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- Straight Facts on Fad
Diets
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- Low-Carb / High-Protein
Diets: Eating a load of refined carbohydrates that
is, sweet or starchy food floods your blood with the hormone insulin, whose job is
to carry blood sugar into cells. Release of too much insulin in response to an excess of
dietary carbohydrates may in turn produce temporary low blood sugar, and a resulting
craving for even more carbohydrates, or "carb's." Diet plans such as The Zone,
Dr. Atkin's diet, and the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet claim that an "addiction"
to carb's is a main cause of overeating. While eating too many sweet, starchy foods can
lead to obesity (and diabetes), getting fat is mostly a function of excess calories,
regardless of their source. Low-carb, high-protein diet plans work only because they are
as low in calories as traditional diet plans. And the quick results people report often
come from short-term shedding of water weight an effect seen with any low-calorie
diet.
Authors of low-carb, high-protein diet plans
exaggerate the impacts of more moderate carbohydrate intake to justify their extreme
prescriptions. Low-carb, high-protein diets drain energy because they derive only 35-40
percent of calories from carb's. Moderate-carbohydrate diets derive 50-60 percent of
calories from nutrient-dense carb's (high-fiber, nutrient-dense vegetables, beans, and
whole grains). They're proven to work, while reducing the risks of chronic diseases.
| Extreme
Low-Fat Diets: Dean Ornish, Nathan Pritkin, and others who promote extremely
low-fat diets claim they reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. These diets in
which only 10 percent to 15 percent of dietary calories come from fat may help clear
clogged arteries, but they're very hard to maintain. Most people need a higher level of
dietary fat, leaving Ornish/Pritikin adherents in a constant state of craving. Extreme
Low-Fat Diets also lack enough of the "good," polyunsaturated fats needed for
heart health, brain function, and many other critical aspects of health. |

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