low-carb

A diet fad which some claim is safe and healthy, and others claim is a road to heart disease and kidney failure. It touts the removal of excess carbohydrates(carbs) from the diet, which are then replaced by protein, the idea being that the body's blood sugar goes down, insulin goes down, and the body goes into ketosis and begins to burn fat. Some say this is safe, others say it's highly dangerous, most people agree it is a diet best kept to the short term only, as it is not balanced, and it's also very expensive because of all the meat involved. Also known as the "Atkins diet." A less severe version of this model is the "South Beach" diet which allows carbs, but strives to eliminate "simple" carbs like white sugar and flour, in favor of "complex carbs" like whole grains which have high nutritional value and do not create the spikes in blood sugar that provoke insulin overproduction(something Dr. Atkins claimed to be the cause of weight gain.) Also a big money fad as companies scramble to create "low carb" versions of popular products such as bread and pasta.