High-carb diets lower weight and raise mood levels, study sh

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monteig
monteig Posts: 65 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I thought this was a very interesting article on low-carb vs. high-carb diets from today's LA Times..

For me, personally, I felt a very severe mood change when I started the South Beach diet. It was not the right meal plan for me, so I stopped and moved on. But it was eye opening to see the effect that carbs had on my over-all sense of well being!

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-diet-mood10-2009nov10,0,6834297.story

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  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    Interesting study. :smile:
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    I see a lot of problems with this study.

    First: They had the "low carb" people get 61% of their calories from FAT. That's gross! :smile: Plus, it could explain their results just as much as the low carb thing.

    Second: They also said the participants lost more weight than average.

    Both of these things hint to me at poorly controlled variables in the study and therefore cast doubt on the results.

    Finally: South Beach, Atkins, etc. emphasize high protein as much as low carb so I don't think the diet they put the "low carb" people on directly relates to what most people are doing.

    Eating carbs is known to raise your serratonin levels -- which could also explain the mood results -- but they are also known to trigger cravings. It's the cravings issue that causes many dieters to go low carb. I find favoring protein causes my food to "stick" with me longer so I eat less overall and eating too many carbs (over about 175-200 a day, which is way more than the people in this study got) causes me to crave junk food.
  • 20carrots
    20carrots Posts: 279 Member
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    I thought this was a very interesting article on low-carb vs. high-carb diets from today's LA Times..

    For me, personally, I felt a very severe mood change when I started the South Beach diet. It was not the right meal plan for me, so I stopped and moved on. But it was eye opening to see the effect that carbs had on my over-all sense of well being!

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-diet-mood10-2009nov10,0,6834297.story

    monteig,
    What effects did the carbs have on you? I think over-carbing is a reason for my low energy, but I have no idea how to cut back...
  • monteig
    monteig Posts: 65 Member
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    Well, I definitely have a love-hate relationship with the carbs! If left to my own devices, I think my diet would be about 90% carbs with some fruits and fats mixed in (gotta butter my bread!).

    When I went off of carbs, I had low energy, severe irritability, headaches and an inability to concentrate. I was shocked at how I reacted emotionally because I was still enjoying the other foods I was eating and did not expect that kind of mental reaction at all.

    So I went out, got myself a piece of quiche and never looked back! Now I find that I don't do well on either end of the spectrum - I find that I have the highest energy levels and most level moods when I keep up a somewhat high level of protein, but also a moderate amount of carbs.

    If you think your energy is a problem, start with cutting out just the white flour carbs and see if that helps. It is easier to get rid of those then going 100% no-carb. And they are usually easy to replace with whole grain options.
  • mrsbice
    mrsbice Posts: 31
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    i think that it all depends on the persons genes and health issues. I am on a constant watch for diabetes (runs in the family), so high-carb is a no-go for me (since most of it just turns straight to sugar). Low-carb does not work for some people due to their body needing more carbs, since they find that their energy suffers.

    I just try to find a balance, and I try to make my carbs complex carbs.

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