Oh, Bella - I like that name! Hi and welcome to our little corner of life.
So, here comes another lecture.... my forte.
The low carb diet is a bit more complicated than just lowering your carbs (never, NEVER, try to completely eliminate all carbs - quite dangerous). Here is why.
When we eat carbs, our pancreas makes insulin because the sugars that carbohycrates are broken down into (mostly glucose) cannot get through the cell walls to give the cells the energy to work. They need glucose - it is like tiny battery molecules. So, insulin helps glucose get through the cell walls, as though they carry keys to the doors.
But insulin, when produced in large quantities, can be very vigorous and rough on the cells. If there is too much around, after a while the cells become resistant to insulin, and it takes more insulin to do the job that a little used to do.
When the dietitians and cardiologists said eat less fat, they expected us to eat more broccoli and cabbage. But Kellogs, General Foods and those guys couldn't make money from our broccoli craze, so they came up with low fat cookies, low fat crackers, low fat Snack Wells of every color and shape. Well, eating more carbs instead of high fiber veggies sort of defeated the low fat point.
Now, those who look are saying we are getting fatter and fatter as a nation, especially our kids. Well, no wonder! Have you ever checked the carb content of a low fat product, in comparison to a "high fat" one of the same kind? Even milk, when they take the fat out, has more sugar.
Sugar = carb. Carb = sugar. So, besides not eating enough friuts and veggies, we (as a nation) were eating more and more carbs. Then they told the athletes to "carb up" before a race. AND, they said eat more and more carbs - breads, pasta, rice, and so on.
Soon, those who were very disciplined were eating all those good carbs - pastas, rice, bagels, and so on - and very little meat or fat. Not even good fats like olive oil or avacados.
And what did that do to my body? Yes, the pancreas was delighted to make more and more insulin. Soon, though, my pancreas would see a huge pasta meal coming in, would put out a river of insulin, and glucose would be brought down to a good level very quickly. But then there was all this left-over insulin, and it would keep pushing glucose out of the blood - aha, that is why I became hypoglycemic (hypo=low, glycemic=sugar). Some people become type 2 diabetics. Others develop PCOS (polycystic ovarian sydrome) or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol (waiting for a good stroke or heart attack) and so on. The disease is hyperinsulinemia - it is the one that causes all those other problems.
Now... what was the original question? Ah, yes - why is low carb a bit more complicated than just eating less carbs? Because we need some carbs, lots of fiber, some fats, and some protein. We need all of it because our bodies uses all of it to make stuff like bones, muscles, heart cells, neurotransmitters, blood cells, antibodies, and even neurons. We even need fats! So, when we don't eat all of the good foods in a good balance, we deprive our bodies of the right building blocks to stay healthy.
What is a good balance of foods? THAT is the complexity. You really need to read at least one of the low carb books to understand what is okay to eat and when. It is not just a list of foods that are forbidden. This is actually a healthy diet for life, not for losing weight. If you do it right (and keep the calories within a good range) you can lose weight. Oh, yes, you do need to exercise, although the Hellers (authors of
The Carbohydrate Addicts LifeStyle) say you don't have to. Well, there is a way, but I am not good at it.
Anyway, there is lots to know. And not knowing would put you in a place where you might fail and say this is all a hoax.
Did you know you should not chew gum, even sugar-free gum? The chewing produces digestive enzymes that start the digestive process, and the pancreas makes insulin even if we are not swallowing. And insulin is called the "hunger hormone" because it is what makes us crave those donuts and chocolate chip cookies. It makes us crave carbs.
Okay, I have repeated myself on this board enough in the last couple of days. Enough lecturing, Giggles! Get a life!!!
There is a ton more info to be found out, but you need to read to learn it all. And keep reading. Start with one of the low carb books and go on to another. They are different styles of doing the same thing - getting us to make a normal amount of insulin so we can control our hunger and our cravings.
Can you imagine passing by a plate of just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, and not eating one? Not even wanting one? It happens on this diet, when done right.
Okay, now I release you from this endless lecture to live your life without me nagging at you!
Good luck and let us know how you are doing, low carb or not! (We are nosey!)
Some Low Carb Questions???
Giggles!! Thank you!
