Low Carb Diets Explained: Should You Be Eating Fewer Carbs?

In this week's episode of the podcast, we delve into non-ketogenic low carbohydrate diets! This is the fifth episode in our 8-part series, 'Find Your Food Fit', designed to help you tailor your daily eating to match your lifestyle, preferences, health goals, and budget. Explore popular low carb approaches such as The Zone Diet, Atkins, and South Beach. We review their history, principles, proven health benefits, and key considerations for following these diets in a healthy way.

In this episode, you'll learn:
-The Zone Diet: History and guidelines
-Atkins Diet: Key principles and benefits
-South Beach Diet: Overview and practical advice
-General Tips: How to follow low carb diets healthily and what to watch out for

Please note: this podcast was originally released under a different brand name. As of September 16, 2025, the brand has been renamed. Special thanks to Robert for this week's artwork! If you'd like to show your support with a one-time or monthly donation, please visit: ⁠https://ko-fi.com/metabolicphd.

Additional resources:

Zone diet resources:

https://zoneliving.com/

https://zoneliving.com/pages/all-ebooks-download

South Beach:

South Beach books on Amazon

Atkins website:

https://www.atkins.com/

Find a registered dietician near you:

https://www.eatright.org/find-a-nutrition-expert

Registered dietitian focused on pregnancy and/or breastfeeding:

https://www.eatright.org/find-a-nutrition-expert?AreaOfExpertise=Pregnancy%20and%20Breastfeeding

Timestamps:

(00:00:18) Episode introduction

(00:03:07) Important terms defined: Carbohydrate types, low carbohydrate ranges

(00:08:48) Effects of carbohydrates on glucose and insulin, functions of insulin, insulin resistance

(00:13:46) Net carbs and "water weight"

(00:17:53) Low carbohydrate diets

(00:18:38) The Zone Diet

(00:24:23) Atkins and South Beach

(00:23:52) The Slow Carb Diet

(00:36:49) Low carbohydrate diets summary

(00:38:11) Health benefits of non-ketogenic, low carbohydrate diets

(00:50:07) Potential short-fall nutrients of low carbohydrate diets

(00:54:19) Side effects of low carbohydrate diets

(00:57:56) Contraindications of low carbohydrate diets

(01:01:22) Closing

ABOUT US:

Welcome to Optimizing Metabolic Health! I'm Dr. Erin Glynn, PhD, and I've studied and researched metabolism, exercise physiology, weight management, and metabolic disease for over 20 years.

My YouTube channel and podcast are here to provide credible, no-hype health and nutrition information to help people craft their own sustainable, healthy lifestyles for long-term health. We appreciate everyone here with the desire to learn and improve their health!

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#Lowcarb #lowcarbdiet #ZoneDiet #AtkinsDiet #SouthBeachDiet #HealthPodcast