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Market research shows that the low-carb, no-carb craze is waning. But many nutritionists, such as Kathleen M. Houck, a dietitian at Akron General Medical Center, advocated for carbs all along.
"Carbs are not a bad thing," Houck said. "There is misconception about their nutritional value, especially in a number of the fad diets. They are an essential part of a balanced diet."
That point came across clearly in January, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released new dietary guidelines confirming the importance of high-carbohydrate grains and dismissing the idea that a particular combination of nutrients can make people thin.
The government's eating plan, recommended by the committee of scientists, is carbohydrate-based. It suggests that 45 percent to 50 percent of the calories consumed in a day by most adults should come from carbohydrates.
That recommendation is also consistent with findings from the National Weight Control Registry at the University of Colorado, which has tracked weight loss in more than 4,000 people since 1993. According to the national registry study, there are four common factors among people who keep weight off successfully: They stay on high-carb, low-fat, low-calorie maintenance diets after losing weight initially; they eat breakfast every day; exercise an average of an hour a day (mostly walking); and they weigh themselves at least once a week to catch themselves if they start to inch up.
Houck said that most people she counsels have tried a variety of diets in their efforts to lose weight. For some, the low-carb, no-carb diets work.
But her experience, she said, reflects findings in a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Many diets work. But the problem is that people fall off the diets.
The study found the Atkins diet had a higher trail-off rate than some of the other popular diets, probably because so many foods are forbidden.
A benefit of carbs, Houck said, is that they are filling. And it's better to fill up on beans and grains than on some of the fatty foods permitted in the no-carb diets.
"People are starting to grasp the idea that moderation, variety, exercise and portion control is key," said Houck. "Each food group contributes different nutrients and supports body functions. You cannot eliminate an entire group. Good nutrition is about quantity of food consumed - calories in versus calories out."
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(Diane Evans is an Akron Beacon Journal columnist. You may contact her at the Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640, or by e-mail at livingwell(AT)thebeaconjournal.com.)
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(c) 2005, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
