Sugar has received a bad rap.
Surely, sugars reputation is well deserved. Addicting. Fattening. Tooth decaying.
So, the low carb diet craze is really no surprise. It was just a matter of time. You really have multiple choices. Pick one: Atkins, South Beach, Paleo.
Yes, Paleo is indeed low carb. This is why it probably works (when followed).
Do you eat meat?
Me too.
I love it. Ribs in particular. The carnivore in me makes me feel manly. If I had my choice, I would eat Famous Dave’s ribs most nights.
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Some would argue that this would be healthy. Just skip the potato wedges and the cornbread muffin. Have a small side salad with your full rack of ribs.
Well, some mistakenly believe that low carb equates to unlimited meat intake. Low carb diets are the new excuse for meat indulgence.
This could be deadly. And may defeat the purpose.
You want to lose weight. Understood. But what are you really looking for?
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A longer, vibrant and disease free life.
Well. Here’s a surprise for you.
Meat may have a scary side. A vegetarian low carb diet may be a healthier option.
A study from the Archives of Internal Medicine looked at low carbohydrate diets and death.
They studied a load of patients. Two large groups in fact:
- Nurses Health Study – 85,000 women ages between 34 and 59.
- The Health Professionals’ Study – 44,548 males aged 40-75 years of age.
By using food questionnaires they scored the diets and lumped them into two groups:
- Low carb with ANIMAL sources of protein
- Low carb with PLANT sources of protein.
They followed the patients for over 20 years. The study began in the 80’s. They tracked participants’ deaths over 20+ years.
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They did some fancy math analysis. This is essential. They attempt to kill off the dreaded confounders that could mess up the data.
The results.
- A low carb diet in general was weakly associated with death (all cause mortality)
- A low carb diet with higher animal protein was associated with higher death rates and death from cancer
- A low carb diet with higher veg consumption (low carb vegetarian diet) was associated with a lower death rate and lower death due to heart disease (but not lower death due to cancer)
So, be careful with a low carb diet.
This study is not perfect. None are.
But consider getting your protein from plants, not animals. Or at least don’t go crazy caveman-meat-eater.
The Evidence:
Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: two cohort studies.
Image Credit: Ribs, Anyone? by Philip Rice from 500px.com
DESCRIPTION: International BBQ Rib competition in Ottawa, Canada
If you want to learn more about going low carb and limiting your sugar, check out my post: 8 Sugary Foods Making You Fat (with LOW SUGAR DRINK TIPS).