The Atkins Diet, formally known as the Atkins Nutritional Approach, is a popular low-carbohydrate eating plan developed by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins in the 1960s. The diet gained widespread popularity in the early 2000s, with Atkins' book, "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution," selling 12 million copies and becoming one of the top 50 best-selling books in history. At its peak, as many as one in eleven North American adults claimed to be following a low-carb diet such as Atkins. This article delves into the principles, phases, potential benefits, and criticisms of the original Atkins Diet.
Core Principles of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet promotes the consumption of meat, cheese, eggs, and other high-fat foods such as butter, mayonnaise, and sour cream in unlimited amounts, while bread, cereal, pasta, and other carbohydrates are forbidden. Preferred foods in all categories are whole, unprocessed foods with a low glycemic index, although restrictions for low glycemic carbohydrates (black rice, vegetables, etc.) are the same as those for high glycemic carbohydrates (sugar, white bread). The diet emphasizes 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 posits that eating too many carbs, especially sugar, white flour, and other refined carbs, leads to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain, and heart problems. To counter this, the Atkins Diet limits carbs and encourages eating more protein and fat.
The Atkins Diet has evolved over time, now encouraging the consumption of more high-fiber vegetables and including changes to meet vegetarian and vegan needs. Unlike many diet plans, it doesn't require calorie counting or portion control. Instead, it uses a system called net carbs. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the fiber content from the total carbohydrate content of an item. For example, a half-cup (4 ounces) of raw broccoli has 2.3 grams of total carbs and 1.3 grams of fiber, resulting in 1 net carb.
The Four Phases of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is structured into four distinct phases, each with its own set of guidelines and goals:
Phase 1: Induction
This is the strictest phase, where you cut out almost all carbohydrates from your diet. Instead of the recommended 50% of daily calories from carbohydrates, you get only about 10%. During 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. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day is also recommended. The Atkins Diet claims its approach to carbs will burn off your body's fat stores, control your blood sugar and help you achieve optimal health.
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Phase 2: Balancing
In this phase, you keep eating a minimum of 12 to 15 grams of net carbs as foundation vegetables and avoid foods with added sugar. You can slowly add back 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
Here, 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.
Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance
You move into this phase when you reach your goal weight. The Atkins Diet explains it will help you find your personal carbohydrate balance.
Potential Benefits 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.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.
Criticisms and Concerns about the Atkins Diet
In his 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". He cited one study in which he estimated this advantage to be 950 calories (4.0 MJ) per day. A review study published in Lancet concluded that there was no such metabolic advantage and dieters were simply eating fewer calories. Astrup stated, "The monotony and simplicity of the diet could inhibit appetite and food intake."
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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. 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.
The Atkins Brand and Legacy
Atkins Nutritionals was founded in 1989 by Atkins to promote the sale of Atkins-branded products. The diet gained widespread popularity in 2003 and 2004. This large following was blamed for large declines in the sales of carbohydrate-heavy foods like pasta and rice: sales were down 8.2 and 4.6 percent, respectively, in 2003. 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.
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