Low Carbohydrate -

Low Carbohydrate

Low-carbohydrate diet programs or low-carb diet programs are dietetic programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption usually for weight control or for the treatment of obesity. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates (e.g. bread, pasta) are restricted or changed with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins and fats (e.g. meat, soy products) and often other foods low in carbohydrates (e.g. green leafy vegetables). 

The American Academy of Family Physicians defines low-carbohydrate diets as: 

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict caloric consumption through reducing the ingestion of carbohydrates to 20 to 60 g daily (typically lower than 20% of the daily caloric intake). The consumption of protein and fat is increased to compensate for part of the calories that formerly came from carbohydrates. 

This definition is typical of most sources although no universally recognized definition has been established. Such diets are normally ketogenic (i.e. they restrict carbohydrate intake sufficiently to cause ketosis) for instance, the induction phase of the Atkins diet. Some sources, though, consider less restrictive variants to be low-carbohydrate as well. No-carbohydrate diets are an extreme form of low-carbohydrate diets.

Apart from obesity, low-carbohydrate diets are often discussed as treatments for some other conditions, most notably diabetes and epilepsy, although, other than for intractable epilepsy in children, these treatments still remain controversial and lack widespread support.