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Atkins Diet - Good or Bad?
The Atkins diet, without
a doubt, has been the most controversial diet of all
time. Seldom does a week go by that the news media does
not mention the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet, first introduced in
1972 by cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins, is considered
the most extreme of the low carb diets. Hundreds of
research studies by universities and research teams
throughout North America, Europe, and Asia have been
conducted on the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet, as with any diet program,
has its good and bad points - but, whatever side you
are on, one thing is for sure. Dr. Atkins, and the Atkins
diet, has done for the diet and nutrition industry what
Mohammad Ali did for the boxing industry. Dr. Atkins
created new awareness and introduced new concepts that
will forever affect how we look at diets for weight
loss as well as diets for health. Although the low carb
diet was first written about in the late 1800's, low
carb dieting truly came to life with the birth of the
Atkins diet.
Let's take a look at three good and
bad points of the Atkins diet.
Atkins diet - the good stuff.
1. THE ATKINS DIET BURNS FAT FASTER
THAN ANY OTHER DIET. The human body is designed to use
two different fuels to sustain life - glucose from carbs
or ketones from fat. Glucose is the primary fuel, fat
the backup. Every weight loss diet is based on the concept
of burning fat. Conventional diets generally are designed
to burn fat by starvation - by eating fewer calories
than you use every day. This causes the body to dip
into its reserve energy source - the fat surrounding
your abdomen and your thighs first.
The Atkins diet approaches fat burning
a different way. It limits the glucose (carb) intake
so the body adjusts itself to using ketones (fat) as
its primary fuel. Normally within three to four days
of starting, your body is literally a fat burning machine
on the Atkins diet.
2. THE ATKINS DIET DOESN'T LEAVE YOU
HUNGRY. Unlike most conventional diets, the Atkins diet
is not based so much on calorie intake. Dr. Atkins does,
however, warn that you should not stuff yourself but
only eat until satisfied. Also, since you are replacing
carbs with protein, and the main protein source is meat,
a high percentage of each meal will consist of meat
and fat. Meat and fat are more fulfilling and much slower
to digest. Not only do you feel more satisfied at dinner,
but it will stay with you longer on the Atkins diet.
3. THE ATKINS DIET IS SAFE AND HEALTHY.
The vast majority of studies show the Atkins diet to
be extremely healthy, in comparison to other conventional
weight loss and lifestyle diets. Nearly every study
shows the Atkins diet the winner in reducing cholesterol,
triglycerides, and blood pressure. In addition, many
cases of acid reflux, sleep apnea, and diabetes have
either had the symptoms reduced or completely disappear
while on the Atkins diet.
Also, you'll often hear "we have
no way of knowing the long term safety of low carb diets".
Fact is, the Atkins diet has been around for over 30
years - longer than most other weight loss programs.
Although first written about at the end of the 19th
century, the low carb diet has actually been around
for centuries prior to that.
How so? The North American Eskimo. Their
diet has primarily been no or very low carbs. Yet chronic
diseases that are epidemic today, such as diabetes and
heart disease, were practically unknown among the Eskimos.
At least this was true until they were introduced to
sugar and white flour. The Eskimos have been well studied
and found to be a healthy and hardy bunch, even after
centuries of living on a low carb diet. Yes - a low
carb diet much more extreme than even the Atkins diet.
Atkins Diet - The Bad Stuff.
1. THE ATKINS DIET BURNS FAT TOO QUICKLY.
The primary concern here is toxic overload. When toxins
enter you body, either from environmental sources or
from additives in prepared foods, your body's defense
mechanism will quickly try to eliminate them through
the liver and kidneys. Quite often the overload is such
that the body will also hide some of these toxins in
your fat cells. When burning fat these toxins are released
again into your bloodstream. You can experience toxic
overload when you burn fat too fast, as in the first
weeks or months of the Atkins diet.
2. THE ATKINS DIET CAUSES FATIGUE. Yes,
initially it does - for a couple of reasons. First,
switching fuels from glucose to ketones is stressful
to the body. It's a drastic change in your metabolism.
You might say it's similar to mild drug withdrawal.
Many people actually do have a "carb addiction"
and not even realize it. Secondly, as we learned a minute
ago, your body will quite likely be working hard dealing
with toxic overload if burning fat too fast, as early
in the Atkins diet.
3. THE ATKINS DIET LACKS GOOD NUTRITION.
Plant life is the basic nutritional source for all living
creatures, including humans. When an animal eats plants,
some of the nutrients, such as calcium and other minerals,
are sent to different parts of the body where needed.
And even if we eat an animal from nose to tail, including
the bones, we are still missing some of these nutrients
and essential enzymes that are burned up in the metabolic
process. Good nutrition suffers when we drastically
limit carbs, particularly with the induction phase of
the Atkins diet.
Atkins Diet - Is It Right for You?
The Atkins diet has been proven safe,
effective and Dr. Atkins' nutritional concepts are basically
sound. This is probably the best choice for fast weight
loss for an upcoming wedding or cruise - or to jump
start your new life. A lot of water and a GOOD vitamin
supplement are strongly recommended with ANY diet, but
particularly with the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet can be adjusted to a
less aggressive program if you have a lot of weight
to lose and wisely choose to lose the pounds more slowly
over a longer period of time. This would be less stressful,
much healthier and give the stretched skin a chance
to shrink. Skipping the induction phase is one way.
You may find this more sustainable over the long haul
using the Atkins diet.
One important key to health and success
with any low carb diet is to make every carb count by
choosing nutrient dense live carbs. These include fresh
vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and green
beans. This is critical where total carbs are very limited
- such as with the first two stages of the Atkins diet.
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