What Is It?
The Atkins diet is essentially a low carbohydrate, high protein diet. The premise being that the cause of being overweight and obesity is the indulgence of too many carbs. Therefore, the solution to weight loss is to reduce the amount of carbs you eat, thereby causing your body to burn stored body fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
How Does It Work?
As you reduce the carbohydrates in your diet (to no more than 40g/day for most), your body reverts to burning its own fat stores for energy. This is known as Ketosis. It is reported that during ketosis, you tend to feel less hungry, therefore less likely to overeat. Some side effects of ketosis include constipation and unusual breath odor. Cholesterol may also spike due to the high fat in this diet, however, it is usually only short lived and drops back to normal levels, as weight loss occurs, for most people.
Exercise is not a big element to this diet, however, is recommended for some to allow ketosis to start. Vitamin supplements are also encouraged to ensure daily requirements are met, as many essential vitamins are not contained in the Atkins Diet regime.
What Can I Eat On The Atkins Diet?
No refined sugar, milk, white rice, white flour, white pasta, white potatoes
Protein: Red meat, fish. shellfish, chicken, eggs, cheese (not diet cheese) and cheese spreads Fat: Butter, mayonnaise and olive oil
No fruit for the first two weeks, then a small amount after 2 weeks
Vegetables; Green leafy veggies only
The Atkins Diet still remains controversial all around the globe. Some doctors are concerned that the Atkins diet may promote heart disease, cause loss of bone density, or cause problems for those with kidney of liver problems. Other concerns have been raised about the restricted carbohydrate intake effecting sufficient glucose being produced for brain function.
Your Choice?
The Atkins diet is still an unproven method of weight loss and healthy weight maintenance. It does, however, boast great successes for weight loss and is still a very popular diet option.
Written by Debbie Simpson
References: Atkins, R. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, 2002, Avon Books.
Debbie Simpson writes on Dieting and weight loss related topics. You can learn more by visiting my blog, Is The Atkins Diet For Me? istheatkinsdietforme.blogspot.com istheatkinsdietforme.blogspot.com
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