Dieting by avoiding carbohydrates

Unless you have spent the new millennium living on a deserted island, you have probably heard of the low carb diet plan. This plan was made famous by Dr. Atkins and has become the diet plan of choice around the United States. In our modern society where simple sugars and other carbohydrates are the most inexpensive and tasty parts of any diet plan, we have begun to overindulge in their pleasures. Complex carbs are great energy boosters, but in their simple form they are nothing but empty calories that provide a fast boost of energy with a quick drop following.

Carbohydrates can be consumed as part of a healthy diet plan filled with a variety of foods; it is the overindulgence that has made them a danger. For many people, simply removing them from their diet plan for a length of time, then slowly reintroducing healthy, complex carbohydrates, is a very effective way to maintain, and even lose, weight.

A carb limiting diet plan is usually one that is extremely high in protein, relies heavily on vegetables, discounts fat entirely, and allows few fruits. The benefits of such a diet are many fold. First, vegetables (which are encouraged in plenty with this diet plan) are usually pretty low calorie, yet filled with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Second, fruit (which is discouraged), while certainly better than processed sugars, is still sugar and actually can increase hunger in some people, and thus can be a problem when trying to lose weight. Third, the high protein intake inherent to this diet helps assure that muscle is not lost during dieting.

For most people, eliminating carbs is a temporary diet plan, which lasts weeks or months. The idea is to then reintroduce carbs, learning to eat them in moderation, as part of a healthy diet.