Cara Foote is a certified personal trainer with the Fitness Zone in Carmel and a group fitness instructor with NIFS in downtown Indianapolis. She can be contacted at fitnessblog@theindychannel.com.

These days we have low-carb bread, low-carb pasta, low-carb beer, low-carb chocolate ... low-carb, low-carb, low-carb!

I have recently been reading up on both the Atkins and South Beach Diets in order to could familiarize myself with these new trends.

It turns out both of the diets are quite similar. The biggest difference between Dr. Atkins' diet and Dr. Agatston's diet is that Atkins believed that a person needs to be in a state of ketosis to show that their body is maximizing fat being burned.

Ketosis is a presence of abnormally high levels of acidic substances called ketones. When fats are used in excess they are eventually transformed into ketones, and abnormally high levels of these acidic ketones could be dangerous for your blood, and interestingly enough, for your breath. Yes, an abnormally high presence of ketones has been linked to bad breath!

Dr. Agatston, on the other hand, does not believe in inducing this state, but just controlling carbohydrate choices and meal timing (Fitness RX, June 2004).

So which one is better? Well, neither really. Studies have shown that both diets will cause quick weight loss, but not long-term weight loss, which is what most of us are going for, right?

I personally think we should try something like this: follow the FDA approved Food-Guide Pyramid for your age and body size, decrease portion sizing, and exercise an hour a day for a minimum of four days a week.

So many people want to take the easy way out with quick-loss fad diets such as the two we've touched on, but they will not give you the long-term results that you want and/or deserve. Having a fit, lean-looking body takes hard work. Fad diets will probably cause you to lose weight, but not in a healthy way!

Your body NEEDS carbohydrates to be healthy –- just watch the simple sugars. Substitute white bread, pasta and rice for whole grains. Any dietician will be able to give you all of the information you need about which types of carbs are better than others.

I went to see a movie a couple of weeks ago and stood in line to get my Diet Coke (one of MY vices), and I looked over to see that they are now selling Low-Carb Endulgence Bars. These companies are jumping at the chance to grab your money while you ride the low-carb bandwagon. Don't be a sucker for fads -– among other things, you could end up with bad breath!

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