Low Carb Dieting - Myths

MYTH: Low carb diets are bad for health

Although pretty much all dietitians agree that cutting out sugar and refined flour is a good idea, there is still no consensus about low carb nutrition amongst professionals. There are many scientific studies that show low carb dieting to be not only not dangerous, but actually good for your health in many ways beyond weight loss. Specifically, it has been found that following some low carb diet plans can improve digestion and levels of cholesterol.

Quite often, dietitians who don't specialise in low carb nutrition (and so don't necessarily know much about it) have a knee-jerk negative reaction when asked about low-carb diets. For example, they often cite possible lack of vitamins as a negative factor. This is simply not true. Most low carb diets do allow plenty of vegetables, and in fact, some people find that low carb dieting means they start eating more vegetables, since that's their only permitted source of carbs.

However, as is the case with nutrition in general - whether trying to lose weight or not - it is important to be sensible and follow a plan that's been developed and tested by experts. If you suddenly stop eating all carbs and try to live on steak, cheese and bacon, then clearly that would not be good for you. Contrary to the negative stereotype, this is not at all what low carb dieting is all about. Choose a low carb diet to suit your lifestyle, and then get the book and read it, so that you know exactly how to devise and manage your diet plan.

MYTH: Ketosis is dangerous

Being in ketosis means that fat is processed for energy instead of carbohydrates. Millions of people have experienced this state without any adverse health effects. Ketogenic diets are prescribed by mainstream medical professionals for managing symptoms of some diseases such as epilepsy.

Ketosis is sometimes confused with ketoacidosis, which is indeed a dangerous state but it only affects people with type 1 diabetes.

MYTH: Low carb is not a natural way to eat

In fact, what's really unnatural is the standard Western diet that is high in refined sugar and flour. Typical high carb foods so abundant today are a result of technological advancement, and have only been available for the last century or two. There is nothing natural about white sugar - it is a result of a complicated refining process.

Going even further back, humans as a species have been hunters and fishers long before they learned how to cultivate grains and other plant-based foods. Whatever plants or roots were available in those primitive societies, would have contained a lot less carb than their modern day counterparts, as they have by now been cultivated and bred selectively for centuries.

Finally, bear in mind that our lifestyles in the modern day are very different to those of our ancestors, even going back as early as a century ago. Technological progress means that most of us lead sedentary lives and do very little physical work. In developed countries, food is abundant and no one ever starves (sadly, this is not the case in some other areas of the world). Technology develops much too fast for a human body to evolve accordingly. Perhaps one day humans will evolve out of their basic need to consume and store food whenever they can. But in our lifetime, we will have to stick with diet and exercise to mitigate the consequences of food abundance.

MYTH: Low carb dieters never get to eat any fruit or veg, and so may lack in vitamins

The myth about no fruit or veg is probably the most persistent one out there, and again, it is just simply not true. Most low carb diets allow plenty of vegetables, and fruit is only restricted during the early phases of some plans.

Whilst there is no debate about vegetables, the way we think about fruit is actually sometimes misguided. We have come to think of them automatically as healthy, but in reality, some fruit are extremely high in sugar. Eating several oranges or a pack of grapes in one go gives you the same amount of sugar as a chocolate bar would. Whilst of course fruit would be better than chocolate (as it also contains fibre and vitamins), sugar is still sugar, and you should eat less of it if you want to lose weight. Fruit juices remove fibre from the fruit, and in fact are hardly better than sugary fizzy drinks.

If you are worried about getting enough vitamins in the early, more restrictive stages of your diet, consider taking a multivitamin supplement.

MYTH: Not getting enough carbs will make me tired

It is true that you may experience a short period of tiredness while your body adjusts. However, this period usually only lasts for several days. Once your body switches to burning fat instead of carbohydrates for energy, you are likely to find yourself feeling more energetic than before. Moreover, you will feel so on a consistent and continuous basis - in contrast to roller-coaster up and down energy levels typical of a high-carb diet.