When I Say Low-Carb, I Don't Mean No-Carb

A common mistake you will see being made by ignorant pinheads in the media about livin' la vida low-carb is that these healthy and effective diets for weight loss call for people to consume no carbohydrates at all. Yep, they're trying to convince the overweight and obese that if they want to go on a low-carb diet, then they will need to completely eliminate all carbs from their life forever.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

Sure, there are those who subscribe to an all-meat, zero-carb diet and more power to 'em! But those are not indicative of the most popular and widely-used low-carb plans like Atkins, South Beach, and Protein Power, just to name a few. All of these outstanding low-carb plans call for the consumption of certain kinds of carbs as part of a nutrient-dense nutritional approach.

Friend and fellow low-carb blogger Laura Dolson from the About Low-Carb Diets web site wrote an excellent piece on this topic called "What about 'no-carb' diets?" She notes that a no-carb diet would be next to impossible as well as undesirable to follow and would be very lacking in essential nutrients for a healthy lifestyle anyway. She also acknowledges that none of the major low-carb programs call for removing all carbs from your diet.

So, what exactly are you removing from your diet and what carbs do you need to be eating? This is a question that my friend and low-carb retailer Michael Kirtley from Low-Carb Central addressed in his newsletter this week. It was so succinct and easy-to-understand that I thought I would share it with you in this post.

Here's how Michael explains what he means by a low-carb diet:

"When we talk about low-carb or controlling carbs, please don't think we are talking about eliminating all carbs. We are talking about refined carbs and added sugars. Carbohydrates (plants, seeds, nuts, berries, some fruit) in their natural (unrefined) states are full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, antioxidants, flavanols, caratenoids etc. that can be very healthy if eaten in moderation and your body can handle them. It is when they are stripped of their nutritional value (refined) as well as when sugars (think refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose etc.) are added that we advocate avoiding them."

Excellent job, Michael! Get rid of the bad and replace it with the better. I don't know why this is such a difficult subject for people to grasp, but apparently it is. Keep in mind that carbohydrates are recognized by the body as sugar whether they are in the form of sugar or not. Therefore, limiting your carb intake to just those that provide your body with the best nutritional punch will keep you healthy for many years to come.

So the next time you hear one of the bombastic news journalists or so-called health "experts" out there spouting their mouths off about the "no-carb" diet fad, you remind them that carbohydrate consumption is a GOOD thing...even on a low-carb diet! You'll blow their mind!

8-26-07 UPDATE: Wanna see an example of the "no-carb" lie in the media. Check out this video that appeared in a news segment on the Atkins diet last Fall:



If he were with us today, then the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins would be surprised to know he advocated "no carbs" as this report suggests. That "fad" diet they made fun of is precisely what's keeping so many of us slim and trim as well as happy and healthy for the rest of our lives! :)