low carbohydrate, low fat or high unsaturated fat compared to a no-intervention control. Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, 20, 599-607.
Westman, E.C., Yancy, W.S., Edman, J.S., Tomlin, K.F., & Perkins, C.E. (2002). Effect of 6-Month Adherence to a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet Program. The American Journal of Medicine, 113, 30-36.
Kay’s compromise is setting her up for troubles. She is doing the acceptable thing by researching the issue however she has missed some finer points. While fats at 9 calories per gram do in fact yield more calories per gram than carbohydrates which are 4 calories per gram and as such do indeed have a greater potential for energy use she is misguided in her thinking and taking an approach where she drops her carbohydrates low and takes in high fat in her diet is perverting the facts. A diet of the energy-dense fats will not be better for her in this event. She needs to trust and listen to her coach and their recommendation for her to see a sports nutrition professional. It will take following a properly guided meal plan for her to be competitive in this event and remain healthy.
Not only do low-fat diets not work but they are dangerous towards our body. Our body needs certain fats to sustain energy and support cell growth. Low-fat diets may worsen HDL cholesteric and triglycerides. Because low-fat diets have not been successful towards many people, they turn around to face another lie. They begin to abandon the idea of taking low-fat diets and turn to high-fat diets. The super-high-fat Atkins diet or zone and sugar busters diet which are just as flawed as the low-fat diets. Many people find it hard to lose weight and even on these diets they tend to still gain weight. Many of the reasons why diets high and low in fat or carbohydrates don’t work are because they are not accurate. They are hard to keep up so they eventually stop the diet. They set goals that seem almost unrealistic and the processes of keeping the diet seem even harder than taking the weight off. Obesity has become a big epidemic in America. Americans tend to look for the easy way out. Getting on a diet that seems like a good idea without realizing how unrealistic it can become. How it promises to make you lose 5lbs a month if you stay committed. Lies. The narrow-minded focus on fats has been a failure that seems to have worsened the problem of obesity. The best way to keep the body safe is to avoid smoking, eating right and exercising. These healthy lifestyles will change the course of the death sentence that most Americans carry upon
fruits, pastas, and breads. This diet is based on the idea that if a person
The Zone diet’s main concern is a lifelong optimization of the body’s metabolic function by regulation of levels of insulin in the bloodstream. These insulin levels are largely affected by the types of food consumed. Studies have shown that the consumption of foods high in carbohydrates lead to an increased level of insulin in the bloodstream. This increase in insulin levels is believed to lead to increased hunger and possibly obesity. In order to decrease the levels of insulin in the bloodstream, the Zone diet follows a strict formula of types and amount of food ingested. This one phase diet follows the notion that a diet should have a balance and avoid ketosis, or causing the body to think it is starving. This balance limits meals to a 40-30-30 composition. 40-30-30 means that 40 percent of a meal’s calories should be fiber rich carbohydrates, 30 percent should be low-fat protein, and 30 percent should be fats. Contrary to the Food Pyramid, the Zone diet decreases the amount of carbohydrates and increases the amount of protein. This decrease in carbohydrates lowers the levels of insulin and alth...
The article “The Skinny on Low-fat Diets” by Alan Ling is about the drawbacks of low-fat diets. The author talks about how low-fat diets don’t necessarily work and uses facts to strengthen her claim. One of the ways the author strengthen their claim is by showing the other side of the argument. The author includes this information to strengthen her claim and show readers that they can defend their argument from others.
The new diet revolution has stirred up a controversial debate on whether the higher fat, lower carb diet is healthy in the long run for diet consumers. Some people say that it is not a healthy diet and that it includes too much fat, while others say it is the only weight loss diet that has finally helped them to take off a significant amount of weight. The diet became an instant craze since it has been proven that many Americans eat excessive amounts of simple carbohydrates such as rice, alcohol, sugar, white flour, and sugar. As a result of the surge in obesity and high calorie intakes, the Atkins diet aims to eliminate the simple carbohydrate consumption by replacing it with high fat, high animal protein foods such as bacon, sausage, butter, steak, eggs, and brie. These rich foods are allowed as part of the diet since it claims that you will lose weight fast while just following the routine.
Compare and Contrast Low Carbohydrate Diets and Low Fat Diets The two most popular methods to lose weight are the low carbohydrate diets and the low fat diets. Both are in complete contrast when it comes to each diet’s food choices, the low carbohydrate diet which completely breaks the food pyramid limits a person to eating foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta and rice, while on the other hand, the low fat diet which follow the food pyramid limits a person to eat foods that are high in fat like meat, milk, and bean groups. Although each diet may sound very different from one another, they also share similarities. Both the low carbohydrate diet and the low fat diet claim that each is a good tool for weight loss.
Mary Ann Evans is one of these many people. She was 5’5”, 42 years old, and over two-hundred pounds. She became desperate and came to Dr. Robert Atkins to help her with her weight loss and health problems. Evans had tried other diets and failed repeatedly. Her health was definitely at stake at this appointment with Doctor Atkins. With a blood pressure of 160/100 (normal is 120/60), it was time for a change. Atkins prescribed his low- carbohydrate diet to reverse her health problems and to lose the weight that had been her enemy for years. He eliminated the carbs in her diet to nearly zero grams a day. She exclaimed in “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution” that, “By the second week, I realized I felt really good. I had a lot of energy than I’d had on the old diet, and I wasn’t hungry” (13). Evans lost ten pounds in sixteen days and just after an additional three weeks she had lost 21 pounds and had a blood pressure of 120/78. She did not stop until she reached her goal of 140 pounds after only nine months on the Atkins’ diet. There are many success stories like this one that prove the low- carbohydrate diet is very efficient (“New Diet Revolution”
A million types of fad diets promising people to lose weight by using drugs or specific diet plans such as 5:2, paleo, hormone cure, virgin, bulletproof. Moreover, each type of fad diets has own specific style. Studies show that 108 million people in US following fad diets (ABC News Staff, 2012). The fad diets are the same as fashion that people use it enthusiastically for a period of time to give them beauty, elegant and perfect appearance. A fad diet is the most dangerous type of diet and it causes many health problems. This paper will look at two areas, which are physical and mental problems. Fad diets is becoming more popular because the consumers spend a huge amount of their money to follow specific type of diets to lose their weight
Low-fat, low-calorie, and low-carbohydrate diets are of unequal effectiveness and merit. Low-carbohydrate diets are simply better. All three diets attempt to induce weight loss by managing the body’s energy intake. The body gets the energy it needs to stay alive from food. Food can be broken down into three major categories: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Even though fat contains the most calories per gram, because of the way digestion works, the body gets all of its energy from carbohydrates and none from fat found in food. When the body takes in excess energy, it is stored in body fat. If it ever needs to, the body can dip into these energy reserves by breaking down the fat in which the energy is stored. Low-carbohydrate diets work by cutting back on the body’s main fuel source, carbohydrates, and replacing it with fat and protein. While protein and fat have other vital uses in the body, they do not provide any energy. So, the body is forced to burn fat for fuel. Low-calorie diets simply proscribe a lower overall caloric intake thereby providing the body with insufficient fuel, again forcing the body to dip into its reserves. Low-fat diets reduce fat intake because proponents of low-fat diets claim that fat is the type of food with the biggest caloric bang for its nutritional buck Low-fat diets are based on the fallacious connection between body fat and fat in food. There is no such connection, and this is a mistake that can have dire consequences. The body does not use fat as an energy source. People actually gain weight on low-fat diets because snacks toted as low-fat are frequently high in carbohydrates to compensate for the loss of flavor from lack of fat. Becau...
People who have gone through the Atkins diet usually do not maintain their weight in the long term due to lifestyle changes. This diet may result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies if a multivitamin supplement is not taken. The Atkins diet is high in animal fats which may increase the risk of heart disease. People who are diabetic may suffer from this diet as they must eat enough carbohydrates. The Atkins diet may not be a good diet for people who exercise frequently as muscle fatigue and low energy levels has been noted. This high protein diet may also decrease bone health and increase the risk of fractures. As a result, any diet that severely limits one food group should be done with
There are hundreds of weight loss programs and protein diets available to Canadians. Though the promises to lose ten pounds in ten days may seem appealing to those looking to lose some weight, there are many physiological and economic implications to these diets. There are multiple approaches to dieting such as controlled dieting, prudent dieting, formula dieting, low-carb and high fat and protein diets, high carbohydrate and fibre diets, fasting as well as a variety of diet aids. The short but sweet diets can fall under the category of ‘crash diets’. The ones that focus on low carbohydrates usually place a heavy emphasis on high proteins. These diets often have health consequences, as their main principle is to reduce the intake of macronutrients
A low carb diet is a meal plan that people follow, where all carbohydrates are cut out of every meal for the purpose rapidly losing weight. Many wonder whether low carb diets are healthy and beneficial, or detrimental to ones health. This report will explain many aspects of low carb diets, including a general overview, myths associated with low carb diets, short and long term effects, an overview of the most commonly practiced low carb diet, and the reason people start living this lifestyle.
Low-carb diets appear to be effective in promoting weight loss, weight loss, in addition to low-carb helps to reduce cholesterol levels.