Low Carb Houston returns to UHCL for 2nd annual conference

Low Carb Houston is a non-profit conference that provides evidence and research on how to combat the issues surrounding dieting. This year will mark the second annual conference for Low Carb Houston, which will feature speakers in the fields of health, exercise and nutrition. The conference will be held at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Last year’s Low Carb Houston Conference 2018, also held at UHCL, showcased the opening of the Exercise and Nutritional Health Institute in UHCL’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. This year’s conference will be held in the Bayou Theater and will be a three-day event, held Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. through Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. The event is charging adults that are not students $225 for a ticket to attend but will give students attending any university a discounted price of $100 for a ticket.

“[This year’s Low Carb Conference] brings together world-renowned researchers and doctors, public policymakers and allied health practitioners who will present the latest research on nutrition and chronic disease,” said Denise Cazes, director in the fitness and human performance undergraduate program.

Dr. Nadir Ali, cardiologist for the Heart Physicians of Clear Lake, and William Amonette, associate professor and director of the Exercise and Health Sciences graduate program, will again host this year’s conference. Throughout the conference, medical professionals will speak with testimonials from those with success stories in adopting the ketogenic diet put forth by the previous conference, as well as the improvements they have seen in their health since then.

“The ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate/high fat/moderate-protein diet,” said Kirk English, experimental research director for the Exercise and Nutritional Health Institute. “A ketogenic diet incorporates many different fats such as olive oil, butter, bacon, cheese and avocadoes.”

Other foods that contribute toward the ketogenic diet as include beef, dark meat chicken and turkey as well as certain fish like salmon and tuna. Low carbohydrate vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and peppers also contribute to the diet along with various nuts and seeds like almonds and walnuts.

Individuals on this diet should avoid foods high in sugar, grains, all fruits save for some berries and strawberries, beans, root vegetables and foods low in fat. Keeping carbohydrates low and fat high puts the body into a state known as “ketosis.”

“Ketosis is a metabolic process that occurs when the body does not have enough glucose (provided by eating carbohydrate foods) for energy so it burns stored fats for an energy source instead,” Casez said.

When on this diet for the first time, an individual may develop symptoms that are attributed to the “to flu,” a result of a reduction in glucose in the body when adjusting to using fat as an energy source.

“Some dieters recover in a few days and others can take up to 2 weeks,” Casez said.

Once fully adjusted, dieters will tend to eat less total food and less frequently because of the fat content being more filling.

“The important aspect of a ketogenic diet is that daily carbohydrate intake is low […] the types and sources of fat and protein are not particularly important; low carbohydrate intake is critical,” English said.

Exercise is an important factor to this diet as well and “should be scaled back for the first few weeks on the diet as an individual adapts to burning primarily fat,” said English.

It is also recommended that during this adjustment period and afterward that the amount of exercise should be based on an individual’s health status and their particular needs.

English believes “much more needs to be done,” in regards to changing the general public’s perception of the importance of health.

“In the U.S., we have accepted poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and the resulting chronic ill-health as ‘normal’ and unavoidable when the truth is that most of our diseases are completely preventable – we just must be willing to change our lifestyles,” English said.

The conference welcomes anyone interested in learning about the ketogenic diet and other low-carbohydrate, high-fat lifestyles.

To purchase a ticket, navigate to the Low Carb Houston page on the UHCL website at https://www.uhcl.edu/low-carb-houston/.

For any accommodations including where the conference is held, booking a hotel room and air travel times, navigate to the Low Carb Houston page for accommodations at https://www.uhcl.edu/low-carb-houston/accommodations.