TAKE BACK CONTROL
What’s the fuss about carbohydrates?
When low carbohydrate diets became popular, they seemed to be a breath of fresh air after the low-fat diet with hidden sugars that preceded them. Suddenly we were told to load up on meat and throw away the bun. Robert Atkins, M.D., who was responsible for the Atkins diet in 1972, published one of the first extreme low-carb diets, cutting out grains, starchy vegetables and fruit. The ketogenic diet, another extreme low-carb diet, is based on less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day, cheating our bodies into running entirely on fat rather than glucose, which makes it easier to access and burn fat stores. With many low-carb diets, drastic and quick weight loss results were seen, alongside added health benefits of lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
However, while extreme low carbohydrate diets showed successful results in the short term, in the long term they proved to be less healthy than originally claimed. Bad breath, a lack of concentration, increased fatigue, reduced energy, and with weight returning: people felt they did not want to journey through life with such severe restrictions. Extreme diets generally don’t work, and we end up returning to our previous habits, frustrated that we
