Finding your Balance (in an Extreme Diet Era)

Low Fat Diet

What’s on your menu? Has your plate runneth over with whatever the diet du jour has dictated? Prior to the Atkins low-carb craze, we were inundated with the low-fat diet. Supermarket shelves were crammed with low-fat alternatives. It was easy to be sold on the low-fat mentality – as logic prevailed. Gram for gram, fat has double the calories as either protein or carbohydrates. When fat content is lowered, supposedly – calories are reduced. Calories are calories—regardless of their source. Cutting calories from your diet, when practiced with efficacy, will lead to weight loss.

The plot (and waistline) thickens. The marketing trick behind many of the low-fat packages in grocery stores is found in substitution. In order to liven up the taste of fat-stripped foods, low-fat products are often packed with excess sugar and extra-refined carbohydrates. Highly-processed carbohydrates are the culprit behind extreme spikes in blood sugar, over time increasing the chance of developing diabetes and heart disease. Consumers are often misled into thinking that they are actually doing something good for their bodies on a low-fat diet, when, in reality, they are ingesting just as many calories as they would -- had they opted for their higher-fat content counterparts.

Carbohydrate-Restricted Dieting (Atkins)

If the commercial low-fat diet is any indication of the recipe for disaster found in following extreme dieting fads, perhaps it is safe to assume other limiting menu regimes will play a similar role on our bodies. As for the Atkins diet, which promotes a low-carbohydrate, high-protein and fat intake – there are, at present, no long-term studies to scientifically document potential dangers; with the exception of the obvious –consumption of excessive animal fats found in high fat foods like butter, cheese and bacon can overstress the heart and put one at risk for developing coronary heart disease, colon cancer, kidney stress, liver disorder, gout, diabetes and stroke.

Theoretically, the high-protein/low carbohydrate diet will produce results in the short-term, but is not recommended by nutritionists as a safe long-term lifestyle protocol. What this regimen can do is produce the feeling of fullness quicker—enabling dieters to avoid overeating and become adjusted to smaller portions. Further contributing to hunger reduction is the Atkins call for less or no carbohydrate ingestion. Furthermore, blood sugar levels will not experience the highs and lows associated with refined carbohydrate intake.

As for short-term findings on Atkins subjects, the results illustrated low-carb diets being safe—with a few minor side effects, like nausea, gastrointestinal problems, reoccurring headaches, constipation, energy loss, irritability and concentration difficulties--where weight loss was due to reduced caloric intake more so than limitations put on carbohydrates. However, in addition to the increased risk for developing the aforementioned chronic diseases and disorders by following the Atkins diet for extended periods, there may also be an increase in the risk for osteoporosis in women after long-term calcium supplies are stripped from bones as the body works harder to neutralize the acids that build up in the blood as a consequence of consistent protein digestion.

The dizziness, irritability and concentration difficulties that occur when on the Atkins diet has a name: ketosis – which occurs when the brain is starved of carbohydrates. Often what will happen as a result of carbohydrate starvation is the Atkins dieter will give in to physiological demand and break the diet. Too often, the need for instant gratification results in the dieter binging on carbohydrates in the form of junk food sugars and starches. Often, the weigh that was lost is easily gained back quickly and the post-dieter embarks on a dangerous blood sugar roller coaster.

From the point of view of balance, the other side of the equation can be found in the carbohydrate junkie. What happens when we eat too many carbohydrates is overproduction of insulin. Spikes in insulin production trigger hunger and fuel the carbohydrate addiction. The peaks and falls in blood sugar contribute to a cycle of over-consumption of carbohydrates. This has serious long-term health consequences, in addition to weight gain and obesity. Although admittedly a difficult cycle to break, it is not impossible. The answer lies in moderating carbohydrate intake to include unrefined and healthy sources of whole grains, fruits and vegetables and to eliminate refined carbohydrates like sugar and flour.

Carbo-Loading

Exceptions in upsetting the carbohydrate/protein/fats balance can be found in athletes where duration is key to their success in a competition. As complex carbohydrates become glucose, stored in muscles and available in a time-release trickle, many athletes will “carbo-load” during training before an endurance match. Athletes that carbo-load do so, for the most part, under the guidance of a nutritionist or other professional with expertise in the field. Some athletes have similar credentials and/or a lifelong commitment to fueling their bodies through balanced nutrition and are conscientious of every eating and drinking decision they make. The difference is, the athlete will burn off the excess carbohydrates taken in during match, while couch potatoes binging on carbohydrates will not.