The Carbohydrates Addict’s Diet, more popularly known as CAD (or Carb Addict's Diet), was developed by husband and wife, Doctors Richard and Rachael Heller. This program could be viewed as an improved Atkins Diet.
As the name suggests, the purpose of this diet is to allow carbohydrate addicts to eat less carbs and more protein. The diet program’s theory focuses on a low-carbohydrate meal plan. The CAD is based on an idea that overweight people suffer from a biological condition that is caused by hormonal imbalance.
The Hellers believe that unnecessary insulin is produced every time carbohydrates are consumed, which results in an all-day craving of food and the body’s submission to store fat. The program reverses this biological condition by following the Carb Addict’s Diet.
The CAD provides two kinds of meals: The complementary or balanced meal, and the reward meal.
The complementary or balanced meal includes foods items that are recommended on a huge list that you could choose from. In this kind of meal, you are allowed to consume 1 portion of meat and two cups of suggested choice of vegetables. The CAD also gives the dieter an option of a complementary snack, which is a smaller serving of the meal.
The reward meal, on the other hand, allows you to consume any quantity of food as long as it is balanced. A balanced reward meal consists of 1/3 protein, 1/3 carbohydrate-rich foods and 1/3 low in carb vegetables. The catch of the reward meal is you have to eat the entire meal for only 60 minutes because of insulin-related matters.
The Carb Addict’s Diet allows the individuals an unlimited quantity of non-sugary drinks such as unsweetened tea, black coffee, diet sodas and seltzer. For each day, a single cup of coffee and cream is allowed and alcohol, sugary drinks and juices are to be saved for the reward meal.
Due to the lack of studies to support this diet and its theory of carbohydrate addiction, medical experts do not recommend long-term execution of this program.
When a person decreases his or her carbohydrate intake, it leads to large consumption of protein and fat. Based from medical studies, low-carb diets could increase a person’s risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer. Moreover, the high-protein and high-fat diet could lead to elevation of cholesterol levels. It can also increase the risk of heart diseases and provoke kidney failure.
The advantage of CAD is that weight loss is possible to occur because of the comprehensive and straightforward list of foods to consume. It is much less restrictive than the Atkins Diet and it encourages drinking sufficient amounts of water daily.
