As Canadians get ready to welcome the warm weather, bulky winter layers aren’t the only thing we need to shed. Many of us use the winter hibernation to indulge in all of our favourite comfort foods and find that our summer clothes are feeling a little tight. Cue the annual May/June rush to lose a few pounds before it’s time to hit the beach.
Although many people have lost weight and kept it off on low-carb diets, including actress and Atkins spokesperson Courtney Thorne-Smith, there are a lot of myths out there about this approach to weight loss.
Myth: Low-carb diets don’t allow you to eat any carbohydrates
Fact: The Atkins diet includes four phases but people often mistake the first phase (induction) for the entire program. In the first phase, you can eat 20 net carbs daily, with more than 50 per cent from an array of vegetables. After phase one, you increase your carbohydrate count gradually until you reach your own carbohydrate tolerance level and your goal weight.
Myth: Low-carb diets are unhealthyA proper low-carb diet includes a healthy balance of nutrient dense foods: lean protein, a full array of fibrous vegetables and fruits and good fats while limiting refined carbohydrates, refined sugar and trans fats. Choosing foods in this manner allows the body to burn more fat and work more efficiently.
Myth:A low-carb diet allows you to eat all the bacon and eggs you wantFact: Consuming ample protein is a big part of the low-carb approach to weight loss but it’s not a license to gorge. Eggs and bacon can help kick-start a successful low-carb diet, but followers will also incorporate a wide variety of lean protein choices such as fish, poultry, eggs and soy.
One of the more popular low-carb diets, the Atkins Diet, has been around for more than 40 years, during which time it has undergone a number of modifications reflecting emerging nutritional science. The company’s new book, New York Times bestseller, The New Atkins for a New You, reflects the latest thinking on diet and nutrition and introduces several significant changes that make Atkins simpler to follow, all-new recipes, 24 weeks worth of meal plans for all four phases (including vegetarian and vegan options) and tips for eating out. You can visit www.atkins.com to learn more about the Atkins approach to weight loss, use interactive tools, read success stories and download recipes.
www.newscanada.com
