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Also see: About Coconut

Various Low Carb Diets
including Low GI, Low Amylose, Zone etc.
Revised July 24, 2007
 

Atkins and other low-carb diets are not "high protein". 
Written by Bonny: September 30, 2006

People often think low-carb diets are also "high protein" diets and they refer to them that way.  Well, many low-carbish diets exist so I cannot and wouldn't even dare to try answering about all of them.  For the purposes of this message, I will use the classic Atkin's low-carb diet as my reference, because that is the one most people think of or know about or studied and read about or tried or are using now.

Scan the web and you will see many, many people refer to Atkins and other low-carb diets as "high protein" but this is not accurate.  Using this term will in fact raise worries regarding kidney complications resulting from too much protein.  Atkins low-carb is actually a "low-carb, high fat/oil" diet if it must be labeled.  Atkins even addresses this in his books, and prefers to discuss it as low-carb, moderate selective fats/oils and moderate protein with lots of veggies (my phrasing, but accurate in spirit).  All things in moderation, eh? 

When we talk about high protein in relation to low-carb, we scare others off of this wonderful and healthful WOE (ways of eating) and confuse them regarding the correct and safe ways to proceed.  It is far too easy to chow down on mucho chicken and tuna and fats and oils and nuts and eggs, and toss a little bit of lettuce in there for garnish - but it is just not the safe or even effective way for most people to eat long-term. 

Yes, this is usually how I ate my first year or so on HG/low-carb diets, alas.  I felt so wonderful grabbing protein and eating it for the energy, I simply forgot the rulezzzz.  Last summer I wised up and am diligently adding more vegetables to my diet on a consistent basis - that means regularly, folks.  Not just when others are watching and you want to impress them while they choke down all the fake junk.  (Been there, done that too...)

I just refer to low-carb diets as low-carb WOE (way of eating), and leave it simple like that until people ask me for details.  Even then, I ask them to specify what they want to know. Just like explaining the Guai protocol or FMS, jumping in the middle of a wild new way of being can easily overwhelm most people and make us sound like silly babbling (but healthy and leaner) diet-fad
freaks.  But then, what a fad to live with while we improve our health and lessen our probabilities of poor health in so many ways.  If you gotta jump in deep, this is one great way to do it. 

(Bonny is the Guai-Support Group HG/Low-Carb Diets, Healthy Eating and Cooking/Food Tips Mentor.  She posts helpful recipes and insights to the list and responds to email questions as well.  Her items are duplicated on Bonny's Low Carb Links, Tips and Recipes page and, when appropriate, other areas of the site.  Please direct queries regarding these topics to the Guai-Support mailing list unless they really are confidential.  Bonny will respond a.s.a.p., so the GG membership can explore even more helpful-n-healthy habits along with you.  Not a member yet?  Click here to join the Guai-Support Group.)

Search the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference for carbs, protein and other nutrients.
 

Low Carb Diet Resources in Australia

The top low carb diets - which one is for you?
Atkins Diet and Low Carb Diet recipes, information, support and community

Atkins diet and  low carb diet help, hints and tips. "These articles address important, frequently asked questions and often missed facts that low carb dieters need to be aware of to accomplish a healthy weight loss."

FAQ Atkins: "Have a question about Atkins? You're not alone. Many people have submitted questions and we've posted the most frequently asked questions here on a variety of topics. See for yourself:

Excerpt from Atkins FAQ: How can I get adequate fiber while doing Atkins?  "Fiber is found in plant-based foods, such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and is primarily non-digestible. In the Induction phase of Atkins, when carbohydrates are restricted, some people experience constipation. Supplementing with fiber is one way to relieve the problem. Fiber keeps your gastrointestinal tract clean and working properly and helps lower cholesterol, among other benefits. A tablespoon or two of wheat bran, psyllium husks or ground flaxseed will meet your fiber requirements during Induction when your carbohydrate intake is limited to 3 cups of vegetables daily. You don’t have to count the carbs in fiber because it has no impact on blood sugar levels."

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Richie C. Shoemaker's Low Amylose Diet

Excerpts from The Leptin Factor

Obesity is a symptom . . . not a diagnosis!

By Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D.

"So far, only a few isolated researchers (and they’re not in Atlanta!) have grasped the relationship between the fact that as our environment continues to change rapidly under the influence of the 70,000 industrial and agricultural chemicals pumped into air, soils, rivers, estuaries and oceans each year, Americans are getting fatter and fatter. Nor have the “Medical Mandarins” at the CDC (or their counterparts in the largest and most prestigious university medical research departments) yet understood that obesity is an illness of over-storage of fat that has almost nothing to do with “overeating” alone . . . and everything to do with physiological resistance to metabolic hormones such as insulin and leptin. While we can’t alter the genetic predisposition to leptin and insulin problems, we can control that resistance with new medications and the No-Amylose Diet. The role of other “new” obesity related hormones, including gherlin and neuropeptide Y, shows promise for additional interventions to defeat obesity in the future. But treatment of the obesity epidemic linked to hormone resistances is here now. (More on the exciting recent breakthroughs in leptin and insulin resistance and its links to inflammation from the hidden “environmental diseases” in a minute.)"

"All you really need to know in order to take advantage of the molecular research that has radically changed our understanding of obesity in recent years is one simple fact: Weight-loss is actually about hormones (such as insulin and leptin) . . . and specifically about defeating the “resistance” to the effect those hormones normally produce."

"If the patient has leptin resistance, leptin doesn’t work properly to connect with its “docking station” – and the hormone never initiates all the later effects (we call them a “cascade”) that result in both turning off hypothalamic hunger centers and burning fat directly in fat cells."

By Ritchie C. Shoemaker

Dr Shoemaker's book contains original recipes, case studies and lots of new material. It imparts the facts about the genetic basis of weight loss, maintenance, cholesterol, exercise, fiber, gout and other topics. Read it if you want to lose weight and keep it off- while reducing your odds of many illnesses.

Better Together

Desperation Medicine

This book covers useful information about a promising treatment option that many people with Lyme, CFS, FM, MCS, ADHD, Sick Building Syndrome and many other disorders that Shoemaker classifies as neurotoxin mediated illnesses.

Zone Perfect Living

Zone Home

Online Cookbook • Store Locator • Success Stories • and more...

The Weight Loss Institute: "The Zone is not some mystical place. It is a real physiological state in which the hormones (insulin and eicosanoids) governed by the food you eat are maintained within zones that are not too high, nor too low. The benefits of controlling insulin are increased fat loss, decreased likelihood of cardiovascular disease and greater physical and mental performance. The benefits of controlling eicosanoids are decreased inflammation and increased blood flow, which will help improve virtually every chronic disease condition and improve physical performance.

The blood tests that define the Zone are ultimately the same tests that can be used to define wellness. This is what Dr Sears calls evidence-based wellness which is the foundation for 21st century health care.

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Suzanne Somers: somersize

At the Somersize site you will gain access to a Mailing List, a Chat Room, learn about Fitness & Lifestyle and purchase Products.
"The more I can give anonymously, the more I will receive on a spiritual level. The point of giving is to share the love that abounds within me. When I see another person in trouble it is in my own best interests to help in any way I can, for we are all connected as living things. When one of us is in pain it affects all of us. So to give is a benefit not only to others, but to me as well" Suzanne
Somersize FAQ
"What Is The Best Type Of Flour To Look For When Somersizing?  Barley flour has the lowest glycemic index of all the whole-grain flours, but anything in its whole-grain form is okay. That includes whole wheat, spelt, amaranth, kamut, and brown rice flour."

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The Paleolithic Diet Page: What the Hunter/Gatherers Ate

Introduction To The Paleolithic Diet
Dr. Ben Balzer, family physician

"There are races of people who are all slim, who are stronger and faster than us. They all have straight teeth and perfect eyesight. Arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, schizophrenia and cancer are absolute rarities for them. These people are the last 84 tribes of hunter-gatherers in the world. They share a secret that is over 2 million years old. Their secret is their diet- a diet that has changed little from that of the first humans 2 million years ago, and their predecessors up to 7 million years ago. Theirs is the diet that man evolved on, the diet that is coded for in our genes. It has some major differences to the diet of "civilization". You are in for a few big surprises.

The diet is usually referred to as the "Paleolithic Diet" referring to the Paleolithic or Stone Age era. It is also referred to as the "Stone Age Diet", "Cave Man Diet" or the "Hunter-Gatherer Diet".

Caveman  &  Allergy Testing with Caveman Diet & Pulse

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Protein Power Life Plan
Protein Power BBS; The BBS of the Protein Power Website

The principle of PP is the restriction of carbohydrates – in particular refined ones.  Carbohydrates are sugar as far as your body is concerned; carbs are actually saccharides, di, tri or poly -saccharides and they break down into sugar almost immediately after ingestion. Carbohydrates, once in the body are converted to glucose in the blood stream to be used as quick fuel. An increase of glucose in the blood causes a release of insulin. Insulin is a hormone in the body that has many functions, one of which is to regulate blood sugar by converting the newly arrived sugar in the blood into fat for storage in fat tissue.

Over time, eating excessive amounts of carbohydrates in the form of grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables (like potatoes) overworks the insulin response causing our cells to become less and less sensitive to insulin. The net result is our body has to produce more and more insulin to have the same effect. This increase of insulin in the bloodstream can cause all kinds of health issues. Examples include type-two or Adult Onset diabetes, obesity, hardening of the arteries, plaque buildup, and high blood pressure.

CAD/CALP Followers Forums

The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet: The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting

The 7-Day Low-Carb Rescue and Recovery Plan: For Every Low-Carb Dieter--On Any Program--Who Needs Real Help--Right Now

The Carbohydrate Addict's Carbohydrate Counter

The Carbohydrate Addicts Gram Counter

Canadian Low Carb Support Groups

Ann Louise Gittleman's Fat Flush Plan

 Try the Fat Flush Plan for accelerated weight loss and weight control while managing hormones and bringing out your most radiant looks! The Fat Flush Plan is the only system that uncovers and corrects the five hidden factors that sabotage weight loss and vitality: liver health, food sensitivities and resulting waterlogged tissues, fear of eating fat, excess insulin/excess inflammation, and stress.

Highly respected as a pioneer of detox diets, weight loss programs, colon cleansing, and an award-winning author of 25 books with 5 million in print, Ann Louise Gittleman is always on the cutting edge. She revolutionized weight loss in her blockbuster The Fat Flush Plan and later introduced The Fast Track ONE-DAY Detox Diet which takes the age-old method of fasting into the 21st century. The world famous THEGREENHOUSE Spa in Arlington, Texas is the exclusive home of her residential Fat Flush ® and Fast Track programs. Through her many books and official web site, Ann Louise Gittleman has created a "virtual" holistic health support system which offers many benefits:

WebMD Live Events Transcript

Does losing weight feel like a battle between you and your body? Nutrition expert Anne Louise Gittleman says it doesn't have to be that way. We discussed her Fat Flush Plan, which uses good food to boost your body's ability to shed fat and maintain a healthy weight, on WebMD Live.
 

More
 

Stillmans  "Basically you eat lean meats, skinless poultry, fish, whole eggs, and lowfat cottage cheese .. and that's about it. No added fat. It's very difficult to consume more than 1200 calories, and most people who try this plan find they're in ketosis very quickly, which means big-time appetite suppression ... and even lower calorie intake. For the purpose of low-carbing, it's used as a stall-buster only ... it's too low calorie and too low fat to be maintained for more than a few days to a week at most.  Are you truly stalled .. 4 - 6 weeks with no lbs lost on the scale and no inches lost with the tape measure?? You might want to have a look at this checklist first .. Stalls and Plateaus (http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html) for suggestions and solutioins for the lack of progress." Doreen

The Glycemic Index
"The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes."
Linked: July 1, 2004

The University of Sydney Australian GI Database
Low GI means a smaller rise in blood sugar and can help control established diabetes.
Low GI diets can help people lose weight and lower blood lipids
Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin
High GI foods can help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise

The Leptin Factor
No Amylose Diet
Obesity is a symptom . . . not a diagnosis!
"Imagine my surprise years ago, when my treatment of obese patients – along with my continuing inquiries on the causes of the disease- demonstrated a remarkable fact: the mechanisms that underlay obesity shared many of the same physiologic principles involved in chronic, biotoxin-associated illnesses. It was crystal clear that a proper diagnosis of obesity involved looking at interactions of genetics and hormones like leptin and insulin, as well as the chemical messengers called cytokines (more on inflammation and cytokines coming up) that help white blood cells monitor and manage our internal immune defenses."

"All you really need to know in order to take advantage of the molecular research that has radically changed our understanding of obesity in recent years is one simple fact: Weight-loss is actually about hormones (such as insulin and leptin) . . . and specifically about defeating the “resistance” to the effect those hormones normally produce."

"While we can’t alter the genetic predisposition to leptin and insulin problems, we can control that resistance with new medications and the No-Amylose Diet."

"....amylose – the key carbohydrate that triggers a rapid rise in blood sugar and thus triggers both insulin and leptin resistance.

"What the CDC hasn’t figured out yet, however, forms the heart and soul of this chapter – the startling fact that obesity is actually a chronic illness, either genetically based in abnormal leptin and insulin physiology or acquired in ways related to the immune responses that are part of other chronic, “biotoxin-associated” environmental illnesses of our day (such as Sick Building Syndrome). Indeed, the biggest news in weight-loss treatment right now is the recent discovery – based on research from the seemingly unrelated field of chronic biotoxin illnesses such as “Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome” – that there is a close link between our increasingly chemically polluted environment and a new family of biotoxin-linked ailments that often trigger both obesity and diabetes."
Linked: September 6, 2003

The Rosedale Diet by Ron Rosedale & Carol Colman As more Americans become obese and are diagnosed with diabetes in record numbers, they continue to seek out new sources of healthy living advice and dieting tips. Those frustrated with South Beach, Atkins and the Zone may find a friend in the Rosedale Diet. Its founder, a nutrition and metabolism expert with a practice in Denver, has developed a diet plan that teaches people how to control leptin, the key hormone that regulates appetite and, say Rosedale and coauthor Colman, your ability to lose weight. The Rosedale Diet: Turn off Your Hunger Switch   The Rosedale Diet Support site "The Rosedale Diet is an excellent diet for both health and weight control. This list will help members achieve success with the diet. Other topics include things that are optional but greatly enhance success in losing weight: exercise, food journal and controlling emotional eating."

Excerpt from: Achieve Independent Health With My Nutrition Plan

by Dr. Joseph Mercola Author of The No-Grain Diet
 

"Many of the world's leading dietary experts adopted one-size-fits-all dietary solutions that they believe can be universally applied. While there are indeed certain universal truths, such as the danger of sugar and toxins, if one adopts this principle, my experience has taught me that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work."

"Normalizing your insulin level will be a major key to improving your health and is essential for success in all three levels."

Fact: One person's food may be someone else's poison."
Linked: August 14, 2003

 The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility

N.D. Nancy Dunne (Author), M.B.A. Bill Slater (Author)

The authors of this book believe that healthy food and a healthy lifestyle are your best and most effective long-term medicine. Using the fundamental skills described in this book will improve all aspects of your well-being, without the undesirable side effects of drugs. Based on review of hundreds of medical studies and years of clinical experience, the authors know that natural methods such as diet, exercise and stress management have a long term favorable impact on PCOS and its symptoms.

This book is the one resource that gives you a big advantage in naturally gaining control over PCOS (including infertility, overweight, acne, hirsutism, hair loss, depression and appetite disorders).

The heart of the book is a comprehensive self-help diet plan specifically for PCOS. You'll also learn insider diet secrets that only researchers know about. For example, the authors explain two different ways to prepare exactly the same meal. One way can make you gain weight while the other way helps you lose weight.

Weight Loss & Maintenance:
Paul St Amand's Diet.  He also wrote:

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia: The Revolutionary Treatment That Can Reverse The Disease
By Paul St Amand & Claudia Marek

Both the diets below work to correct hypoglycemic symptoms. Choose the "Strict" diet to lose weight or the "Liberal" diet to maintain weight.  Each hypoglycemic's tolerance for listed foods will vary. Judge your tolerance level by how you feel and adjust your intake of foods accordingly.

Where no limits are mentioned there are no limits set.

Strict diet: Choose any foods from the following list:

MEATS AND FISH: 

All meats except cold cuts that contain sugars
All fowl and game
All fish and shellfish

DAIRY PRODUCTS:
Eggs, any style
Any natural cheese (bleu, Roquefort, cheddar, cream, gouda, swiss, etc.
Cream (heavy and sour)
Cottage and ricotta (1/2 cup limit)
Butter and margarine

FRUITS:
Fresh coconut
Avocado (limit 1/2 per day)
Cantaloupe (limit 1/4 per day)
Strawberries (limit 6-8 per day)
Lime or lemon juice (limit 2 tsp. per day) for flavoring

VEGETABLES :
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage (limit 1 cup per day)
Cauliflower
Celeriac Root
Celery
Chard
Chicory
Chinese cabbage (limit 2 cups per day)
Chives
Cucumber
Daikon (long, white radish)
Eggplant
Endive
Escarole
Fennel Bulb
Greens (Mustard, beet)
Jicama
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce (any type)
Mushrooms
Okra
Olives
Parsley
Peppers (green, red, yellow, etc.)
Pickles (dill, sour, limit one)
Pimiento
Radicchio
Radish
Rhubarb
Sauerkraut
Scallions (green onions)
Spinach
Squash (yellow or summer only)
String beans (green or yellow)
Snow peas
Tomatoes
Water Chestnuts
Watercress
Zucchini

NUTS:
(12 per day limit)
Almond
Brazil
Butternut
Filbert
Hazel
Hickory
Macadamia
Pecan
Pistachio
Sunflower seeds (small handful)
Walnut

DESSERTS:
Sugar-free Jell-O with Nutrasweet
Custard (made with cream and artificial sweetener)

DRINKS:
Club soda
Decaffienated coffee
Weak or decaffienated tea
Caffeine-free diet sodas
Bourbon, cognac, gin, rum, scotch, vodka, dry wine (after a month on the diet)

CONDIMENTS AND SPICES:
All spices including seeds (fresh or dried)
Garlic
All imitation flavorings
Horseradish
Sugar-free sauces such as hollandaise, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup
Sugar-free salad dressings
Oil and vinegar (all types)
Worcestershire sauce

Note: Liquid sweeteners all contain 0 grams (all powdered sugar substitutes contain carbohydrates. If you are trying to lose weight be careful with all of them.)

MISCELLANEOUS (Strict):
All fats
Caviar
Tofu

Only those using this diet for weight loss can partake of Dr. Atkins diet Advantage snack bars with Chocolate.  IF you are also Hypoglycemic you must wait 2 months before attempting to introduce any (unsweetened) chocolate into your diet; then experiment to find what you can eat with impunity.

Ultimate Lo Carb Protein Bar w/Stevia
http://www.lowcarb.com

Liberal diet: Add these foods to the strict diet to maintain weight:

FRUITS:
(limit: one piece of fruit every four hours. No fruit juices.)

Apples
Apricots
Blackberries (1/2 cup limit)
Blueberries (1/2 cup limit)
Boysenberries
Casaba melon (1 wedge limit)
Grapefruit
Honeydew melon (1 wedge limit)
Lemons
Limes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Tomato juice
V8 Juice

VEGETABLES:
Artichokes
bamboo shoots
Beets
Carrots
Onions
Peas
Pumpkin
Squash, winter
Turnip

NUTS:
Cashews
Peanuts
Soy Nuts

DAIRY PRODUCTS:
Whole, non-fat, low-fat milk, buttermilk, unsweetened coconut milk

DESSERTS:
Sugarless diet puddings (1/2 cup a day limit)

BREADS:
Three slices a day of sugar-free white, whole wheat, sourdough or light rye. No more than two slices at one time.

MISCELLANEOUS (Liberal):
2 tacos or 2 enchiladas (2 corn tortillas only)
Carob powder
Flour, gluten, soy or quinoa only
Granulated soy
Gravy made with gluten, soy or quinoa flour only
One cup popcorn (popped)
Puffed rice, shredded wheat or other sugar-free cereals
Wheatgerm

Wait 2 months before attempting to introduce any (unsweetened) chocolate into your diet; after that you can experiment with it.

FOODS TO AVOID STRICTLY:
Alcohol (Most hypoglycemics can tolerate one drink after 2 months on the diet - please use discretion as individual tolerance levels vary)
Baked beans, refried beans
Black-eyed peas (cowpeas)
Bananas
Lima beans
Potatoes
Corn
Dried fruits & fruit juices
Barley
Rice
Pasta (all types)
Burritos and flour tortillas
Tamales
Sweets of any kind
Products which contain: Dextrose, Glucose, Hexitol, Maltose, Sucrose, Honey, Fructose, Corn Syrup or Starch, or caffeine.

Each hypoglycemic's tolerance for listed foods will vary. Judge your tolerance level by how you feel and adjust your intake of foods accordingly.

If cholesterol is a problem, avoid cold cuts except turkey, cheese, cream, solid margarine, hollandaise sauce, and macadamia nuts. Use egg whites or Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs. Use liquid margarine only. Nuts should be dry roasted only. Trim all visible fat from meats and remove skin from poultry. Use canola or olive oil.

This information comes from R. Paul St. Amand, M.D. It is not meant to be a medical diagnosis or advice. Please consult your physician before making any changes to your diet or treatment.

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