The Atkins Diet, formally called the Atkins Nutritional Approach, is a popular low-carbohydrate eating plan developed in the 1960s by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins. It has several phases for weight loss and maintenance and starts with a very low-carbohydrate eating plan. The purpose of the Atkins Diet is to change your eating habits to help you lose weight and keep it off, promoting itself as a healthy, lifelong approach to eating. The diet has been described as a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, high-protein fad diet. It promotes the consumption of meat, cheese, eggs and other high-fat foods such as butter, mayonnaise, and sour cream in unlimited amounts whilst bread, cereal, pasta and other carbohydrates are forbidden.
This article delves into the role of mayonnaise within the Atkins Diet, exploring its compatibility with the diet's principles, potential benefits, and important considerations.
Understanding the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet posits that obesity and related health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are primarily caused by the typical low-fat, high-carb American diet. It argues against avoiding fatty cuts of meat or trimming off excess fat and contends that consuming too many carbs - especially sugar, white flour, and other refined carbs - leads to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain, and heart problems. To counter these issues, the Atkins Diet limits carbs and encourages eating more protein and fat.
Like many diet plans, the Atkins Diet keeps changing. It now encourages eating more high-fiber vegetables and has included changes to meet vegetarian and vegan needs. The Atkins Diet doesn't require calorie counting or portion control, but tracking carbs is essential using a system called net carbs (total carbohydrate content minus fiber content). The Atkins Diet says that its approach to carbs will burn off your body's fat stores, control your blood sugar, and help you achieve optimal health. Once you're at your goal weight, the Atkins Diet also explains it will help you find your personal carbohydrate balance. The Atkins Diet claims exercise isn't needed for weight loss.
The Four Phases of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet consists of four distinct phases:
Read also: Understanding the Atkins Diet
Phase 1: Induction. This strict phase involves cutting out almost all carbohydrates from your diet, reducing carbohydrate intake to about 10% of your daily calories. Protein sources like fish, shellfish, poultry, meat, eggs, and cheese are emphasized at every meal, while most fruits, sugary baked goods, breads, pastas, grains, nuts, or alcohol are prohibited. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day is recommended.
Phase 2: Balancing. In this phase, you continue to eat a minimum of 12 to 15 grams of net carbs as foundation vegetables and avoid foods with added sugar. You can slowly add back in some carbs that are high in nutrients, such as more vegetables and berries, nuts, and seeds, as you keep losing weight.
Phase 3: Pre-maintenance. This phase involves gradually increasing the range of foods you can eat, including fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grains. You can add about 10 grams of carbs to your diet each week, but you must cut back if your weight loss stops.
Phase 4: Lifetime maintenance. This is the final phase, which you move into when you reach your goal weight, focusing on maintaining your weight loss.
Mayonnaise: A Keto-Friendly Condiment?
Mayonnaise, a creamy emulsion of oil, egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasonings, can indeed be a versatile player in the Atkins Diet, particularly due to its high-fat content. In the early books such as Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins made the controversial argument that the low-carbohydrate diet produces a metabolic advantage because "burning fat takes more calories so you expend more calories"; the Atkins diet was claimed to be "a high calorie way to stay thin forever".
Read also: Delicious Atkins Dinners
Nutritional Composition
When considering if a food product aligns with the Atkins Diet principles, examining its nutritional composition is key. Mayonnaise is the result of this emulsification. The flavor of coconut oil mayonnaise is even stronger than olive oil. It absolutely cuts through.
Choosing the Right Mayonnaise
However, not all mayonnaises are created equal. The devil lies in the details, especially when it comes to commercial options. Many mass-produced mayos are addicting because of the sugar they contain.
When selecting mayo for your Atkins journey, prioritize those made with keto-friendly oils or, better yet, whip up a batch of homemade goodness. This not only ensures you stay true to the low-carb, high-fat ethos but also empowers you to sidestep hidden sugars and additives that may lurk in store-bought varieties.
Store-Bought Options
As with any store-bought foods, you need to be diligent and check for anything that is added solely to extend shelf life. So artificial preservatives like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), nitrates, and benzoic acid are all worth checking for. Some store-bought "avocado" mayo lines say it's "avocado oil blended with soybean oil" or something similar. This is when companies use a smaller percentage of avocado oil to justify the label but aren’t actually all-in on the idea.
Here are some brands that offer keto-friendly mayonnaise:
Read also: Atkins Diet for Vegetarians
- Chosen Foods actually makes their mayo with coconut oil, but it doesn't carry that flavor nearly as much as you'd expect.
- Sir Kensington specializes in avocado oil mayo and uses all non-GMO ingredients. Their trick is to use a bit of lime for acid instead of lemon or vinegar.
- Primal Kitchen offers a mild flavor profile with zero sugar and opts for vinegar instead of lime like Sir Kensington's.
- Tessemae is a bit more acidic than other brands, which I love.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Making keto mayo is easy. As in having amazing, rich homemade mayo in as little as 10 minutes easy. All it takes is a few fresh ingredients and a little elbow grease. There are options to use an immersion blender, but we think using only egg yolks (as opposed to the egg) and a whisk yields a creamier, tastier mayo. Start very slowly adding the oil in while whisking, drop by drop. It may seem agonizingly slow, but trust us you want to take it easy in the beginning or else you risk "breaking" the mayo. As your mayo starts to thicken up, you can be more liberal with your drops. Keep on whisking until all the oil is gone. This is my favorite part. Once the mayo seems super thick, flip the bowl upside down and see if the mayo moves at all. If it doesn't, it's perfect!
Moderation is Key
Remember, moderation is the linchpin of keto success. Portion control ensures you enjoy the creamy richness of mayo without unintentionally derailing your daily caloric and macronutrient goals.
Benefits and Risks of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet says that its eating plan can prevent or improve serious health conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. And most weight-loss diets - not just low-carb diets - may improve blood cholesterol or blood sugar levels, at least temporarily. One study showed that people who followed the Atkins Diet had improved triglycerides, suggesting better heart health.
Most people can lose weight on almost any diet plan that restricts calories - at least in the short term. Over the long term, though, studies show that low-carb diets like the Atkins Diet are no more effective for weight loss than are standard weight-loss diets. Because carbs usually provide over half of calories consumed, the main reason for weight loss on the Atkins Diet is lower overall calorie intake from eating less carbs. Some studies suggest that there are other reasons for weight loss with the Atkins Diet. You may shed pounds because your food choices are limited. And you eat less since the extra protein and fat keep you feeling full longer.
Some very low-carb diets also restrict carbs so much that they cause you not to have enough nutrients or fiber. This can cause such health problems as constipation, diarrhea, and nausea. It's also possible that restricting carbohydrates to less than 20 grams a day - the level recommended for phase 1 of the diet - can result in ketosis. Ketosis occurs when you don't have enough carbohydrates that are broken down into sugar (glucose) for energy, so your body breaks down stored fat. This causes ketones to build up in your body.
Important Considerations
In 2004, Jody Gorran sued the estate of Robert Atkins and his company seeking $28,000 in damages. Gorran stated that he had followed the Atkins diet for two years and it raised his LDL-cholesterol so much that a major artery became clogged and he required an angioplasty and stent insertion to open it. On the Atkins diet, he was eating large amounts of cheese, which is high in saturated fat.
In addition, the Atkins Diet isn't a good idea for everyone. For example, the Atkins Diet recommends that you talk to your health care provider before starting the diet if you take diuretics, insulin, or oral diabetes medications. Also, people with severe kidney disease shouldn't follow the diet.
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