The high carb and low fat diet is the best diet around...

...at least that was the common wisdom for most of the 20th century!

Some smart scientists did a huge study after the Second World War. They studied many populations all around the world. And well, they found some that lived long and had no problem with overweight. And then they wrote down what they eat.

The results of the study were interpreted and translated into the (then new) high carb and low fat diet advice. And that became the common diet advice for many years. The recommendations of the traditional high carb and low fat diet

You can recognize a high carb / low fat diet plan by the following principles:

• Be low on calories.
• Be low on fat. All fat is evil.
• Don’t worry too much about proteins. There is no need to include protein-rich food in your diet. Your daily requirements will be met anyway.
• If fat is avoided and proteins neither important nor encouraged, the result will be a high intake of carbs.

High carb diets basically follow the advice of the old food pyramid and include between 60% and 85% of carbs (any kind) in the diet plan. Proteins are mostly kept at around a low 15% and fat at a maximum of 25%.

What’s wrong with the high carb and low fat diet?

• You cannot cheat.
  That means you really need to follow the diet to the letter. If you cheat on your portions for example, you can go overboard on the calories very fast. This is because the diet plans normally include also calorie rich foods like white bread.
• It can be hard to follow due to the enemy number one: Hunger!
  The traditional diets are low on proteins. But proteins are helpful. They are not just great to build up some lean body mass and fire up your metabolism but also seem to suppress hunger. A traditional high carb and low fat diet can be unnecessary hard on your diet motivation. This is the number one reason why the Atkins Diet Plan became so popular as an alternative. Less hunger makes it easier to follow a diet.
• They are often too low on good fat.
  Not all fat is evil. Good fat like olive oil can be very important for your diet. For example, if your fat intake during your diet is too low, you might face a lack of energy during your exercise program.

But hey, why are there such big problems with the traditional diet approach?

Good question...

...the traditional diet was really the diet of choice for around 30 to 40 years. Challenged really only by the Atkins Diet Plan, which has enough problems of it’s own. Well, basically a few conclusions drawn from the initial study were faulty but became common sense thereafter.

The two big mistakes are related to the statements about fats and proteins. See the food facts section for more. Luckily, the role of good fat and proteins is now being corrected by the low G.I. diet trend that went mainstream with the South Beach Diet.

Should you use a traditional high carb and low fat diet plan for your weight loss?

We don’t really think so...

...we feel that the traditional high carb and low fat diet plan is generally not your best option.

We think that the principles of a low G.I. diet plan like the South Beach Diet are much more modern and sound. That is why we think that the South Beach Diet family is the best diet.

But,

and it is a big but,

we also feel that the traditional high carb and low fat diet family is an alternative to the low G.I. diet plan family – if you have a few pounds to lose and need to be on a diet plan for some time.

We cannot recommend a low- or no-carb diet plan like the Atkins Diet Plan for a longer-term diet. The health concerns are simply too scary.

If you feel very comfortable with the principles of the high carb / low fat diet plan then you can certainly try it! Just watch your hunger feeling and diet motivation very closely...

The effect of a high carb diet can be very good and comparable with the effect of a low G.I. or low Carb diet over the long term.

A high carb diet normally offers a very well balanced diet because the body can get at least some fiber, minerals and vitamins naturally, even while the calories are reduced. However, we still recommend a multi-vitamin supplement due to the low amount of food and nutrition intake.