Science Explained: Vegetarianism

The hunt for the right diet

The food we eat has become a highly personal topic. Everyone has eating habits, and everyone has an opinion on your eating habits. Between the government food pyramid and the multi-billion dollar diet industry it is hard to navigate what nutrition information is helpful and harmful.

Our fast-paced society craves instant gratification—the diet industry knows this, and takes advantage of this fact. When it comes to weight loss, most individuals can stick to a diet for three or four days before they lose motivation. Low carb diets produce these quick results, which lead to their widespread popularity.

Are carbs as bad as we’re being told? The short answer is no. In fact, scientific evidence has shown a high-carb, low-fat, plant-based diet can reverse heart disease and type II diabetes.

Low carb diets, such as Paleo and Atkins, rely on the metabolic process of ketosis to lose weight. When you starve your body of carbohydrates, it turns to your body’s glycogen stores, most of which are in the liver, for glucose. Once glycogen stores have been depleted, your liver converts fatty acids into ketones, which, instead of glucose, are used for energy.

This metabolic process is safe and effective for short-term weight loss, such as a couple days to a couple weeks, but has ultimately shown to be unsustainable for longer periods. The long-term effects of a ketogenic diet for weight loss are potentially harmful.

Ketogenic diets aren’t for everyone since they carry risk for individuals with metabolic disorders and type I diabetes. While some ketones are being used for energy, the body is also trying to get rid of them. The kidney uses potassium and calcium to bring the ketones to the bladder, which is all lost when it’s expelled with urine. The diet also carries higher risk of kidney stones, bone density loss, constipation, thyroid conditions, vitamin C deficiency, fatigue, headaches, irritability, weakness, and sleep problems.

Ever since the Atkins diet came out in 1972, it has been the target of criticism. One year after the book was released, the department chair of Harvard’s nutrition department went on record to say, “The Atkins Diet is nonsense. Any book that recommends unlimited amounts of meat, butter, and eggs, as this one does, in my opinion is dangerous. The author who makes the suggestion is guilty of malpractice.” The American Institute for Cancer research has also come out to denounce the low-carb diet.

High carb diets, such as a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet, are very high in fruit and vegetable consumption, and incorporates grains and legumes. The diet involves removing inflammatory foods such as meat and dairy and replacing them with nutrient dense foods.

Carbohydrates digest much quicker and easier than fats. After eating a high-fat meal, you may feel lethargic and heavy. On this diet, you won’t have all the blood rushing to your gut to digest your high-calorie meal, and thus have more energy.  Eating a low carb diet typically causes low energy which leads to overeating, making the diet unsustainable.

Ultimately, low-carb diets may have benefits, especially carb cycling diets that incorporate ketosis for a couple of days at a time. The biggest problem with the low-carb trend is that if you don’t commit, you will likely make your diet much worse. In contrary, a healthy high-carb diet allows you to make a gradual transition, like starting to eat one carb rich meal a day like fresh fruit smoothies, and large salads full of veggies and quinoa.