With the rise in popularity of low carb diets - often called ketogenic diets because they induce ketosis (a metabolic process in which the body burns fat for energy instead of carbs) - carb-counting has become a standard tactic to ensure you are within the diet rules for carb consumption.
By counting carbs to monitor your daily carb intake you ensure that your body is in ketosis, to maximize fat-burning. It also helps to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.
The total carbohydrate content of a food includes sugars, starches and dietary fiber. But since this carb-total includes dietary fiber, which is indigestible, it may give an inaccurate measure of the carb-value of the food in question. So most low carb diets ask you count "net carbs" - the ones that are actually digested. To calculate net carbs, simply subtract the dietary fiber content from the carb-total.
Carb Counting Rules of Popular Low Carb Diets:
The Atkins Diet permits a daily carb-total of just 20 grams, during the induction phase of the plan. In the second phase, known as Ongoing Weight Loss, you add another 5 grams of net carbs (digestible carbs) a day, in weekly increments. You keep adding 5 grams of carbs until your weight loss ceases, at which point you will have attained your carbohydrate - balance - normally 40-60 grams of carbs per day.
In the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet, the authors argue that total daily carb intake is less important than the number of times you actually eat carbohydrate. By restricting carbs to one meal a day, you help to stabilize your blood chemistry, reduce hunger and encourage the body to reduce weight. Basically, any food with a carb-count of more than 4 grams per portion can only be eaten at a "reward meal."
The Zone Diet divides foods into "blocks." The carbohydrate block contains a carb-count of 9 grams, and Zone author Barry Sears favors nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits in preference to breads and starches. The carb total on the Zone diet actually exceeds the amount required to maintain ketosis.
The South Beach Diet is different again. This low carb weight loss plan contains no carb counts, or even calorie-counting. Instead of carb-counting, carbohydrate is restricted by type. During the 14 day induction phase, the diet permits only lower glycemic index carbs. Carbs like bread, potatoes, rice, along with starchy fruits and vegetables, are off-limits. Thereafter, you can add back carbs that are higher on the glycemic index, while the final phase - the South Beach healthy eating for life phase permits more multi-grain bread and brown rice.
Clinical weight loss trials continue to show that the balance between calorie-intake and expenditure is still the best predictor of weight loss. So if you want to lose weight, then as well as counting carbs, make a point of counting calories, too.
For more info, download Carb Counting, a free ebook.
For more information about calorie needs and so forth, see Calorie Count below.
Calorie Count is a useful tool for calorie intake calculation and diet planning. Calories do count and it's also important how efficiently your body burns them. Calorie Count also contains a diet planner with professional advice on food combining, detox, suggested daily calorie intake for men and women, calorie intake from beverages consumed, as well as some useful guidelines for speeding up the metabolism and making the most of it. People make the mistake of thinking they have to make drastic changes to lose weight and get in shape, but the secret is to make small changes and incorporate them into their lives permanently.
