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Thu, Feb-12-04 13:00 |
Is the new low carb craze healthy, and does it work?
http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/stor...74-223D53A35B0F
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(MOBILE, Ala.) January 21 - It's an invasion that's sweeping the country and now local grocery stores are part of the craze.
When walking down the grocery isle you can't help but notice the growing number of products with the words, low carb.
Niccy Whiteman, 27, is a lucrative shopper when it comes to low carb products.
"I lost 30 pounds. I started July 4th of last year, and I've gone down four dress sizes," says Spanish Fort resident, Niccy Whiteman.
Here's how it works, you reduce your carbohydrate intake. Niccy says she started out with twenty carbs a day for two weeks, and then moved up in five carb increments, now she's up to 40 carbohydrates per day.
"Eggs, meat and cheese, basically have no carbs. That's what I chose to eat," says Whiteman.
Atkins dieters have shopping down to an art. Niccy says regular bread has about 20 grams of carbohydrates, whereas low carb bread has nine.
Niccy says just because a product says low carb, you must know how many grams it contains.
"These types of foods, the chips, the nuts, you have to watch it because they have 11 to 15 grams and when you just start out you can only have 20. You want to start with your basics," says Whiteman.
But Dr. Carol Parks cautions those with underlying health conditions who are taking part in this new low carb craze.
"Many times patients with renal disease or hypertension eat more sodium, more fat, and protein and that is a big load on the kidneys. They may get into trouble with some increasing evidence of higher kidney disease and higher blood pressure to boot," says Dr. Parks with the Providence Medical Group.
Meantime, Niccy says it worked for her and that Atkins ultimately changed her life.
"I feel more confident now wearing new clothes. It helped me to have more energy and to enjoy life more feel more confident wearing new clothes," says Whiteman.
Dr. Parks told us the best way to lose weight and keep it off is by reducing your caloric intake and exercising.
By the way, Niccy says she would like to lose a little more weight, but plans to make a low carb diet a way of life.
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