Is Low Carb the Best Diet for Weight Loss?

It’s hard not to run across someone who “doesn’t eat carbs anymore”. Most people who are shunning carbohydrates are doing so to lose weight. But is this really the best approach if your goal is to shed fat pounds? 

According to the latest research, low fat diets are actually better than low carb diets. In a very well controlled human experiment involving obese subjects, researchers found that when calorie intake was held constant, reducing the fat content and increasing the carb content of a diet resulted in more rapid body fat reduction than when dietary fat content was higher and carb content low.

At this point you’re probably throwing your arms up in the air and screaming – can’t these scientists make up their minds? After all, didn’t we all just decide that low carbohydrate diets result in reduced insulin levels and that this helps with weight loss? Isn’t that why everyone is now so focused on protein intake?

Here’s the real truth. There is no such thing as a healthy low carb diet. All fruits, all vegetables, all greens, all beans and all legumes are carbs. And these foods are essential to survive and thrive.

We know what happens when we have no access to fruits and vegetables: we develop diseases like scurvy. We also know that diets that are highest in plant-based foods are the hallmarks of societies that live the longest and the most disease free.

“Avoiding carbs” is only advantageous if you mean processed carbs. Because the farther you get away from the original form of the fruit or vegetable or grain, the less nutrient dense and naturally fiber packed it becomes. So eat whole wheat grains like farro instead of a bagel. Eat an apple instead of drinking apple juice. 

The farro and the apple will provide you with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and a variety of antioxidants, as well as much higher food bulk per calorie consumed. This will keep you feeling fuller longer, making it far easier to control calorie intake.

At Step One Foods, we have made it a priority to pack as many healthful unprocessed carbs as we can into every serving of every product. The seeds and nuts add healthy fats and protein. And it’s this science-based combination that explains why you won’t be hungry an hour after eating our pancakes and why so many of our customers have reported weight loss as a side benefit of using our products.