Atkins Diet Tips

The ultimate goal of the Atkins diet is to cause an individual to lose weight by inducing a process known as ketosis. Ketosis results when the body is forced to burn fats as a source of fuel after being knowingly deprived of carbohydrates. Since the body no longer has carbs to burn, it will naturally turn to an alternate source of energy.

The problem with the ketosis associated with low-carb diets is that ketosis can actually change the body’s biochemistry, causing an increased need for certain nutrients and minerals. Without certain minerals, ketosis may no longer take place and weight will no longer be lost. Another problem associated with ketosis is that it can have a negative effect on kidney function, as the additional ketones that the body produces during the burning of fats can often cause clogging in the kidneys.

One of the main problems associated with ketosis is that it often leads to the formation of free radicals. Free radicals are detrimental to the general health of people because they can damage blood vessels and also promote the growth and occurrence of certain cancers. Ketosis-generated free radicals can also work to accelerate cell damage and cause vascular disease. For these reasons, products that contain antioxidants can be beneficial in fighting off the free radicals that can result from ketosis over the course of a low-carb diet. Since a low-carb diet often causes levels of free radicals to rise, it seems natural that products that can combat free radicals should also be a part of any low-carb diet.

Antioxidants have the ability to combat the body’s free radicals. Free radicals are substances known to be linked to the destruction of cellular DNA that in turn results in the formation of several types of cancers. Antioxidants help prevent cancer by preventing the damage that free radicals can do to cellular DNA.

One of the best additions to any low-carb diet is a good daily dose of green tea. Green tea contains high levels of substances known as catechin polyphenols. In particular, it contains high levels of epigallocatechin gallate, which is also known as EGCG. Most experts know EGCG as a very powerful antioxidant. Since participants in low-carb diets often have increased levels of free radicals in their bodies, the antioxidant properties of green tea often prove very beneficial in fighting off these dangerous and cancer-causing substances. Besides being able to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, the antioxidants in green tea have also been shown to have the ability to kill cancer cells without doing any damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.

Green tea has also been shown to be an important factor in lowering LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, while also being able to protect against the formation of blood clots.  The second contribution becomes even more important when one considers that blood clots are a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

The additional benefits of green tea to a low-carb diet include the fact that green tea helps in the oxidation of fats. In fact, green tea has actually been shown to increase metabolism, a factor which in the case of the Atkins diet, actually contributes to the burning of additional levels of fats.

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