What is a Low-Carb Diet?
The basic idea behind low carb diets is reduce your carbohydrate intake (white flour and sugar) and increase your intake of high quality protein sources (such as meat, fish and beans).
There are many different versions of the low-carb diet, such as Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, Neanderthin, The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifestyle Plan, Life Without Bread, and others. All of them, however, have one thing in common -- a very strict reduction in the consumption of carbohydrates. Most low-carb diets replace carbohydrates with fats and proteins. Although diets vary in their recommendations, as a general rule, a low-carb diet is synonymous with a high-fat and moderate protein diet. Those on a low-carb diet should get at least 60 to 70 percent of their daily calorie intake from fat. Carbohydrates should make up less than 10 percent, and in some cases, less than 5 percent of your daily calorie intake.
How Does A Low Carb Diet Work?
When you eat a high-carbohydrate meal, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that allows blood sugar to be used by the cells. However, a side effect of insulin is that it also causes fat to be deposited, and it stimulates your brain to produce hunger signals. So what do you do? You eat more carbohydrates, and the cycle repeats. In time, your body cells become resistant to insulin, meaning that your pancreas has to work overtime, producing up to four or five times as much insulin just to keep up with the demand. It has been shown that high levels of insulin have a deleterious effect on the body, including premature aging.
Restricting the intake of carbohydrates puts a halt to this vicious cycle. When you restrict your carbohydrate intake, your insulin levels decrease and the levels of glucagon increase. Glucagon is a hormone that causes body fat to be burned and cholesterol to be removed from deposits in the arteries.
Health Benefits
- Sustained Weight Loss
- Stabilized Blood Sugar
- Lower Insulin Levels
- Better Blood Lipid Profile (low cholesterol)
- Lowered Blood Pressure
- More Energy
Low-Carb Products
AllStarHealth carries a wide variety of top low-carb products in the market. We have a low-price guarantee on a lot of popular low-carb products like Atkins, South Beach Diet, Balance Bar and Powerbars
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Low-carb Bars
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