babbling blue

Wrong!

I’m so sick to death of seeing “lo carb” stuff all over the place. There is a low carb version of everything now, even ketchup. What the hell?

Nothing is simple when it comes to our bodies. So you can’t simply say “all X is bad” or even that “Y is always good for you”. Maintaining a healthy diet requires balance. You shouldn’t eliminate all fats from your diet (our body requires certain “essential fatty acids”. Nor should you eliminate all carbohydrates. Carbs (especially high-fiber, complex carbohydrates) eaten in moderation are quite good for the body.

The whole reason for the low carb diet isn’t because carbs are in any way bad for you. The theory behind the whole thing is that your body will process carbohydrates to make energy before it processes fat. Also, if you consume too many carbohydrates, the excess that your body doesn’t may get converted to fat. Thus if you reduce the carbohydrates that you eat, your body will be able to burn fat faster and won’t build up as much fat. So it is certainly possible to lose weight this way. But does it make you healthier? No, not really. If you aren’t overweight, there’s no point in being on a low carb diet.

In fact, you should be careful not to go overboard in avoiding carbohydrates.

According to Dr. Ron Kenny, MD Link:
“High-fiber (high-cellulose) vegetable foods are the healthiest choices for human nutrition, and intake of these foods is associated with lowered incidences of hypertension, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc. Examples are lettuce and broccoli. Examples of low-fiber, complex carbs are banana, tomato, squash and all cereals and grains (therefore bread and pasta), potatoes and rice. ”

So, carbs are not bad. Even fat isn’t bad. Both can be bad in excess. The lack of both can also be bad. So use your head when you’re dieting and don’t be fooled by the latest crazes.