continued in next column...

• The next rank test will be held on April 20th at 7:30 PM. Good luck to all of those who are testing!

• Special guest instructor Master Tom Merritt on April 20th. Seminar begins at 6:30 PM. 

• Kick Back Against Violence 2004 will be held on May 1st and 2nd. For more information please visit the KBAV website.
  

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Congratulations!
Kicks Student of the Month


Congratulations to the Junior Student of the Month --  Kyra. Great job! Keep up the hard work...


You can check out test photos by clicking here.

Every day there seems to be a new fad diet hitting the market. They come and they go faster than the common cold. But what about the sweeping popularity of  "low carb diets." Is it fad or fact?

About two decades ago we were bombarded with messages that we should limit our fat intake to lose weight. While research has shown that low-fat diets do promote healthy cardio-vascular systems many people ended up gaining weight simply by mistaking low-fat for low calorie. The same is true when thinking about carbohydrate intake.

Our body's preferred source of energy are carbohydrates. Because of this they must be a major component in a successful nutrition program. Our muscle and other tissues rely heavily on a continued supply of carbohydrates to satisfy immediate and long-term energy demands.

How do carbohydrates work?

Carbohydrates are broken down through the process of digestion into glucose, which the body can then use. Simple carbohydrates, like sugar found in fruits and vegetables as well as processed sugar, are absorbed rapidly from the small intestine into the blood stream where they travel to be used as a source of energy by cells. Complex carbohydrates have to be broken apart by digestion in the small intestine, in order to be converted into glucose. Because of this they take longer to digest provide a more sustained release of energy.

The potential energy a food possesses is measured in calories. For example, one gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories as does one gram of protein. One gram of fat has nine calories. You can determine the number of calories in any given food if you know how many carbohydrates, fats and proteins are contained in it. This is also a mark of how much energy that food stores. What is important is to understand that low carb does not mean low calorie.

For example according to an article by Jennifer Warner of WebMD, "a blue cheese-topped steak, one of the offerings on T.G.I. Friday's Atkins-Approved menu, is still going to pack more fat and calories than a grilled chicken sandwich from the regular menu. " These facts need to be considered when deciding on any kind of weight loss or nutritional program. "The rising popularity of low-carb products has manufacturers scrambling to meet the demand. In fact, more than 400 businesses recently gathered for the nation's first Low-Carb Summit in Denver to discuss ways to capitalize on the low-carb craze. But nutritionists say the marketing of low-carb products is way ahead of the science, and it's giving carbohydrates a bad reputation that they don't deserve. "

How Do Low-carb Diets Work? *
 
First of all low-carb diets are also low-calorie diets.  Most fall in the range  1200-1500 calories per day. This is 800-500 less than the average American eats.  Add this to the fact most people will also start exercising when they start a diet and you have a classic scenario for weight loss -- more calories burned than consumed.
 
Second,  low-carb diets produce water weight reduction.  Body builders have been doing this for years. Because water is a critical by-product of carbohydrate breakdown (hence the name carbo-hydrate...those little hydrogen particles break off with oxygen and form water molecules) when carbohydrate intake decreases water production also decreases.

Finally there is the two week "hook" period of absolutely no carbs (except in certain "approved veggies and fruits".) This results in very quick weight loss, which sells the program and gets you to buy all the supplements and additional products.

The Skinny..

The reality of low-carb diets is that they act in the same way as any other fad diet. Studies routinely show that 70-80% of the weight loss in the first month of any diet is water. You only begin to truly lose fat only AFTER you’ve been on a diet 4-8 weeks. Ironically in the low-carb plans, by this time “good” carbs are allowed back into the diet. The maintenance programs at the end of these diets allow for complex carbs and, while still too high in protein, aren't entirely unhealthy.

The FDA reports that to date there is no legal definition of what "low-carb" means. Therefore, any food or beverage product that says "low-carb" on the label is technically breaking the law.  But since there are no protocols in place any definition of low, reduced or net carb content can be added to food packaging without reprisal. In other words manufacturers are feeding us information that is meaningless and misleading.

Many have reported successful short term weight loss using low-carb diets. However there is no evidence supporting long term safety or effectiveness of these diets. In contrast there is a great deal of evidence indicating a correlation between diets high in saturated fats and heart disease. Well-rounded diets that include lean meat, low-fat dairy products and plenty of fruits and vegetables have been shown to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

The bottom line is that the priceof  losing weight on a low-carb diet may be your health.  Experts agree that the issue isn't low-carb Or low fat, it's whether foods are both low-carb and low-fat. Be aware that foods marketed as low-carb may often contain high levels of saturated fat and calories. Arm yourself with good information. Rad the label when comparing low-carb vs. regular foods. Be careful not to fall into the trap of believing that low-carb products which are also high in saturated fat are healthy. Low-carb or not, avoiding foods high in saturated fats and high in simple carbohydrates  is always the healthy choice. But avoiding foods high in monosaturated fatty acids or complex carbohydrates isn't a healthy choice.

The word "diet" has come to be associated almost exclusively with weight loss. But diet simply refers to what we eat. A well-balanced, low calorie diet--which includes complex carbohydrates, non-saturated fats and protein--along with exercise, will not only result in weight loss but a healthy body as well.