Low Carbohydrates Diet

A Low Carbohydrates diet can lead to a lot of weight loss fairly quickly, but a Low Carbohydrates diet doesn't come without risks.

Low Carbohydrates Diet

How are you doing on your Low Carbohydrates diet? Do you know for sure? If you're on a Low Carbohydrates diet, don't do it blindly. And if you're on it long term, make sure you see your doctor at least once a year.

Staying Healthy on a Low Carb Diet

Studies have shown that losing even 10% of your body weight can lead to better health, so does it matter how you lose that 10%? In a word, yes. Look at it this way: It's not healthy to be bulimic or anorexic, yet those people aren't overweight. But they aren't healthy either. Now, we're not saying that the ever-popular Low Carbohydrates diet is similar to bulimia or anorexia, but there are health risks associated with this type of weight loss plan.

That's not to say that low carbohydrates dieting is entirely bad. Some low carbohydrates diets require you to eat a lot of protein, and they don't discriminate about what kind of protein it is. What's a better choice--ribs or a skinless boneless chicken breast? Obviously, the chicken is the better choice. But in the past, most people on a Low Carbohydrates diet did not make that kind of distinction. They figured that giving up carbohydrates was difficult enough without having to be picky about what types of meat they could have. But that's a dangerous way to think. Too much saturated fat (like the fat found in ribs, bacon, etc.) can lead to heart disease in the long run. Stick with lean cuts of meat to lower your risk.

In addition, you'll notice that you have to give up most fruits, vegetables and dairy. Unfortunately, this means you lose out on a lot of vitamins, minerals, calcium and fiber that your body needs. This means you're constipated and you're putting yourself at risk for cancer and osteoporosis. Most of these problems can be minimized by taking fiber supplements, calcium supplements and a multivitamin.

Other side effects of a Low Carbohydrates diet include ketosis and kidney disease. If you're on a low carb diet for a long, long time, these are risks that are not so easily avoided by taking a supplement. Ketosis is the state your body is in when it's burning fat. Side effects of ketosis include:

When your body doesn't have carbs or fat to burn, it starts burning protein. This releases uric acid in your bloodstream, which can cause kidney stones and kidney damage. Again, these are risks of a low carbohydrate diet that can't be avoided (especially if you never cheat and work out a lot).

Before you decide to go on a low carbs diet, consider these facts.

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