Comparing Low-fat, Low-calorie, and Low-carbohydrate Diets Essays

Comparing Low-fat, Low-calorie, and Low-carbohydrate Diets Low-fat, low-calorie, and low-carbohydrate diets are of unequal effectiveness and merit. Low-carbohydrate diets are simply better. All three diets attempt to induce weight loss by managing the body’s energy intake. The body gets the energy it needs to stay alive from food. Food can be broken down into three major categories: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Even though fat contains the most calories per gram, because of the way digestion works, the body gets all of its energy from carbohydrates and none from fat found in food. When the body takes in excess energy, it is stored in body fat. If it ever needs to, the body can dip into these energy reserves by breaking down the fat in which the energy is stored. Low-carbohydrate diets work by cutting back on the body’s main fuel source, carbohydrates, and replacing it with fat and protein. While protein and fat have other vital uses in the body, they do not provide any energy. So, the body is forced to burn fat for fuel. Lo w-calorie diets simply proscribe a lower overall caloric intake thereby providing the body with insufficient fuel, again forcing the body to dip into its reserves. Low-fat diets reduce fat intake because proponents of low-fat diets claim that fat is the type of food with the biggest caloric bang for its nutritional buck Low-fat diets are based on the fallacious connection between body fat and fat in food. There is no such connection, and this is a mistake that can have dire consequences. The body does not use fat as an energy source. People actually gain weight on low-fat diets because snacks toted as low-fat are frequently high in carbohydrates to compensate for the loss of flavor from lack of fat. Becau... ...st in calories. However, that connection is nonexistent and people can gain weight on low-fat diets if they are not careful. They also do not get enough of the vitamins that are only found in fat. Low-calorie diets stipulate a cutback in overall food intake. Such diets are effective but also cut back on essential vitamins. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates in a persons diet and replacing them with fat and protein low-carbohydrate diets safely and efficiently induce weight loss. Works Cited 1. Astrup, Anne, Thomas Meinert Larsen, and Angela Harper. Atkins and other low carbohydrate diets: hoax or an effective tool for weight loss. www.thelancet.com Vol. 364. September 4, 2004. 2. Nelson, David L. and Michael M. Cox. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 3rd ed. Worth Publishers. 2000 3. http://www.weightlossforgood.co.uk/fat_information.htm