Low-carb diet: what comes next?

A diet often promises a quick fix, but real life begins when the first enthusiasm wears off. Here we look at why low-carb eating lost its popularity back in the day and what is worth taking from it today.

Why the low-carb diet faded

The original idea was simple: more protein, healthy fats and vegetables, less sugar and white flour. That still sounds sensible today. The problem began when the food industry turned it into a slogan and started selling anything that could carry the words “low in carbohydrates” on its packaging.

Barbecue sauce, bread, yogurt, cookies, chips, candy and even nut butter reached the shelves. Honestly: was nut butter ever really a high-carbohydrate food? Products like these made the diet look easy, but they took it further away from its original idea.

Muscle & Fitness Hers wrote at the time that the trend was cooling quickly. NPD Group found that while around 9% of Americans were on a low-carb diet at the start of 2004, by the end of 2004 that had dropped to 4%. Nutrition specialist Anne-Marie Nocton from Knoxville, Tennessee, explained it simply: fad diets wear people out.

That doesn’t mean cutting carbohydrates can’t suit anyone. Weight often drops because a person eats fewer calories. But if the plan is too narrow, tasty food disappears from the menu and everyday life becomes dull, the old habits come back.

How a diet really works

A simple truth: any diet works only if you can actually stick to it. A low-carb plan can reduce sweet cravings, keep you full for longer and make you pay more attention to what you put on your plate. That’s a good thing.

But the same diet can turn bad if all the attention goes to the promise on the packaging rather than the quality of the food. A low-carb cake doesn’t automatically become healthy. Ice cream isn’t better just because it contains less sugar. Nocton aptly asked whether cakes and ice cream are healthier only because they contain fewer carbohydrates.

Many such products were refined and processed. They were the opposite of what a low-carb diet originally meant. Some people really did start eating more broccoli, but very many chose energy bars and baked goods that did no more for weight loss than the earlier fat-free cookies.

Taste matters too. People don’t stick with food that doesn’t taste good. That is why the low-carb drink from Coke and Pepsi got a lukewarm reception and the reduced-carbohydrate pasta from “American Italians Pasta” flopped. If the food is poor, the message on the packaging won’t save it.

A practical diet without the fads

So what actually came next? General Mills began to put more emphasis on whole-grain products. Several cereal makers launched lower-sugar versions of children’s favorites. Kraft Foods planned to bring foods under the South Beach Diet brand, containing whole grains and vegetables, to market by early 2005.

For 2005, the hope was that people would tire of fads and start asking a simpler question: is this food good for me? Jessica Siegel, MPH, RD, a dietitian at Gelson’s Supermarkets in Southern California, said she would like to see people who feel comfortable around food and don’t live with constant guilt.

That idea still holds. A good nutrition plan doesn’t have to be harsh or complicated. Eat more real food. Add fruit and vegetables. Cut back on fast food, fried food and heavily processed food. If you want to limit carbohydrates, do it in a way that still leaves enough food, flavor and energy on your plate.

Six tips on low-carb eating

• Cut back on refined sugar. We eat too much of it anyway. Check the packaging for added and hidden sugars.
• Snack on nuts. They fill you up and contain protein and healthy fats. A handful over the course of the day is enough.
• Limit sauces. Barbecue sauce, ketchup and salad dressings can contain sugar and a lot of sodium. Mayonnaise, meanwhile, is high in fat.
• Eat more protein. This nutrient keeps you fuller than carbohydrates and fats do, especially when you’re on a diet.
• Read labels. Atkins probably did more to get people reading package labels than almost any other diet. That habit is worth keeping.
• Eat berries. Strawberries, bilberries and raspberries are tasty, healthy and work well as a dessert.

FAQ: diet and carbohydrates

Does a low-carb diet help with weight loss?

It can, if as a result you eat fewer calories and choose better-quality food. If you simply swap regular cookies for low-carb cookies, nothing may change.

Are all carbohydrates bad?

No. Vegetables, berries and whole-grain products can be part of a perfectly sensible menu. The problem is more the sugar, the excessive snacking and the heavily processed food.

How do I know whether a diet suits me?

See whether you have energy, whether you stay full and whether you can keep up the same rhythm during an ordinary work week. If the plan falls apart every weekend, it’s too rigid.

Author: Atkins diet

Source: WHO – healthy eating.

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