Carbohydrate Substitutes for the Atkins diet

Cutting down on carbohydrates with the Atkins diet is easy when you see the wide variety of proteins and vegetables that are on the acceptable foods list. However, it does take some time and adjustment to get used to this new way of eating. A lot of the American diet centers around complex carbohydrate foods like breads and pastas. Snack foods are full of sugars and refined carbohydrates. This new way of eating will challenge your old habits. However, there are many carbohydrate substitutes that can fill in the gap.

Some of the most popular replacement items are sugar substitutes. These can be good or bad depending on how you react to them. Each person has a different reaction to artificial sweeteners like aspartame and Splenda. They can be helpful in baking low-carbohydrate treats and making things taste sweet without risking sugar use. However, many people find that using artificial sweeteners makes them crave sugar even more. If you find you want more sweet treats after drinking a diet soda or eating a snack made with Splenda, its best to eliminate them entirely from your diet.

Bread is the number one challenge that Atkins dieters face when looking at their new diet plans. Bread is a staple food for many people, and eliminating it can be somewhat of a problem. There are some low carb breads available out there, but you have to watch for hidden carbohydrates and other unacceptable ingredients. If you are ambitious, you can try making your own bread out of almond flour or other non-traditional flours.

Many people say that they love pasta, but people vary rarely eat it plain. The best part about pasta is the topping. So taking those toppings (meat, cheese and vegetables) and putting them over something else is an easy solution. Many people who follow the Atkins plan have found that squash makes a good pasta substitute. Spaghetti squash, a yellow orange gourd with stringy insides, is a natural base for homemade meat sauce. Zucchini is also a good pasta substitute. You can grate in into fine pieces or chunk it up into sections to act as a base for sauces. Lasagna is easily made with large pieces of eggplant as a substitute for the noodles. The meats and cheeses used in lasagna are low-carb so there?s nothing to worry about there.

Another common problem for Atkins dieters is finding a good substitute for rice. One popular solution is to use cauliflower. Simply place the cauliflower florettes in a food processor and chop them until they are rice sizes pieces. Then microwave the ?rice? without water. The pieces will come out fluffy and ready to be used in casseroles or as part of a side dish.

Cauliflower is also a popular potato substitute for Atkins dieters. This time, puree the cauliflower until it is smooth and creamy, just like mashed potatoes. You can add your favorite low-carb topping to it like bacon, sour cream and cheese.

Pizza is a favorite food for many people, but there are Atkins friendly solutions for homemade pizzas that taste just as good. You can make small pizzas using low-carb tortillas as the crust. You can also use the same method with large Portobello mushrooms. If the alternative crust options don?t sound good to you, you can also try a pizza casserole with all of the ingredient layered in a casserole dish.
These substitutes will help you avoid indulging in your high-carb favorites while on the Atkins diet.

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Low-Carb Diet, Should I or Shouldn’t I?

It’s no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes to the worth and reliability of low-carb diets after all the conflicting studies and confusing interpretation of the information. It seems like debates are popping up everywhere!

No matter if it’s Atkins, South Beach or some other low-carb plan, there are approximately 30 million Americans are on a low-carb diet.

Supporters contend that the large amount of carbohydrates in our diet has led to increased problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health situations. On the other hand, some attribute obesity and related health problems to over eating of calories and lack of physical activity. They also express concern that without grains, fruits, and vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of some key nutrients, including vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and many minerals.

It is already known that any diet, whether high or low in carbohydrates, can produce meaningful weight loss during the early stages of the diet. Keep in mind, the key to a diet being successful is in being able to lose the weight on a permanent basis.

Let’s see if we can expose some of the mystery about low-carb diets. Following, is a listing of some related points taken from recent studies and scientific literature.

Point 1 – Some Differences Between Low-Carb Diets

There are many famous diets created to lower carbohydrate consumption. Lowering total carbohydrates in the diet means that protein and fat will take up a proportionately greater amount of the total caloric intake.

Low carbohydrate diet like the Atkins Diet restrict carbohydrate to a point where the body becomes ketogenic (a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that includes normal amounts of protein). Other low-carb diets like the Zone and Life Without Bread are less confined. Some, like Sugar Busters announce only
to eliminate sugars and foods that elevate blood sugar levels excessively.

Point 2 – What We Know about Low-Carb Diets

+Close to all of the studies to date have been small with a diversity of research objectives.
Carbohydrate, caloric intake, diet duration and participant characteristics are wide-ranged greatly. Most of the studies to date have two things in common, none of the research studies had people in the study with a average age over 53 and none of the controlled studies lasted more than 90 days.

+The results on older adults and long-term results are scarce. Many diet studies fail to keep track of the amount of exercise, and therefore caloric use, while people in the study are dieting. This helps to explain the variances between studies.

+If you lose weight on a low-carb diet it is a function of the calorie intake and length of the diet, and not with reduced amount of carbohydrates.

+There is very little evidence on the long-range safety of low-carb diets. Even though the medical community has concerns, no short-term bad effects have been found with cholesterol, glucose, insulin and blood-pressure levels among the people in the study on the diets. Because of the short period of the studies the adverse effects may not show up. Losing weight typically leads to improvement in these levels, and this may offset an increase caused by a high fat diet. The over-all weight changes for low-carb and other types of diets are similar.

+Most low-carb diets can cause ketosis. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion are some of the potential consequences. When first starting a low-carb diet some fatigue and constipation may be met and these symptoms usually disappear quickly.

+Some report that you can have more calories when on a low-carb diet. Remember a calorie is a calorie no matter what you intake. When the study is not closely supervised variations will result by people cheating in the study on many factors of the study.

There are three important factors I would like to re-emphasize:

1.- The over-all success rate for low-carb and other types of diets are similar.

2.- Small amount of information exists on the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carb diets despite their huge popularity,

3.- Dieters usually experience boredom with a strict version of the low-carb diet and are not able to stay on diets of low carb food.

After observing the subject, a more severe and controlled study are needed on a long-range basis. The ketosis produced is abnormal and stressful metabolic state. The results may cause more problems than it solved.

By picking a reliable diet you will benefit over a lifetime of proper eating and not a weight loss quickie.
An excellent rule of thumb is look at the diet long-range and see if you can see yourself still on that diet after a couple of weeks. However, by following a diet with fat, carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients in moderation may be the best way to go and a little more exercise won’t hurt either.

Today, the Atkins diet is one of the most commonly-used dietary methods for weight loss. It has spawned many ‘inspired’ diets with the same principles of the Atkins diet, which are low carbohydrates and high proteins.

Low carbohydrate consumption, the mainstay of the Atkins diet, really has some benefits for weight loss. The main attraction of this dietary policy is that you do not have to reduce on the amount of calories that you take in. This is corroborated by people who are actually on the diet. The Atkins diet also enhances the blood sugar levels, which is good news for diabetic patients. It increases the amount of HDL cholesterol, which is good for people with cholesterol problems. When you restrict the amounts of carbohydrates in the diet, it can improve the insulin amounts in the blood and reduce the blood pressure.

People who consume the Atkins diet also report of having an increased energy level in their body, ability to focus better on their work, an enhanced mood, reduced depression symptoms and even a lowered craving for sweets. These things are not proven scientifically, but are definitely observed by people who are on the Atkins diet.

Then there are some more benefits that need to be mentioned. The Atkins diet has no restriction on the amounts of fats that you can take in. That’s the reason why you can now binge on all those high-fat foods that you thought were forbidden to you in the past. You can have as much butter, cream, cheese and steaks as you wish. This is an exciting experience actually. In fact, people on the Atkins diet are encouraged to eat these foods.

The Atkins diet is simple to manage too; you get the foods easily. You will need to learn only about how to manage your carbohydrates by a method of counting that. After that, you can eat anything you wish from the sizeable acceptable foods list.

Every person has his or her own carbohydrate level. The Atkins diet exhorts people to find that out through trial and error. Some people can become overweight with only 90 grams of carbohydrates a day, while some people show not effect even at 120 grams of carbohydrates. During the OWL phase, which is the second phase of the Atkins diet, people have to find out their own optimal carbohydrate limit and then they can stick with it for life. This way they will never gain in weight.

Dieters with the Atkins plan find it very easy to stick with it because of the wealth of information that is present. There are several Atkins books and even websites for support and guidance. However, that can be problematic too, as some people put in their own two-pence and might confuse the dieter. You will always need to have your head on your shoulders when you are reading these comments.

Some people find the fact that they have to count carbohydrates in everything they eat too taxing. This is important to stay within the carbohydrate range, but it can be annoying at times. The induction phase is too difficult too, especially if you have been subsisting on a diet of carbohydrates before. Many people get disillusioned at the induction phase and give up the diet altogether.

There might also be a crash on the third or the fifth day of the diet which could compound these decisions. This is the time when the ketosis begins to set in. This is a temporary stage, but it can instill fear in some people for low carbohydrate foods.

When all the pros and cons of the Atkins diet are considered, it becomes evident that it works, though there are some impediments on the way. But, on the whole, it is the most effective diet, and is also the most popular diet on the planet.

Darren Williger is a guitar playing, tea drinking, meditating, low carbohydrate eating, wine making sales maker who writes for MyLowCarbPages.com, and MindSatori.com.