Nature of the diet
The Atkins Diet represents a departure from prevailing theories. Atkins claimed there are two main unrecognized factors about Western eating habits, arguing firstly that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups; and secondly, that saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem, and that only trans fats from sources such as hydrogenated oils need to be avoided. Consequently, Dr. Atkins rejected the advice of the food pyramid, instead asserting that the tremendous increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century, and that the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem by increasing the proportion of insulin-inducing foods in the diet. While most of the emphasis in Atkins is on the diet, nutritional supplements and exercise are considered equally important elements.
Atkins involves the restriction
of carbohydrates in order to switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose to burning stored body fat. This process (called lipolysis) begins when the body enters the state of ketosis as a consequence of running out of excess carbohydrates to burn. Dr. Atkins in his book New Diet Revolution claimed that the low-carbohydrate diet produces a "metabolic advantage" where the body burns more calories, overall, than on normal diets, and also expels some unused calories. He cited one study where he estimated this advantage to be 950 calories (4.0 MJ) a day.
Atkins restricts "net carbs", or carbohydrates that have an effect on blood sugar. Net carbohydrates can be calculated from a food source by subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber (which are shown to have a negligible effect on blood sugar levels) from total carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols need to be treated with caution, because while they may be slower to convert to glucose, they can be a significant source of glycemic load and can stall weight loss. Fructose (eg, as found in many industrial sweeteners) also contributes to caloric intake, though outside of the glucose-insulin control loop.
Preferred foods in all categories are whole, unprocessed foods with a low glycemic load. Atkins Nutritionals, the company responsible for marketing the Atkins Diet, recommends that no more than 20% of calories eaten while on the diet come from saturated fat.
According to his book Atkins Diabetes Revolution, for people whose blood sugar is abnormally high or who have type-2 diabetes, this diet decreases or eliminates the need for drugs to treat these conditions. The Atkins Blood Sugar Control Program (ABSCP) is an individualized approach to weight control and permanent management of the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Does Atkins Diet Work? A Healthier Alternative
The Atkins Nutritional Approach, most commonly known as the Atkins Diet, was developed by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s and popularized in his 1972 book, "Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution."
The initial goal of the Atkins' Diet is to restrict the intake of refined carbohydrates and induce the state of ketosis, which is a metabolic process in which the body stops burning glucose and begins burning stored body fat.
The program is divided into four phases: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), Pre-Maintenance and Lifetime Maintenance. In the induction phase, the dieter severely restricts carbohydrates to 20 net grams per day in order to induce ketosis. In this phase all meats are allowed, but lean meats are preferred. In the OWL phase, carbohydrate intake increases 2 net grams per week and adds "rungs" of food choices to the diet such as fresh dairy, nuts, berries legumes, etc. The purpose of the pre-maintenance phase is to raise the carbohydrate intake by 10 net grams per week in order to find the maximum number of carbs one can eat in a day without gaining weight. The lifetime maintenance phase is intended to help the dieter continue habits learned from the previous phases.
The Atkins Diet has been subject to much criticism following its height of popularity. Besides being expensive, the diet, which is high-protein, low-carb, is found to increase the risk of heart disease. It is also noted that weightloss attributed to the diet in the first weeks are similar to weightloss in other diets. Allowing liberal amounts of protein also presents the risk of protein toxicity.
Some things can be learned from Atkins, but should, in my opinion, be carried over into a more traditional view of diet, namely the preference of whole, unprocessed foods to processed foods. That, combined with healthy caloric intake and daily exercise, provides a cheaper and, in the long-term, more effective solution.
Atkins Diet, A Popular Weight Loss Plan
Atkins Diet
is founded 26 years ago. You can find this program everywhere in US, there are plenty of Atkins Diet gurus there. To give you the most answers about this program, here are the Q&As:
1. So what Atkins Diet is all about?Atkins is a doctor name
He declared that weight loss is all about restricting carbohydrate consumption. Atkins Diet can also be referred to low-carb diet. The other popular weight loss programs like South Beach Diet are also part of Atkins Diet.
2. So how to lose weight according to this plan They will teach you how to count the carbohydrates inside your body because they believe certain number of carbohydrates will damage your blood pressure, worse than fat. They will also teach you about how to regulate your blood sugar level so in the end you can stop your body cravings. Atkins Diet believes you don't need to reduce your fat consumption but your carbohydrate consumption.
3. What else beside carbohydrate reduction
More vitamins and more minerals. Atkins believes with more fruits consumption, you will get healthier life and better metabolic rate.
4. How about the side effects of this plan
2 years ago (2006), someone accused Atkins diet founders. This man said he got a coronary heart disease "thanks" to his Atkins diet plan. Even PCRM President declared that this program (which telling you to stay away from high-carbohydrate foods) give us nothing useful. Because it doesn't restrict us to eat fat, following Atkins diet may cause cancer or osteoporosis.
Because of this reason
I think this diet program is useless. Reducing carbohydrate consumption maybe good for our weight but it's not good for our health. Taking too many fats always give us more troubles.
