Everywhere we look, we see something about low-carbohydrate dieting-television, radio, bookstores, and newspapers. Everyone we know seems to be on a low-carbohydrate diet. But what is low-carbohydrate dieting and how do we know which diet to follow, which is the healthiest, and most important, does it really work? In this brief article I am going to show you exactly what low-carbohydrate diets are and compare and contrast the most popular ones currently available with a diet I have been working with for the past few years.
Low-Carbohydrate Dieting
In a nutshell, low-carbohydrate dieting consists of eliminating most forms of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates come in many forms. They can be sugars, breads, pastas, pretzels, crackers, fruit, vegetables, and soda and fruit juices. Many people can't believe that fruit and fruit juices are carbohydrates; but, they are mostly simple sugars. Several recent studies even go so far as to suggest that the rise in obesity in our population is directly attributable to the rise in the consumption of fruit juices.
Sugar
For those of you who may not be aware of how fattening fruit juices can be, apple juice has more sugar in it than the same amount of soda. In the United States, we eat 150 pounds per person, per year. That translates to 33 tablespoons each day. We consume more calories of sugar than we do of meat, chicken, vegetables, and breads combined.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
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