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Laura Dolson
Low Carb Diets Blog

By Laura Dolson, About.com Guide to Low Carb Diets

Low Carb Dieters Eat More Veggies

Monday October 2, 2006
This is going to come as no surprise to low carb eaters, but in a myth-shattering survey published today in the Journal of Nutrition, it was revealed that most low carb dieters reported that they had more than doubled their consumption of salad greens, and a third more than doubled their intake of other vegetables as well since beginning a low carb diet. 85% of those losing more than 30 pounds “greatly increased” their intake of vegetables and most considered that this was “important in their weight loss plan”.

Most of the lowcarbers increased their protein intake, with chicken being the favored source of increased protein. Despite the impression in the media that low carb dieters consume vast quantities of what the researchers dubbed “The Three B’s – Beef, Butter, and Bacon” – only 5% of those surveyed reported substantial increases in all three of these foods. 22% percent reported substantial increases of one of the B’s.

Other Results of the Survey:
  • Over half consulted their physicians before starting on a low carb diet. Over half of that group found their doctors to be encouraging of reducing carbohydrates, and another third found that the doctor became supportive after seeing positive results of the diet.
  • Of those who tracked blood tests (cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose), most reported improvements.
  • Most felt they were consuming fewer calories because they weren’t as hungry.
  • The most commonly reported benefit (among many) besides weight loss was an increase in energy.
Related Resources:

Comments

October 2, 2006 at 5:46 pm
(1) Vanessa says:

Everything they printed is what people on the Kimkins diet have known for a long time! I’m even trying new veggies I’ve never eaten before!

(And they’re right about the increased energy, for sure!)

May 8, 2008 at 6:59 pm
(2) Joyce says:

This is so true. I recently started the low carb diet. I try for 30 g carbs daily the only time they go over is with greenbeans and brussul sprouts

September 6, 2009 at 4:56 pm
(3) Steve says:

I have a biochemical background and was fascinated by the reports I read on the internet. I started taking it seriously almost one year ago and kept an open mind.
Since I work for a large company in Italy where we have medicals every year, I have data going back to 2001.
Low carb eating resulted in significant decreases in LDL, increases in HDL, much lower triglycerides and 12 kg loss in about 4 months.
Cholesterol and fasting glucose remained the same.
No axe to grind, not advertising anything, just interested in facts.
Steve

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