The Problems With Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diets Essay -- Health N

The Problems With Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diets The low carbohydrate diets and the low fat diets both claim to be successful methods of losing weight and staying healthy. Both diet plans also attempt to carry out their goals by restricting what dieters can and cannot eat in relation to what is recommended by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through altering what nutritionists suggest for a healthy regime, low carbohydrate and low fat meal plans potentially put dieters at a higher risk for developing health problems and diseases. Also, diet plans do not necessarily accomplish their goals when maintained over a long period of time. Diets set regulations on what should or shouldn’t be part of a daily nutritional intake. The USDA recommends between 2-5 servings, measured at about one cup per serving, each day from the dairy, protein, fruit, and vegetable food groups, with an additional 6-11 servings of carbohydrates. Low carbohydrate meal plans and low fat meal plans direct dieters to follow nutritional schedules that contrast with the USDA recommended diet plan. Low carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, significantly lower the daily carbohydrate intake while increasing the amounts of servings from the meat, dairy, and other groups. On the other hand, low fat diets such as the Weight Watchers diet instruct that dieters should consume more servings of carbohydrates and less of fatty foods and foods with animal fats, which include foods from the meat group, dairy products, and others. Both diets largely differ from each other as well as from the USDA recommended meal plan. Carbohydrates, which are chemical compounds such as sugars, starches, and celluloses, are converted by the body into energ... ...r health problems. Diets can be helpful or hazardous to ones health, depending on how they are followed. Works Cited â€Å"The Food Guide Pyramid,† USDA. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm â€Å"Low Fat Diets,† Diet-i.com. http://www.diet-i.com/diets/low-fat-diet.htm â€Å"Atkins – The Unhealthy Choice,† Sims, Jeremy. http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/medical_report.htm â€Å"Low Carb Diet- How Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Work?† http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/news_features/lowcarbdiet.htm UC Berkeley Wellness Letter http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/fw/fwNut02LowFatDiets.html 1 Sims, http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/medical_report.htm 2 UCB, http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/fw/fwNut02LowFatDiets.html 3 Sims, http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/medical_report.htm