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Low-Carb Diets: A Good Thing?

Expert: Cut Sugar, Foods Made With White Flour

By Jeanie Lerche

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson, MD

on Monday, May 17, 2004

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May 17, 2004 -- To carb or not to carb? That's the million dollar question.

To help you sort out the pros and cons of this issue, we spoke with one

nationally known expert: Sheah Rarback, RD, MS, RD/LD, of the University of

Miami

School of Medicine and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Q: Do the latest studies make you feel better about advising a low-carb diet?

A: Well, we're happy there is now research looking into the benefits and the

problems with low-fat and low-carb diets. We're always happy to have more

research to better advise our clients.

But my inclination will always be to advise people to eat more fruits,

vegetables, and whole grains. We also advise limiting the simple carbs -- sugars

and

highly processed white-flour foods.

You have to keep in mind, though, that weight loss is not one-size-fits-all.

There are people who can more easily stay with a diet that has some of the

good fats while cutting back on the simple carbs -- maybe not as strict as

Atkins, but eating less of the simple carbs.

Q: How do you define low carb?

A: That's the problem; there is no definition of low carb. That's why there

is all this confusion. The low-carb Atkins diet is not same as the South Beach

diet. Nevertheless, I don't recommend a very low-carb diet -- which is less

than 30 grams -- except under medical supervision.

Q: If people want to lose weight, should they start with a low-carb diet?

A: If you're gaining weight, if you see it on the bathroom scales, you need

to cut back on food. You need to eat fewer calories. Then use up the calories

you do eat with exercise.

With a lot of these high-carb foods, it's easy to get too many calories. Two

sodas a day equal 300 calories. People are not even aware of that. Even fruit

juice -- although it seems healthy -- has a lot of calories. You have to read

food nutrition labels. "

A good place to start is to see a registered dietitian. Weight loss is

confusing. If it was easy, nearly three-quarters of our population would not be

overweight. Getting advice from an expert is the way to go. It seems that people

are not having success trying to do it on their own.

Q: Is a low-carb diet a good weight maintenance diet?

A: Here's a good maintenance diet: Reduce your intake of simple carbs --

sugars and white-flour foods. Drink less soda. Eat less candy, less white bread,

less white rice. Also, eat less fried food such as French fries.

Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. That's a fine recommendation

for everyone. The amount of food you eat depends on how much you weigh, and

whether you are male or female.