Scott Tibbs
Blog post
May 23, 2004

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The low carb people have taken over the world

Karl Born has a great column over at Hoosier Review regarding the low-carb craze. I realized the low-carb people had taken over the world when One A Day came out with a vitamin "for your low-carb lifestyle". I must admit though, the story of couple that were ejected from an all-you-can eat buffet for taking their 12th slice of roast beef (they were on Atkins, naturally) was an indication this had gone too far.

I have seen several articles that refer to Atkins as a "low-carb, high fat" diet. I'm no expert on the Atkins diet, but I don't think it's meant to be "high fat". That doesn't prevent some people from making their version of Atkins high fat.

The popularity of the Atkins diet shows that it is truly an American diet. We Americans love our high fat foods, and Atkins gave many people a reason to go in that direction as long as they "cut carbs". Of course, there is the danger of heart disease that comes with the "oversimplified, bootleg street version of the diet" that substitutes fat for carbs.

Carbs are not necessarily bad. And (I am about to commit heresy here) a high carb diet is not necessarily bad. People in the Far East have traditionally maintained a high-carb diet. The key to any diet isn't avoiding one specific food (or type of food). The key is to eat a well-balanced diet that gives you the nutrients you need while getting enough exercise.

From One A Day's Web site: "But did you know that as you eat less carbs, you might not be getting a balance of nutrients your body needs for health and vitality?"

WHAT? Do you mean to say that a low-carb diet isn't the magic pill that will make your body perfect? Say it ain't so!