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TechnographLocal experts debate benefits of low-carb lifestyle
By Audra Davie
Posted: 12/14/04 Section: Features
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"I eat carbs," proclaims the fitness center employee's T-shirt. "New low-carb wraps," announces the advertisement in the restaurant window. "Only five net carbs per serving," guarantees the wrapper on the box of cookies.
As recently as five years ago, advertisements based on promises of reduced carbohydrates meant little. In today's world of protein-crazed, breadbasket-hating Atkins dieters, however, a thin and seemingly fit gym employee advertising her continued consumption of carbohydrates is near blasphemy to some.
Despite the seeming increase in popularity of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets such as Atkins and the preponderance of low-carbohydrate products, people have continued to get fatter.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 59 percent of Illinois residents are overweight or obese. Registered dietician Susan Kundrat said a special diet like Atkins is unnecessary for 90 percent of people, who merely need to be educated on how to make appropriate decisions when it comes to healthy eating - and have the willpower to follow through on those decisions.
Kundrat and Carle Weight Management Center dietician Kristina Adams agree that Atkins or similar restrictive weight-loss plans are manageable for a short time, and that some of their patients have been successful in losing weight quickly.
However, Kundrat and Adams said they would be unlikely to prescribe a diet like Atkins because of its impracticality. Adams said life in the "real world" makes it difficult to stick to low-carbohydrate plans, most of which prohibit bread and pasta, any foods with sugar and many vegetables. Low-carbohydrate diets can also cause fatigue, constipation, headaches, muscle cramps and bad breath.
Adams also said those who lose weight through a low-carbohydrate diet usually gain most or all of their weight back once they resume their normal eating habits. Furthermore, cutting out carbohydrates entirely can lead to patterns of binging on the forbidden foods, particularly sugar, after ending the diet.
As recently as five years ago, advertisements based on promises of reduced carbohydrates meant little. In today's world of protein-crazed, breadbasket-hating Atkins dieters, however, a thin and seemingly fit gym employee advertising her continued consumption of carbohydrates is near blasphemy to some.
Despite the seeming increase in popularity of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets such as Atkins and the preponderance of low-carbohydrate products, people have continued to get fatter.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 59 percent of Illinois residents are overweight or obese. Registered dietician Susan Kundrat said a special diet like Atkins is unnecessary for 90 percent of people, who merely need to be educated on how to make appropriate decisions when it comes to healthy eating - and have the willpower to follow through on those decisions.
Kundrat and Carle Weight Management Center dietician Kristina Adams agree that Atkins or similar restrictive weight-loss plans are manageable for a short time, and that some of their patients have been successful in losing weight quickly.
However, Kundrat and Adams said they would be unlikely to prescribe a diet like Atkins because of its impracticality. Adams said life in the "real world" makes it difficult to stick to low-carbohydrate plans, most of which prohibit bread and pasta, any foods with sugar and many vegetables. Low-carbohydrate diets can also cause fatigue, constipation, headaches, muscle cramps and bad breath.
Adams also said those who lose weight through a low-carbohydrate diet usually gain most or all of their weight back once they resume their normal eating habits. Furthermore, cutting out carbohydrates entirely can lead to patterns of binging on the forbidden foods, particularly sugar, after ending the diet.
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