Carbohydrate Foods List: The Ketosis Controversy
What should you seek out in a carbohydrate foods list? Should you inhibit carbohydrate control through the week, to reward yourself over the weekend? Should you eliminate all high carbohyrate food sources from your diet? Or should you do away with carbohydrates as much as possible? Many low carbohydrate diets encourage curbing carbohydrate intake to bring about ketosis.
Ketosis is a bodily state set in motion when the body becomes deficient in carbohydrates and needs energy. The liver starts modifying fatty acids (i.e., fats) via a process called gluconeogenesis, to create glycogen as an energy source. It is a common selling point among low carbohydrate diets as the cause of immediate weight loss.
However, ketosis has several noted adverse bodily effects that need to be examined. First off, coercing the body to carry out gluconeogenesis can seriously weaken the liver. Ketone bodies, which are created during ketosis with fat, are acidic and can affect your blood Ph. Protracted ketosis will eventually lower Ph below 7.35 and bring about ketoacidosis. All these medical conditions are potentially deadly.
In fact, using ketosis to induce weight loss remains controversial.
Supporters of low carbohydrate diets, including medical professionals, contend that ketosis is a safe bodily state, not to be confused with ketoacidosis. However, all the research into low carbohydrate diets is still lacking in making a complete apppraisal of ketosis. As of now, the medical community still lacks total agreement on its efficacy or safety.
Whatever your view may be on ketosis, there is total agreement that moderating carbohydrate intake is an essential component of weight loss programs. Carbohydrates food used to be grouped according to chemical structures, between simple and complex carbohydrates. However, there are new parameters used to measure their effects on health, such as glycemic index, glyemic load, fiber content and refined/unrefined state.
As always, seek help from a medical professional before making any extreme changes to your diet. If you want to try a low carbohydrate diet for ketosis, you should first check if your are physically capable. You should also make sure you get instruction from someone qualified, and if you have, caveat emptor. All medically supervised diets use the same carbohydrate foods list, but they will rank certain foods over others. Stay vigilant even when in the middle of a diet to confirm your own diet's safety and efficacy.
Carbohydrates food used to be identified as simple or complex carbohydrates. However, there are new standards used to asses their effects on health, such as glycemic index, glyemic load, fiber content and refined/unrefined state. All medically supervised diets use the same carbohydrate foods list, but they will emphasize some foods over others. Stay vigilant even when in the middle of a diet to confirm your own diet's safety and efficacy.
Published June 7th, 2010
Filed in Food