We’ve heard that diet plans don’t work the same way for everyone, even if they collectively claim that they can reduce the amount of “bad” carbohydrates in our bodies. But if that’s the case, how are we supposed to know which low carbhoydrate diet plans would work best for us as individuals? The answer lies in careful study. Look into the requirements and benefits of each diet plan, and based on what you’ve learned, decide on the plan that would give you the best returns, in terms of time, money and effort.

Here are three of the more popular low carbohydrate diet regimes. Check them out and see how each one relates to your lifestyle and routines:

1. The Atkins Diet – This is currently the most popular patented diet plan in the market. The creator of this plan, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, is known as “The Father of Modern Low Carb Diets.” This diet promotes cutting back on carbohydrate intake, but stresses that different people have different nutritional needs, and therefore the diet plan must vary from person to person. The Atkins books contain information on a “carb ladder,” which details the amount of carbohydrates a person may introduce into the body, based on one’s glycemic load. The books also advocate balancing Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids. All this means you need to pay close attention to the amount of food you eat when you’re on this diet.

2. The South Beach Diet – This diet scheme, recently patented by Dr. Arthur Agatston, is thought of as a modified Atkins diet, with a few significant changes: while both Atkins and South Beach promote the elimination of “bad carbs,” the South Beach diet actively discourages eating the dark meat or butter of poultry, as they are fraught with saturated fat that produces “bad carbs.” Atkins poses no such restriction.

4. The “Caveman” Diet – This low carbohydrate diet advocates a return to our ancestral roots, in a liberal sense; it simply promotes the elimination of artificial processed foods from regular meals. In this diet you can eat pretty much anything except foods that contain sugar, salts, and seasoning. Most dairy products are not allowed either, as they are often found in processed form in this modern age. Meat, eggs, fish, fruit, most vegetables, and nuts are okay. This may seem somewhat permissive, but it is still a rather tough call if you live in a country like the United States, where it isn’t easy adhering to an all-natural organic diet scheme.

Unless you are a hermit and living without the news, you must have heard of low carb diets like Atkins diet or South Beach dieting plans. The underlying principle is that it is the excess carbohydrates and not the fats that cause weight gain.

Low carbohydrate diets advocates that we restrict the carbohydrate intake to as little as 20 grams a day or less if better depending on the program. However the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine of the academies of Science recommended that the daily allowance of carbohydrates for young adults should not fall below the minimum of 100 grams.

As early as 2004, both the Atkins Nutritionals and Dr. Barry Sears, creator of “The Zone”, stated that they do not recommended their products for these people and only market their dieting programs to older adults only. Dr. Arthur Agatston, the author of the South Beach Diet does recommend his plan for young adults, but they have to omit the first phase of his two weeks introductory program.

Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, creator of Protein Power, says that their programs can be used on these young people so long as they start in phase two. SugarBusters, which is less restrictive in terms of carbohydrate allowances, has a separate plan for these young people.

The carbohydrates that you consume in food are the main source for cellular energy and central nervous systems functioning. Carbohydrates convert to glucose and the pranceas pumps out insulin that unlocks cells and allows the glucose energy inside. Low carb advocates says that consuming too much carbohydrate overload this finely balanced system and triggers the release of too much insulin which eventually will be stored as fats. Too much circulating insulin is also associated with insulin resistance and raises heart diseases risk.

Many low carbohydrate diets replace sugar and starches with protein rich food such as red meat and eggs. Critics of carbohydrate reduction say that the high levels of artery clogging fats and cholesterols from such foods are a one way ticket to heart diseases.

However some studies have found that after six to twelve months, many people on a reduced carbohydrate diet have actually improved their blood cholesterol level. But there are no studies longer than a year that measure the impact of these low carbohydrate and high protein diets on the cardiovascular system. Until now, we still do not have enough evidence and the jury is still out.