Low Carb Diets Or High Carb Diets?

 Which Diet Works Best?Low carbohydrate diets, so popular and divisive in the last twenty or thirty years, work by putting your body in a survival state your body uses when carbohydrates are not available to keep your body from cannibalizing its own muscle and other tissues, called ketosis. The effects of ketosis start about 48 hours after a low-carb diet begin. This particular diet eschews the ‘a calorie is a calorie’ philosophy in favor of one that changes how you eat instead of exactly how much you eat. This idea is not exactly carried out in the diets of actually low-carb dieters, as it turns out. Many of the people on this diet end up eating fewer calories than those who don’t go low carb, and the going theory is that people on this diet get filled up faster by the high-protein, high fat foods they eat than if they were eating carbohydrate rich foods. However it works, it does work. Low carb
dieters tend to lose more weight in six-month trials than those on other popular diets (the Zone Diet, low-fat diets). After a year though, the same studies indicated no difference in weight loss between people who had done one diet instead of the other.Who are they good for?Low-Carbohydrate diets have been found to be effective for a wide variety of people such as obese people, diabetic patients, and other dietersWho are they bad for?Athletes. This diet works by limiting the amount of glycogen in your body. Your body uses glycogen as its main fuel source during exercise and it’s only going to hurt if you runs out of it. When marathoners deplete their glycogen, that’s what they call ‘hitting the wall’. If you want to hit that wall every time you get on the treadmill, go right ahead.High Carbohydrate dietsDiets in which 65% or more of your daily calories come from carbohydrates are considered ‘High-Carbohydrate diets” Most diets do not fall into this category (‘Low-fat’ diets are by far the most common type), but a few have been found to be helpful. Many of these diets include provisions about eating lots of fruits and vegetables, which are both high in carbohydrates and quite good for you. It is hard to say whether it is strictly the high-carbohydrate diet that is helping these folks out or the generous amounts of greenery they are getting (would they get the same benefit from eating buckets of oatmeal instead?). Either way, high carbohydrate diets have been found to be effective weight loss tools and mood elevators, as an added bonus.Who are they good for?The obese (they have been found to be as effective as low-carb diets over the course of a year), those hoping to lose weight for the beach, and some athletes. Cyclists and triathletes were on these diets before they had a name for them, because rice, bread, and pasta are some of the best fuels for long-distance athletes.Who are they bad for?Not all athletes will benefit from such a regimen. Weightlifters, football players, and even recreational exercisers hoping to gain some muscle mass need to be more concerned with their protein intake than their carbohydrate levels, and stuffing yourself with rice won’t help you get to your goals like a balanced meal centered around a fish filet would.