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Carb Rotation Diet - Review

Updated on April 6, 2010

Have You Heard?

This article will review the much talked about Carb Rotation Diet which was created by Jayson Hunter, who is a registered dietitian and the Head of Research & Development for Prograde Nutrition.

He has developed various diet plans for men and women for the past 10 years and finally came up with the Carb Rotation Diet plan which is suitable for the majority of healthy individuals, even diabetics looking for a balanced diet. This diet focuses on consumption of lean meats, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich carbohydrates, good fats and lots of water.

This diet is to be followed for 30 days and weight loss up to 15 lbs (for the really overweight) can be observed after the end of the month safely and healthily. He stresses on being realistic in your goals and to allow yourself to fall off the wagon without having to give up completely.

What makes this program different?

There have been various programs in the market in these last decade or so promoting low fat diet, low carb diet, high protein diet, Mediterranean, metabolic type diet and even high fat diet.

Many of these diets are fads that come and go and some have passed the test of time. There are 7 most popular diets at listed the The Medical News Today article and they are:

1) Atkins Diet by Dr Atkins

2) The Zone Diet by Barry Sears

3) Perricone Prescription by Nicholas V. Perrricone

4) Life Choice by Dean Omish

5) Weight Watches

6) Macrobiotic Diet by Michio Kushi

7) Raw Foods by Roxanne Klein and Charlie Trotter

The Carb Rotation Diet evolves around the principle of alternating between a high, low and no carbohydrate diet daily by eating carefully selected groups of foods which are highlighted by Hunter in his book.

The concept behind this alternating type of eating is this:

Many low carb and low fat diets are detrimental to our health because it deprived the body of essential nutrients and energy, making the body switch itself into self-preservation mode. Why? This is because the system in our body perceives itself as being starved and automatically lowers the metabolism to conserve energy. That is why a person on this type of diet is often lethargic and will not be able to stay on it for very long. However, the weight loss is drastic and evident and that is why this diet is popular even today. It is even bad for health as the kidneys have to work overtime to assimilate all that protein.

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Low fat diets have been around for a long time and are still being used by many today. It is a deprivation diet where both good and bad fats are restricted and heavy emphasis is placed on high carbohydrates and moderate to low protein and fat intake. The drop-out rate is equally high because of the deprivation, unrealistic goals, lack of nutrients and health issues that crop up later in life. Once you drop off this program, you will gain back the fat and more. The cycle is vicious!

In the Carb Rotation Diet, your routine will look like this:

Day 1: High Carb Day – this will keep your metabolism running crazy

Day 2: Low Carb Day – more concentration of proteins metabolism

Day 3: No Carb Day – total cutting out carbs and fruits. Only proteins and vegetables are allowed

Day 4: Repeat Day 1

Day 5: Repeat Day 2

Day 6: Repeat Day 3

Hunter's theory is that the body needs carbohydrates to provide the necessary fuel for energy to last throughout your daily activities. However, it promotes insulin, which, in turn, inhibits fat burning. It actually promotes fat storage, did you know that? Protein, however, stimulates a hormone called glucagon, which promotes fat burning. These two chemicals are at loggerheads with each other!

On Day 1, where carbohydrate intake is high, the body readily has glycogen in its muscles and fuel is available for burning, therefore our metabolism is high for the day. Protein intake is moderate and fat is low. Sugar intake comes primarily from fruits.

On Days 2 & 3, carbohydrate intake is restricted from medium to complete elimination. Staying on this type of diet for a period longer than 3 days will cause the metabolism to plummet and cause lethargy as well as promote fat gain.

As you can see, by rotating the carb intake everyday, you will keep the metabolism running at optimum level all day long. Another important element not mentioned earlier is that we need to eat 5-6 meals a day, spaced 3 hours apart. This is also another way to keep the metabolism high at all times, therefore promoting calorie burning throughout the day. It does take effort but it keeps our energy level consistently high all day without experiencing the afternoon slump that many of us experience after lunch. I am a staunch advocate of eating every 3 hours!

Hunter goes on to talk about how to find the correct amount of calories for your weight and height, how to monitor your progress, what type of exercise to incorporate with the diet and how to maintain the diet after the 30 days, touching also on the emotional aspect of the program as well.

He also lists the type of foods to incorporate in the diet, the nutrient information and suggestions of the ratio of carbs, proteins and fats for various sized individuals. There is also a section on how to read the nutritional information on a packaged food and how to eat out.

What Do I Think?

This is a truly remarkable program which is not for the weak hearted who thrives on carbohydrate all day. For instance, Hunter stresses that you must eat your protein and vegetables first before eating your carbohydrate. This might be difficult for those, especially Asians like me, who eat rice as a staple diet and want to eat them together with the proteins and vegetables! Also, if you love sandwiches, this might be a bit strange to incorporate in your meal!

Personally and professionally for me, the whole concept of cycling your carbs makes sense providing you add exercise to the program to make the whole fat burning process effective. With regards to eating proteins first and carbs last, well, if you can get the protein-carb-fat ratio correct on your plate, eat it anyway you like as long as it makes you happy!

I will leave you to decide if this program will work for you. If you try any new program, do it for at least 30 months to see the effects. Your body is the best indicator so listen to it.

Good luck!

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