Low Carb Vs. Slow Carb
Carbohydrates occupy a big portion of the standard American diet, supplying over 50 percent of daily calories. Many diets propose different amounts and types of carbohydrates to promote weight loss or to improve your health. The main food sources of carbohydrates include grains and foods made from their flours; fruits, sugars and desserts; vegetables, especially starchy ones; and some dairy products. Both low-carb and slow-carb diets offer effective alternatives for improving your diet and losing weight.
Amount of Carbs
The amount of carbs you eat is the main emphasis of low-carb diets, while it is not really addressed at all by the slow-carb diet. Different low-carb diets recommend varying levels of carbohydrate restriction, ranging from 20 grams to up to 100 grams of carbohydrates a day, compared to the average 250 to 300 grams in the standard American diet. Low-carb diets usually encourage dieters to replace most of their carbs with fats.
Types of Carbs
While the type of carbs is not really a priority on the low-carb diet, type is what the slow-carb diet is all about. Low-glycemic or slowly metabolized carbs are digested and absorbed at a slower pace, which reduce their effects on your blood sugar levels. The slow-carb diet recommends you replace processed and refined carbs -- such as sugar, soft drinks, white bread, breakfast cereals and desserts -- with slow carbs, such as sweet potatoes, steel-cut oats, fruits, whole-grain pasta and legumes.
A typical meal on a low-carb or slow-carb diet can look quite different. Choosing the diet that includes foods you enjoy can help you stick to your diet so you are more likely to achieve your goals. For example, a typical low-carb meal could be a serving of grilled salmon with leafy greens, tomatoes and avocado slices drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or a steak with mashed cauliflower and a serving of broccoli with butter. A typical low-carb dessert would be a piece of dark chocolate. On the other hand, a slow-carb meal could be a lentil soup with whole grain crackers or whole grain pasta with a tomato-based sauce sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. A slow-carb dessert could be a piece of fruit, a serving of yogurt or homemade baked goods made with whole-grain flour.
Although low-carb and slow-carb diets use very different approaches, both can be used to successfully lose weight or improve your health. Low-carb researcher Stephen D. Phinney reports that low-carb diets can help reduce body fat, lower triglycerides, boost heart-protective HDL cholesterol levels, reduce blood sugars and decrease blood pressure. Similar improvements have also been observed with a slow-carb, low-glycemic diet, according to a paper published in 2002 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable; Stephen D. Phinney and Jeff S. Volek
Aglaee Jacob is a registered dietitian. She has experience working with people who have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and obesity issues. Jacob obtained a bachelor of science and a master of science, both in nutrition, from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada.