Low Fat Or Low Carb? Science Gives A Definite Answer

Any person who has ever made a conscious effort to eat healthier knows of the big nutrition debate—low fat versus low carb diets.

The public consensus keeps changing depending on the trend. First, it was all about about skimmed milk, light cheeses and lean meats. Then, along came the new generation of nutritionists, telling us we’ve been doing it all wrong. Keep the cheese. Toss the bread. But wait, what about energy levels, protested the ever-growing community of fitness aficionados, we need our carbs.

So, really, what is the most effective and sustainable way to achieve weight loss—low carb or low fat?

Well, after years of research and gruesome dietetic experiments, scientist have finally given us a definite answer. Ready? Here goes—it doesn’t. Matter.

Yep, as simple as that.

So, here are the cold facts. Recently, a research group headed by Christopher Gardner, professor of medicine at Stanford University, has conducted a nutrition experiment. The study participants—609 in total—were given either a low carb or a low fat diet plan, reports Washington Post.

The low carb group was living on hard cheeses, avocados, oil and nuts. The second group got to eat whole grains and organic fruits. And, of course, both groups were eating as clean as possible. Which is only natural—good luck logging in your protein-carb-fat intake from complicated dishes like pasta carbonara. You will give up even before you get to the sauce.

Vegetable salad, avocado, eggs on the wooden table

Here’s what happened at the end of the experiment—respondents from both of the group lost the same amount of weight. And do you know what’s the most interesting about all this study? The two diet plans were assigned to participants randomly. Meaning—there goes the hypothesis that low carb and low fat approaches only work for particular genetic makeup and insulin resistance level.

So here’s what to take from all that scientific stuff.

First—don’t stress out the approach. The only magic formula for the weight loss is a reasonable calorie deficit. So if you are a firm believer in a low carb diet but, in the same time, feel miserable without your beans and rice, stop torturing yourself and just go low-fat instead.

The second thing is a pure opinion. Here at Juice From The Raw we are—naturally—partial to all things organic, unprocessed, and plant-based. So if you choose the low carb way, try to get your fats from avocados and oils as opposed to hard cheese and butter. Alternatively, if decide to go with the low fat approach because the mere idea of giving up carbs make you shudder, choose brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and green unprocessed juices.

Posted on July 21, 2017