Low-Carb Diet For Dummies. Katherine B. Chauncey

and one drink a day for women or lighter-weight men. A drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of hard liquor. Be sure to count these beverages in your daily five carbohydrate choices. Each one counts as one carbohydrate choice.

How you deal with the stress is what’s important. Some people respond to stress by eating poorly, being physically inactive, smoking, or drinking alcohol. Others criticize their spouses, yell at their kids, and kick their dogs. And some employ the silent treatment — keeping everything bottled up inside when they’re about to explode. All these reactions take their toll on your body.

Short-term responses to stress can be a headache, stomachache, diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting. Longer-term responses affect blood pressure and sleeping and increase your risk for depression, heart disease, and susceptibility to colds and infections.

      Eating and bingeing just compound the stress. The temporary comfort provided by the food is followed by guilt for overeating. Stress is pent-up energy that needs to be released. When stress comes, step back, take a deep breath, and go for a walk. Buy yourself some time to relax and decompress.

      If your problems with stress are far more serious, talk to a trusted friend, your religious leader, your healthcare provider, or a professional therapist.

Deciding Whether a Low-Carb Diet Can Help

      A low-carb diet, especially one like the Whole Foods Weight Loss Eating Plan, can help the following conditions:

       Overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9)

       Obesity (BMI of 30 or greater)

       Type 2 diabetes

       Insulin resistance

       Heart disease

       High triglycerides

       Low HDL cholesterol

       High blood pressure (but only if the low-carb plan allows fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, nuts, and seeds)

       Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a disease in women associated with insulin resistance

      If you suffer from any of the preceding conditions, going the healthy low-carb route may be exactly what your body needs. However, if you have kidney problems, you may want to find another eating plan.

      

As with any diet plan, be sure to consult your healthcare provider or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) to determine if this plan is safe for you to follow given your specific health situation. (For the full story on the Whole Foods Weight Loss Eating Plan, check out Part 2.)

Part 2

      Steering Yourself Back to Whole Foods

IN THIS PART …

      Know what foods you can eat freely on a low-carb diet.

      Manage the starchy carbs and discover how to control them.

      Understand dairy food benefits.

      Appreciate the benefits of healthy fats and identify which fats to avoid.