By: Kim Plomp and
Angela Feyter
What is a low carbohydrate diet?
• These diets call for restriction or reduction of carbohydrates to
almost zero for part or all of your diet.
• This will include increasing fat or protein intake to replace this
reduction of carbs.
• There is an emphasis on eating foods such as red meat, poultry,
fish (fat does not need to be trimmed off), fatty foods ( with the
exception of trans fats) and vegetables.
•Foods to avoid: breads, grains, rice, fruits, baked goods, sugar
soft drinks
What is the Atkins Diet?
The Atkin’s diet claims to change your life in four ways:
1. Weight Loss
2. Weight Maintenance
3. Good Health
4. Disease Prevention
These four changes will come about upon adoption of this diet as a life
long practice.
Claim 1: Weight Loss
As we know, carbohydrates and fat are the major energy
sources in our diets. They are used as fuel in the energy processes the
body goes through.
Since carbohydrates are the first to be metabolized by the body,
when it is removed or restricted from the diet the body then burns fat
for energy allowing for weight loss.
Before
After
Claim 2: Weight Maintenance
Atkins claims there is a carbohydrate equilibrium. At this
point you have taken in enough carbohydrates such that the body is
neither losing or gaining weight.
Your carbohydrate input is not exceeding your energy
expenditures but at the same time you are not at a deficiency in
caloric intake for your energy requirements.
Claim 3: Good Health
With this diet, an individual is more likely to meet their nutritional
needs and promote good health compared to people who are lowfat, calorie restricted diets, since it allows for additional vitamin and
mineral supplements in the person’s diet.
Stage 4: Disease Prevention
By adhering to the approach, dieters are able
to see improvement in chronic diseases.
This is due to lower insulin production that
the restricted carbohydrate intake causes.
The Atkin’s diet consists of 4 phases and it is
considered a road map to success
Phase 1: Induction
Restriction to 20 g of Carbs a day from salads and nonstarchy vegetables
eg. Two slices of bread=24 g of carbs
Apple = 21 g of carbs
Phase 2: Ongoing Weight Loss
Carbohydrate intake is increased to 25 g of carbs per day, in
the form of fiber-rich food. This is for one week. Each
successive week, increase carb intake by 5 grams until weight
loss stops. After weight loss stops, subtract 5 grams of carbs to
maintain a sustained moderate weight loss
Phase 3: Pre-Maintenance
 When desired weight is achieved, increase daily
carb intake by 10 g each week as long as weight
loss is still maintained
Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance
 Selecting from a wide variety of foods while
controlling carb. intake allows for weight
maintenance while promoting a lifetime of better
health.
The Atkin’s diet was not the first of its kind. In the 1800’s in France, a
patient complained to his doctor about an earache. The doctor, who
had been working with diabetes patients and seen positive results in
their overall health with no-sugar diets, prescribed a low-sugar, high
protein diet. His belief was that by losing weight, pressure would be
decreased on the eustachian tube and thus get rid of the earache. This
worked, and the patient promoted this diet. This fad continued through
the years with slight modifications by physicians and now has come to
be known as the “Atkins Diet”
Is this diet healthy or deadly?
Dr. Atkins claims:
All sugar is bad
“the state of ketosis is a divine one”
Stabilizes blood sugar
Burning of body fat while eating liberal amounts of food
It will keep you healthy for decades
Decrease risk of chronic diseases
Fatty foods are good
Rating the Diets, 1974, 249
Criticisms
Ketosis is the overabundance of ketones which are the by-product of
burnt up fat cells. With a lack of carbs, the body is burning more fat
leaving more ketones in the blood. To be removed, these must go
through the liver and kidneys so high amounts will cause damage to
these organs.
Should it really be called stabilizing, if there is not much to
stabilize?
What does liberal mean? Especially in terms of calories
eg 10 g of meat vs. 10 g of lettuce
Diets high in fat cause diarrhea which causes loss of water as well as
nutrients (vitamins and minerals) which lead to health problems.
Fatigue and depression have resulted over long periods of time, in
order to prevent this from happening carbohydrates need to be
ingested.
Fats and foods high in cholesterol (larger amounts) are harmful to
heart causing heart and heart diseases which are chronic diseases.
Conclusion
References
Atkin’s Nutritionals: Why Atkins Works
http://atkins.com
 Theodore Berland, Rating the Diets, 1974,
Illinois, Rand McNally and Company
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