Low Carb - A Definition

All food is made up of three primary macro nutrients - carbohydrates (or sugars), proteins, and fats. Low carb implies that the percentage of carbohydrate (by calorie) is low - but lower than what?

• High Carb 50-70% (USDA Food Pyramid)
• Moderate Carb 40-50%
• Low Carb 25-39%
• Very Low Carb 0-25%

However it is common to find that any diet less than 50-60% carb ratio is called a low carb diet. Depending on one's sensitivity to carbohydrates, a moderate carb ratio may be better than a high carb ratio.

By definition, the lower the carb ratio - the higher the fat and protein ratio. Generally speaking a low carb diet will also tend to be a high protein diet.

Low Carb Diets

The following diets are generally all 'lumped' together under the definition of 'low-carb'. However they actually are made up of little or no carbs - to some that are moderate carb.

Atkins	Atkins is a ketogenic diet for weight loss.
Sugar Busters	More like a moderate carb diet with a ratio of 30-40% carbs - but with a fairly low daily calorie intake.
Hampton's Diet	Quite similar to Atkins, but with an emphasis on healthier fats - specifically macadamia nut oil.
Neanderthin	Considered to be low-carb - as all grains are to be avoided.
Carbohydrate Addicts	This diet is unusual in that 2 meals have no carbohydrate, and then a 3rd meal is made up of about 1/3 carbohydrates. Very much a low-carb diet - but not low enough for ketosis.
Rosedale Diet	Rosedale places emphasis on more fats and no starchy carbs.
Protein Power	This diet could also be considered low to moderate carb - with a similar ratio to the Zone Diet.
South Beach Diet	The South Beach Diet has an induction phase that is very low carb, but beyond this the diet is not really low carb at all. Effort is made to consume only low GI (Glycemic Index) and un-refined carbohydrates.
Zone Diet	Dr. Sears Zone Perfect diet has a ratio of about 40% carbohydrates (moderate). However many refer to it as a 'low-carb diet'.
Fat Flush	This detox diet is not usually referred to as a low-carb diet - but it has about the same macro-nutrient ratios as the Zone (about 40% carb).
Anne Collins Low Carb Diet	28-day plan in 2 phases: Phase 1 (14-days) average of 30g carbs per day- Phase 2 (14-days) average of 55g carbs per day.