Low Carb Diets

According to a recent survey by the National Health Institute, about a third of overweight Americans who are trying to lose weight, are doing so by eating less carbohydrates (carbs) largely because of the increased popularity of fad diets like Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet.

Are you already on a low carb diet and struggling to find some good food ideas. Make sure to check out our list of low carb foods that include recipes for snacks, beverages, meals and desserts! Although there have certainly been other low-carb or low-sugar diet plans before, and more will most assuredly come out in the years ahead, let’s take a look at the basics behind many of the major plans. And let’s take a look at how they fit into the real world today. Because while it might be great to lower the body’s sugar content and be healthier, wouldn’t it be great to learn how to do so while being part of this fast-paced world?

Why a low carb diet?

Perhaps the most widely known of all low carb diets is the Atkins diet. Created by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970s the Atkins diet is considered by some to be the most extreme low carb diet plan.

Husband and wife scientist team Drs. Rachael and Richard Heller introduced the term “Carbohydrate Addict” in their 1993 book The Carbohydrates Addict’s Diet. The idea is that some people are addicted to carbohydrates just like alcoholics are addicted to alcohol and drug addicts are addicted to drugs. 

Dr. Fred Pescatore, a former Associate Medical Director at the Atkins Institute, developed the Hampton’s Diet. This diet is a mix of low carb dieting concepts and the healthiest concepts of the Mediterranean diet.

Written by Rick Gallop, a former President of The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, The Glycemic Index (GI) Diet claims, “if you can understand a traffic light, you’ll understand this diet”.

Ray Audette, the author of NeanderThin touts his diet as a way to “Eat like a caveman to achieve a lean, strong, healthy body”. At the tender age of 33, Audette suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. After hearing from doctors that his condition was treatable but not curable, Audette decided to undertake nutritional research to find a better cure.

Drs. Michael and Mary Eades, co-authors of The Protein Power LifePlan hold views similar to Audette and also believe that modern health problems are caused by our modern diet that is heavy on grains and processed food. (Notable is that Dr. Michael Eades even wrote the introduction to Audette’s NeanderThin.) 

Dr. Diana Schwarzbein is the endocrinologist to the stars. The doctor of choice for Suzanne Somers, Larry Hagman and many others, Schwarzbein encourages extensive testing for hormonal imbalances and then suggests various diet and exercise programs and selective hormone replacement to treat any deficiencies. 

Suzanne Somers first introduced “Somersizing” in Suzanne Somers Eat Great, Lose Weight in 1992. Somersizing is a way of eating in which you cut sugar and “funky foods” and eat plenty of fats, proteins and good carbs like vegetables and fruit. Foods must be combined in certain ways so that the body easily digests them. 

Developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, The South Beach Diet touts itself as teaching dieters to eat the right carbs and the right fats. The diet has three phases. In the first dieter’s banish their bad carb cravings and induce rapid weight loss. In the second phase, some types of carbs are reintroduced and weight loss is slower. The final phase 

On Sugar Busters! dieters cut sugar to trim fat. This diet was created by a group of doctors and the CEO of a Fortune 500 business from New Orleans who realized that low fat foods are full of sugar and that it is the sugar in foods that produces a negative insulin response and leads to weight gain. 

Created by Dr. Barry Sears, The Zone encourages balanced carb and protein intake. Dr. Sears suggests that you divide your plate into three sections, one for protein and two for fruits and vegetables per meal. This works out to 30 percent protein, 40 percent carb, and 30 percent fat. For each meal, the protein portion should be roughly the size of your 

Before he began extolling the virtues of Australian macadamia nut oil, Dr. Fred Pescatore wrote the book Thin For Good: The One Low-Carb Diet That Will Finally Work for You. This plan explores the mind-body connection in lasting weight loss This book is was written by Drs. Rachel and Richard Heller and is touted as being the book for any low-carb dieter on any plan who needs help getting back on track – right now.

This is the book for the person who has let the holidays, a vacation or a bad meal choice spiral into a crisis or who are 

14. Living Low-Carb

This book is a companion piece to the low-carb diet of your choice and is intended to give you tips and tricks to make the road to low-carb success smoother and a lot less bumpy.