The Atkins diet, introduced in the 1960s by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, is a low-carbohydrate eating plan often recommended for weight loss. It has gained popularity for its promise of weight loss without strict calorie counting, allowing consumption of protein and fat while restricting carbohydrate intake. Proponents of the Atkins diet claim that you can lose weight while eating as much protein and fat as you want if you avoid foods high in carbs. Since the early 2000s, numerous studies have shown that low carb diets - without the need for calorie counting -are effective for weight loss and can lead to various health improvements.
History and Evolution of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet was originally promoted by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, who wrote a best-selling book about it in 1972. Since then, people worldwide have used the Atkins diet, and many other books have been written about it.
The diet was initially considered unhealthy, mostly due to its high saturated fat content. Today, saturated fat’s effect on health and heart disease, in particular, is a topic of debate among researchers. A recent review that the American Heart Association (AHA) conducted on saturated fat’s impact on heart disease concluded that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat can help lower cardiovascular disease by about 30%. Additional research also suggests that replacing saturated fat in your diet with polyunsaturated fats reduces the chance of cardiovascular events, like heart attacks and strokes. However, another review of the literature shows no association between lowering saturated fat intake and reduced risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, some experts believe that not all saturated fats have the same effects on heart disease risk. Others contend that overall diet is more important than singling out individual nutrients.
How the Atkins Diet Works
The Atkins Diet has several phases for weight loss and maintenance. It starts out with a very low-carbohydrate eating plan. The Atkins Diet is formally called the Atkins Nutritional Approach. The purpose of the Atkins Diet is to change your eating habits to help you lose weight and keep it off. The Atkins Diet also says it's a healthy lifelong approach to eating. The Atkins Diet notes that obesity and related health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are the fault of the typical low-fat, high-carb American diet. The Atkins Diet says that you don't need to avoid fatty cuts of meat or trim off excess fat. The Atkins Diet holds that eating too many carbs - especially sugar, white flour and other refined carbs - leads to many issues. The Atkins Diet says that it leads to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain and heart problems. To that end, the Atkins Diet limits carbs. The Atkins Diet 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. You do need to track your carbs, though. It uses a system called net carbs. Net carbs is the total carbohydrate content of an item minus its fiber content. For example, a half-cup (4 ounces) of raw broccoli has 2.3 grams of total carbs and 1.3 grams of fiber. The Atkins Diet says 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 has four phases:
Read also: Understanding the Atkins Diet
- Phase 1: Induction. In this strict phase, you cut out almost all carbohydrates from your diet. Instead of getting about half of your daily calories from carbohydrates, as recommended by most nutrition guidelines, you get only about 10%. In this phase, you eat protein, such as fish and shellfish, poultry, meat, eggs, and cheese, at every meal. You don't need to limit oils and fats. But you can't have most fruits, sugary baked goods, breads, pastas, grains, nuts or alcohol. You drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Under 20 grams (g) of carbs per day for 2 weeks. Eat high-fat, high-protein, with low carb vegetables like leafy greens. This kick-starts the weight loss.
- Phase 2: Balancing. In this phase, you keep eating a minimum of 12 to 15 grams of net carbs as foundation vegetables. You also keep avoiding 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. Slowly add more nuts, low-carb vegetables, and small amounts of fruit back to your diet.
- Phase 3: Pre-maintenance. In this phase, you slowly keep 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. When you’re very close to your goal weight, add more carbs to your diet until weight loss slows down.
- Phase 4: Lifetime maintenance. You move into this phase when you reach your goal weight. Here you can eat as many healthy carbs as your body can tolerate without regaining weight.
However, all these phases may not be necessary. Some people choose to skip the induction phase altogether and include plenty of vegetables and fruit from the start. This approach can be very effective and can help ensure you are getting enough nutrients and fiber as well.
Others prefer to stay in the induction phase indefinitely. This is also known as a very low carb ketogenic diet (keto).
Foods to Eat and Avoid on the Atkins Diet
Individuals on the Atkins diet are told to avoid, or limit, the following foods:
- Sugar: found in soft drinks, fruit juices, cakes, candy, ice cream, and similar products
- Refined grains: white bread, white rice, white pasta
- “Diet” and “low fat” foods: are sometimes very high in sugar
- High carb fruits: bananas, apples, oranges, pears, grapes (induction only)
- Starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes (induction only)
- Legumes: lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc. (induction only)
You should base your diet around these foods while on the Atkins diet:
- Meats: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, bacon, and others
- Fatty fish and seafood: salmon, trout, sardines, and mackerel
- Eggs: omega-3 enriched or pastured - most nutrient-dense (16)
- Low-carb vegetables: kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and others
- Full-fat dairy: butter, cheese, cream, full fat yogurt
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds
- Healthy fats: extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and avocado oil
- Whole grains: brown rice, oatmeal, bulgur, quinoa, teff
Build your meals around a high fat protein source with plenty of vegetables, nuts, and some healthy fats, while only including small portions of complex carbs that fit within your individual daily carb goal.
Read also: Delicious Atkins Dinners
Acceptable Beverages
Here are some drinks that are acceptable on the Atkins diet.
- Water. As always, water should be your go-to beverage.
- Coffee. Coffee is high in antioxidants and may offer health benefits.
- Green tea. Green tea is also high in antioxidants.
You can drink alcohol in small amounts while on the Atkins diet. Stick to dry wines with no added sugars and avoid high carb drinks like beer, try to stay away from mixed drinks like cocktails as they tend to have the most sugar among alcoholic beverages.
Plant-Based Atkins Diet
Following a plant-based Atkins diet requires extra planning. Since meals on the Atkins diet are based around high fat sources of protein (typically from meat, fatty fish, and dairy), people eating a vegetarian or vegan diet need to substitute with alternatives to make sure they are meeting their nutrient needs. About 43% of what you eat should come from healthy plant-based fat sources such as avocado, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and coconut oil. About 31% of your food should be protein from plant-based sources like soy or beans.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians can also eat eggs, cheese, butter, heavy cream, and other high-fat dairy foods.
Tips for Following the Atkins Diet
The following tips and resources can help you follow the Atkins diet whether you’re eating at home or at a restaurant:
Read also: Atkins Diet for Vegetarians
- Plan a weekly menu: Follow this sample 3-week menu of Atkins-friendly meals
- Shop wisely: Here is a suggested shopping list. Eating organic is not necessary but always try to choose the least processed option that fits your budget.
- Include snacks: Make a list of low-carb snacks you can turn to when you get hungry between meals.
- Eat out with caution: Ask for extra vegetables instead of bread, potatoes, or rice; order a meal based on fatty meat or fatty fish; Get some extra sauce, butter, or olive oil with your meal. Here is a guide to common Atkins substitutions you can make at various types of restaurants.
Potential Benefits of the Atkins Diet
When compared with other diets, research also suggests that Atkins and other low carb diets may lead to more weight loss and greater improvements in blood sugar, HDL (good) cholesterol, triglycerides, and other health markers than low fat diets.
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.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
Following the Atkins diet requires you to restrict certain nutrients that are important for your body. So while you may lose weight and experience other favorable metabolic changes, the Atkins diet can also result in the following side effects, particularly in the early phase of the diet.
- headache
- dizziness
- fatigue
- weakness
- constipation
- low blood sugar
- kidney problems
- electrolyte imbalance
Restricting carbohydrates on the Atkins diet also puts you at risk of not getting enough fiber, which helps protect against heart disease and certain types of cancer, helps regulate appetite, and supports gut motility and healthy gut microbiota.
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.
And, as mentioned earlier, the high saturated fat content of the Atkins diet may raise LDL (bad) cholesterol in some individuals. This may put you at increased risk of heart disease, though the research on this is conflicting.
Some research also suggests high fat diets, like the Atkins diet, influence the gut microbiome. Certain changes in the gut microbiome may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. One metabolite of the gut microbiota, known as tri-methylamine N-oxide (TMAO), is a predictor of incident cardiovascular disease events, like heart attack and stroke. In one study of several popular diets’ effects on TMAO, the Atkins diet was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disorders (as measured by levels of TMAO) when compared with a low fat (Ornish).
Long-Term Sustainability and Considerations
Weight loss due to low-carbohydrate dietary regimens is unsustainable when carbohydrates would and should be reintroduced as a logical return to normal dietary habits as clearly manifested by the report of the United States National Weight Control Registry, which analyzed diets of 2681 individuals who followed a low-carbohydrate dietary regimen.
The American Heart Association was one of the pioneers in issuing a warning against high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets as a means of losing weight. This warning supported an earlier one: “the very high fats of Atkins diet: 60%-68%, around 26% of which are saturates, through shifting the metabolic pathway for energy production, deliver a strong boost to free radical production, thereby increasing oxidative stress on different organs”. For example, the increased oxidative stress on the heart muscle coupled with the low potassium in cardiac tissues resulting from the loss of minerals due to metabolic dehydration could have serious, even fatal, consequences.
The Atkins diet and similar low-carbohydrate diets could have other deleterious effects as well. The high protein of a low-carbohydrate diet could lead to hyperuricemia (leading to joint pain and gout) and hypercalcuria (leading to kidney stones, hypocalcemia, and osteoporosis). The American Diabetes Association also cautioned against use of low-carbohydrate diets. Studies in healthy subjects and those at risk of type 2 diabetes support the importance of including foods containing carbohydrates from whole grain, fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk in the diet.
Atkins vs. Keto
If the most popular low-carb diets were ranked, the ketogenic or keto diet and the Atkins diet would be neck and neck. “They both follow carbohydrate restriction and focus more on protein and fat as energy sources,” says Megan Armstrong, RD, a clinical dietitian at Beaumont Health Weight Control Center in Canton, Michigan.
Because both diets emphasize restricting carbs, you might think the keto diet and Atkins are basically the same. But there are important differences between the two.
One key difference between the keto diet and Atkins is the amount of protein you’re allowed to take in. There’s no cap on Atkins, while keto limits protein to about 20 percent of your daily calories.
The other big difference is that keto centers on the body being in ketosis during the entire period of the diet, while ketosis plays a role only during phase one and possibly two of Atkins, and isn’t guaranteed depending on how much protein you’re getting. On Atkins, you eventually reintroduce carbs, but on keto, carbs are always limited.
That means Atkins may be more sustainable in the long run because it’s not quite as restrictive and doesn’t require you to make sure your body remains in ketosis.
Personal Experiences and Testimonials
Amber Akam shared her experience with the Atkins diet, highlighting its ease of use and effectiveness for weight loss. She found the plan easy to follow, focusing on counting carbohydrates while getting adequate protein and healthy fats. The availability of Atkins-approved foods made the diet even more convenient for her.
Amy Sowder experimented with the Atkins diet and shared several insights. She found that sometimes stricter plans were easier to follow due to her all-or-nothing behavior. She also cautioned against relying too heavily on prepackaged, processed snacks and treats, noting that sugar substitutes can hinder weight-loss goals. Sowder also had to transform her cooking and found the Atkins Carb Counter app not user-friendly for cooking from scratch. Cooking and eating with others posed a challenge due to dietary restrictions. While she only lost two pounds in two weeks, she fit into her skinny jeans and saw amazing results from her physical exam, with blood sugar levels plummeting to a healthy range.