http://www.carbcarnival.com/carb/ Carb counting and dieting are popular due to the amount of weight you can lose in a short period of time. But a low carb diet limits three of the five food groups. So think long and hard about it en-us Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:32:55 EST Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:32:55 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 Being on a carb conscious diet can be tough -- especially if you love bread, rice, pasta and sugar. Imagine going to a fast food restaurant because you're in a hurry and you're hungry. You can't even get a healthy sandwich because of the bread. Sure, in excess, carbs can make you gain weight. But instead of cutting them out of your diet completely, why not try limiting your carb intake first and making sure that the carbs you do eat are the right ones? Switching your carb intake on a new diet If you're thinking of starting a low carb diet and you're researching some of your options, you'll notice that some low carb diets have you cutting carbs out of your diet almost completely. This is especially true of the first two weeks of a low carbohydrate diet. And even after that first two weeks, you're very limited. But diets like the South Beach diet recognize the fact that your body needs carbs to function properly. The South Beach diet does limit your total carb intake during the first two weeks, but then you are encouraged to incorporate healthy carbs back into your diet. What's tough for most people is knowing what healthy carbs are. Healthy carbs are called complex carbohydrates. These carbohydrates take longer for the body to digest, so you feel full longer. Complex carbohydrates include whole wheat or whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, brown or long grain rice, fruits and vegetables. The bad carbs are the ones that are most likely to cause weight gain, particularly in the amounts that people tend to eat them. These are called simple carbohydrates, and it doesn't take long for your body to digest them. That's why you typically get a burst of energy when you eat these foods, then find yourself dragging again later. Simple carbohydrates include and high sugar foods (like desserts) and sugar drinks, white bread, regular pasta and white rice. Check your carb count with the food pyramid The Food Pyramid offers good guidelines to follow for a healthy diet. However, on a low carb diet, three of the five food groups are virtually eliminated. If you eat 6 ounces of whole grains, 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk and 5 1/2 ounces of meat every day, you should be in good health. This will also prevent you from becoming obese. (You'll notice desserts and fats are limited. Desserts should be eaten in very limited quantities--maybe only once a month--and fats should be the healthy ones, and should come from fish, nuts or healthy oils like canola oil or olive oil. So that's your low carb rundown for the day. Take out of it what you will. Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:32:55 EST http://www.carbcarnival.com/carb/carbohydrate-diet.html Carbohydrate diet advice is not always what you think it is. So before you sign up for a low carbohydrate diet, think it through. en-us Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:04:53 EST Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:04:53 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbcarnival.com/carb/low-carb-desserts.html Low carb desserts are coming to you live. Eat many low carb desserts and lose weight. Simple, really. en-us Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:41:57 EST Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:41:57 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbcarnival.com/carb/carb-counter.html Carb counter possibilities are endless. Well not really. But a carb counter can help you tabulate. en-us Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:16:43 EST Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:16:43 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.carbcarnival.com/carb/low-carb.html Low carb diets have hit their peak, and their popularity is declining rapidly. It could be because people get bored with eating the same foods all the time, but it could be that being on a low carb diet long term can cause health problems... you be the judge. en-us Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:31:52 EDT Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:31:52 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0