The subject of nutrition is a complex one that often gets reduced to oversimplified concepts that can be misinterpreted or are outright wrong.

The low-carb diet is one of these nutrition concepts that although extremely popular, is really kind of meaningless when it comes to what people are actually eating.

Just for starters, there’s not really an accepted definition of what amount of carbohydrate consumption is considered “low-carb.” In fact, what researchers typically call low-carb is often very different than what dieters consider low-carb. For example, one recent study had the lowest carbohydrate intake group at 46% of calories from carbs – a lot higher than the 25% or less limit that most popular low-carb diets aim for.

So, just the quantity of carbs that may be defined as a low-carb diet is inconsistent, but that may actually be less important than the source of the carbs (and other macronutrients) being consumed.

Low-carb diets are, by default, going to be higher in protein and/or fat and the specific sources of these nutrients makes a difference when it comes to health and longevity.

For example, excess saturated fat (generally considered to be over 10% of daily calories), at least that which comes from animal-based foods, carries an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.

Although plant-based proteins and fats have generally been found to be healthier, the benefits seem to decrease when one goes exclusively vegan – with some research indicating that diets containing small to moderate amounts of animal-based protein (along with an otherwise mostly plant-based diet) have a lower mortality risk than those comprised solely of plant-based foods.

And most of the research is just looking at the effects of various diets on the population in general – there’s no way to predict how a given diet will impact the health and longevity of a specific person with any number of genetic and lifestyle factors that might or might not come into play.

Another issue is that the relative healthfulness or effectiveness of a given diet depends on what outcome(s) you are seeking from it. A diet for weight loss may not always be the best diet for long term health and wellness.

The more research that is done, the more complicated this all becomes.

Yet, through all the noise and complexity, one thing seems to be clear: eating real food in as close to its natural state as possible seems to enhance the benefits of any diet.

In other words, eating low-carb through a diet comprised of fish, meats, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fresh vegetables (all with none to minimal processing), is typically significantly better for long-term health than eating pre-packaged meals and snacks made with a bunch of chemical ingredients to make them look and taste good.

In fact, there’s growing evidence that even for the narrow goal of weight loss, in the long run you’re probably better off eating real foods than highly-processed “diet foods” – even if the real foods are higher in carbs and even calories. Weight loss may initially occur faster with the processed diet foods, but for sustained long-term weight loss and maintenance, the more natural diet will typically work better, especially when combined with exercise and a healthy sleep schedule.

You can fool the body into doing what you want for a while with chemicals, but that usually doesn’t last forever!

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.