Low-Carb Diet Facts

 

Most teens have met someone who has followed a low-carb diet, or at least heard about low-carb diet plans such as Atkins®, Zone®, and South Beach®. Maybe you've seen or tried products such as low-carb energy bars, wraps, or bread. This guide will help answer questions about the different types of carbohydrates; how your body uses energy from carbohydrates; why carbohydrates are important, and the truth about low-carb diet claims.

 

What are carbohydrates?

Carbs (short for carbohydrates), are a source of energy found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods. Carbs supply your body with the glucose (sugar) it needs for energy. Extra glucose is stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, your body's quick source of energy. After glycogen stores are filled, glucose is then stored as fat, your body's energy reserve. Carbs are divided into two types: simple and complex.

 

Simple carbohydrates (also called sugars) are absorbed fast by the body and will give you quick energy. Sugars taste sweet and are found naturally in some nutritious foods such as fruits and milk. Added sugars are often found in foods that have little or no nutritional value such as soda, cookies, candy, and sugary cereal. The nutrition facts label on foods doesn't distinguish between added and natural sugars, but you can look at the ingredient list to see if sugars (such as sucrose, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup) are being added to the food.

 

Complex carbohydrates usually take longer to digest than simple carbs. Just like simple carbohydrates, not all complex carbohydrates are created equal. Some complex carbohydrates are also a good source of fiber. Fiber is heart healthy, good for digestion, and helps keep you full. Try to eat high-fiber complex carbs or whole grains such as whole grain breads, brown rice, and bran-containing cereals (such as Fiber One®, All Bran® and Raisin Bran®) instead of low-fiber complex carbs or refined grains such as white bread, white rice, white pasta, and sugary cereal.

 

Are carbs unhealthy?

No. Some people think that eating carbs will make them gain weight, but carbs, just like all other nutrients, will get stored as fat only if you eat too many of them.

 

Some of the reasons that carbs are healthy include:

• They are found in very nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and milk
• They give your body energy
• Many important nutrients come from carbohydrate foods

What are the facts about a low-carb diet?

Your body needs carbohydrates as a source of fuel. If you don't eat enough carbs, your body will use stored energy (muscle or fat cells). In low-carb diets, only 15% to 20% of energy (calories) comes from carbohydrates. It means that the other 75% to 80% of energy must come from proteins and fats. On a diet like this, you'd be eating more fat and protein than usual, which may not be the healthiest way to eat long term. Low-carb diets can be high in unhealthy saturated fat (found in meat, whole milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and ice cream). Also, digesting protein takes calcium from the body and requires extra work by kidneys, so some health care professionals are concerned about possible long-term risks of a high-protein diet/low-carb diet.

 

Do low-carb diets work?

A low-carb diet may help some people lose weight fast because they are eating less food, not because they aren’t eating carbs. Therefore, it's very easy to gain it back when a low-carb diet is stopped. Instead of eliminating carbs, try reducing portion sizes and choosing high-fiber carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, fruits, and veggies instead of refined carbs such as white bread, white rice, candy, chips, or cookies most of the time.

 

What does "low glycemic index" mean?

Glycemic index is a number used to describe how a food affects blood sugar-the higher a food raises blood sugar, the higher the glycemic index. High-fiber complex carbs such as whole wheat bread, have a lower glycemic index than simple carbs or refined complex carbs such as white bread. A low glycemic index may be a good way to identify healthier foods.

 

Combining a carbohydrate food with another food can also lower the glycemic index, because it allows your body to absorb the carbohydrate more slowly. For example, if you add peanut butter (protein) to toast (carbohydrate), your blood sugar will go up more slowly than if you had eaten the toast alone.

 

What is the healthiest way to eat?

• Eat a variety of foods including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
• Eat more high-fiber carbs and whole grains (vegetables, whole grain bran, beans, and fruits) than sugars or refined grains (candy, soda, chips, and juice)

In addition to eating healthy, don't forget to participate in physical activities such as running, swimming, baseball, or another physical activity that you enjoy.

 

Additional Resources:

Time Magazine: The Low-Carb Diet Craze

 

Written by the CYWH and YMH Staff at Children's Hospital Boston

 

Updated: 12/13/2011

 

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