Dr. Schwarzbein says that eating too many carbs causes insulin levels to spike, leading to insulin resistance, which in turn, causes weight gain. She also links the insulin increase to diseases like arthritis. By cutting back on carbs, Dr. Schwarzbein intends to moderate your insulin level, and, along with other lifestyle changes (chiefly, exercise) lead you to successful weight loss and improved health.
What is the Program Like?
One of the Principle's programs is for healing and the other is for maintenance. You will see most likely see a noticeable weight loss during the healing program. This is the period during which you are keeping your carb intake minimal -- leafy greens are acceptable at this point of the program. How many carbs you can have is determined by your weight and activity level. There is a list of vitamins you should take.
Dr. Schwarzbein says the "healing" program is not meant to be a permanent one. Once your metabolism is "healed" then you'll move on to maintenance, which means you begin to add more carbs to your diet. There is not formula here, you more or less are left to learn "instinctively" how many carbs are too many by the way your body reacts to them. If you find you begin gaining weight, you can go back to the healing program.
Why is this Diet in the News?
The buzz words here are: metabolism, insulin, insulin resistance, and glucose. Dr. Schwarzbein's theory is that high insulin levels lead to weight gain. Most of us already know that when we eat carbs, our blood sugar rises. Dr. Schwarzbein is of the school of thought that when your insulin level consistently stays too high, you become insulin resistant; since insulin regulates the conversion of glucose to energy, resistance causes a malfunction: the glucose turns into fat.
"Take Away" Advice
There is some truly sound advice in the Principle, even if you don't subscribe to the point of view of the doctor. If you decide the diet isn't for your, there's still some good advice to take away from the book. For example, she says we shouldn't skip meals as -- many of us have learned by experience -- skipping meals only leads to over-eating later on. Also, Dr. Schwarzbein's focus on "real" foods that are unprocessed is a noble one. That's a healthy eating policy for anyone, whether you're trying to lose weight or not.
She also advises us to stay away from chemicals; for example, she readily suggests using honey or molasses as sweeteners rather than artificial sugars like saccharin. Anyone interested in improving their health will know cutting out caffeine and alcohol are excellent ways to reach wellness. Exercise is encouraged -- but, that's not all that exceptional, because any program that <i>doesn't</i> encourage physical activity should be tabled.
