Atkins Fans Claim False Victory

Last week the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that caused low-carb diet fans to raise their arms in victory. However, a closer look at the study should put a damper on their festivities.

The study followed about 82,000 nurses over a 20-year period and looked at rates of heart disease amongst those that ate either a low-carb/high protein or a high-carb diet. The conclusions were that the rates of heart disease did not differ between the two groups. This led to all kinds of media claims that high protein, Atkins-like diets were good for the heart.
The Real Conclusions

Well, there are several problems here. The first and most blatant one is that a finding of ‘equal risk' for the high protein diet is certainly not the same as the claim that it is ‘heart healthy'. This is just over-hyping the findings.

The second major problem is that the study did not separate out good carbs from bad carbs in the group comparisons. So, nurses that ate a lot of white breads and cakes would be put in the same group as those that ate high fiber, whole grain carbohydrate sources. This is a major confound that cannot be overlooked. I have talked about the glycemic index in previous articles and putting low and high glycemic carbohydrates into the same category is sure to have a dramatic impact on the study's conclusions.

The Glycemic Index links to risk for Heart Disease

To revisit the glycemic index briefly, it is essentially a measure at how fast a food burns and increases your blood sugar. High glycemic foods that contain a lot of simple sugars or highly refined flours (white breads, white potatoes, sugary cereals, etc.) spike your blood sugar very fast. Atkins dieters are doing the right thing to avoid these. However, low glycemic foods that lack simple sugars and contain complex carbohydrates and high fiber (whole grain breads, fruits and vegetables, etc.) increase blood sugar very slowly. These should not be lumped into the same category as their high glycemic counterparts.

Another problem with many of the media reports is that they ignored a couple other findings within the study. First, although the study did not separate out high and low glycemic carbs for the point of the group analysis, it did associate overall glycemic index with heart disease risk for subjects overall. They found a strong correlation between the glycemic index of a subject's diet and their risk for heart disease. This supports the notion that low glycemic, fiber-rich carbohydrates are good for your heart. Second, the authors also found that people on a high protein diet who ate mostly vegetable sources of protein also had a reduced risk of heart disease. Vegetable protein is not accompanied by the saturated fats found in animal sources of protein. Again – points conveniently ignored by Atkins fans, given their advice of minimizing fiber-rich carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

The Good, the Bad and the Unwilling

The bottom line is that Dr. Atkins did a great thing by waking up the world to the dangers of high glycemic carbohydrates. However, we now understand that a carbohydrate is not a carbohydrate – there are good ones and bad ones. We also now know that fat is not fat - there are good fats and bad fats. And the source of protein you choose largely dictates which type of fat you are mostly getting. Atkins supporters would do well to acknowledge these recent understandings and moderate their high animal protein intake.

It all comes back to listening to your common sense. Don't buy into fad diets that go against a millennia of common sense. I had a problem with the Atkins diet from day 1 because it just didn't make sense to me to limit fiber, fruits and vegetables. Yes, people have lost weight on this diet but it is not a long-term healthy solution. It's unfortunate that this recent scientific report was over-interpreted and exploited to re-push the Atkins agenda.

Copyright (c) 2006 The Brain Code LLC

Are you feeding your kids dreams or disaster? Learn how to guarantee your child achieves their mental and physical potential. Dr. Simon Evans is a Brain Research Scientist and a Youth Sports Coach. Visit his Website at http://www.thebraincode.com/

Fat Smash Diet

The Staying Power of the Atkins Diet

I have always wanted to get fitter and lose weight and I have tried lots of different weight loss programs. No matter what I did or what kind of products I bought, nothing seemed to be effective. Actually I have spent a small fortune on a large variety of weight loss products. Unfortunately, most of them were ineffective, while others worked only for few months. Let me be completely honest with you, there is nothing worse than giving my hopes up when I hear about the latest diet and a couple of months later see no change when I step on a scale.
I had almost given up any hope when the Atkins diet came out several years ago. I didn't really expect it to help me lose weight as I was afraid of experiencing another disappointment. I was considering not trying it because I thought it was just one of the many diet fads that would blow over in a few months. I wanted to save myself the heartache and some money, too. So, I decided to wait it out.

I was really surprised a couple of months later when the Atkins diet didn't go away. On the contrary, it got bigger and bigger. Every time I turned on my TV or radio I was hearing about people who had lost weight keeping the Atkins diet. I waited for some time before I changed my mind and decided to give the Atkins diet a try.

To be honest, it was very difficult at the beginning. The Atkins diet requires that people who keep it should limit their carbohydrate intake which meant not eating foods as bread, pasta, potatoes. I loved all these kinds of food, so it was quite tough on me. However, I wanted to give my best try, so I didn't hesitate to keep the diet plan precisely. With time I started to lose some weight. Of course, I expected to see it coming back on in a couple of months but it did not. I spent a year following the Atkins diet and I finally managed to achieve my weight loss goal for the first time in my life.

I should admit that what really helped me keep the Atkins diet was my decision to look for outside assistance. I chose to register with a meal service that catered to participants on the Atkins diet. What was really great about it was that I could pick different meals from a large menu and have them delivered to my office or home. This was it was much easier for me to keep ye weight loss plan as I didn't have to prepare my own meals.

In case you are considering giving the Atkins diet a shot it would be best if you learn everything about it and consult your doctor to make sure this diet is good for you. If you have already made up your mind to start the Atkins diet, then I would recommend you to sign up with a food delivery service. It is best if you have a few meals delivered to you at least several times a week if not every day. The Atkins diet really makes a difference and you can fully rely on the weight loss plan to finally stop struggling with obesity.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning weight loss. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Atkins Diet

Fat Smash Diet

Atkins Diet - Does It Work

We have all heard about the Atkins Diet. The plan basically calls for you to reduce your intake of carbohydrates. What this means is your intake is basically protein. The workings of the plan is - your body first burns carbohydrates, when it can not find any then it burns fat using stored fat to provide the protein energy.

In the Atkins Diet you have to be sure to drink a lot of water because your kidneys have a difficult time flushing all the burned fat out of your system. It uses a lot of water in this process. So if you do not drink water you can become dehydrated.

So what happens is that when you eliminate carbohydrates in your system your body looks to protein to burn to provide energy. And in the process use lots of fat. This causes you to lose weight and lose it fast.

I have seen many people that have tried the Atkins Diet and lose weight fast. But they also have to be careful not to completely eliminate carbohydrates. So it calls for balancing your diet as you proceed. The Atkins Diet plan actually has a menu suggestions and if you follow the plan it will work for you. After all the basic plan to lose weight is burn more calories then you take in. Can you imagine what this would do with just a little exercise?

The biggest problem, as with any diet plan, is that of discipline. Most people have a problem making a long term lifestyle change. The urge for sweets and breads soon drives people back to their old eating habits and when they go back to eating carbohydrates they gain the weight back.

Unfortunately, I have seen many people very excited about the weight they lost with the Atkins Diet. They look trim and healthy and you can tell they feel good about themselves. But soon you see them start gaining weight again. They could not resist the urge for sweets and breads and other foods rich in carbohydrates. So if you do not have that strong will to stick with this program what do you do?

Well there are other programs out there that are not as drastic as the Atkins Diet and where you lose weight at a slower pace. Many of this programs have different plans. Some require you measure calories, but to do this you have to look at portions and eat less, and only eat certain kinds of foods. But let's face it they too require a change in lifestyle.

It is difficult with all those hunger urgings to stay on the Atkins Diet or any other diet. We love to eat and have been condition, and in some cases addicted to certain foods. Maybe the best solution is some of the diet supplements that reduce those cravings. But here to you have to be careful because of all the scams out there in the diet supplement arena.

Al Villa is a retired Judge and internet entrepreneur. He loves to write articles and you can use them as free content provded you include the whole article and this resource box with this hot link: Lose Weight Fast

Fat Smash Diet

Atkins Diet - A Straight-up Review

My husband and I went on the atkins diet several years ago. This is the first time my husband has done any dieting. I on the other hand have tried every diet know to mankind. Of course he dropped 10 pounds the first week, and could not understand why I am always saying that weight loss is difficult. I did lose 6 pounds the first week so I had to agree that the diet was working.

The first two weeks were difficult to get used to eating only low carbohydrate foods. Once we got past that two week mark we found that it was an easy diet for us to follow. On the atkins diet you eat mostly protein. My husband has always been a big meat eater so that part was easy. It was more difficult for him to give up the potatoes and bread that he ate along with his meat. We needed to find alternative foods that were allowed on the atkins diet.

I bought the atkins diet book which not only outlines the diet but also has recipes. It is amazing how you can eat a lot of food on the atkins diet and still lose weight. The main challenge is getting some variety into your meals. When we first started the atkins diet the dinner meal was very easy to prepare. We would have some type of protein, fish, animal protein, chicken or beef and a large leafy salad with bleu cheese dressing. This was not that different than what we ate before it was just minus the potato and bread.

After a few weeks the lack of variety started to bore us. We were both losing weight, so that helped keep us motivated, but we were getting tired of the same meal each night. Then I discovered some of the recipes in the back of the atkins diet book. Our favorite is mashed cauliflower. It is the same texture as mashed potatoes. The atkins diet book also had a recipe for a salad that has all the same ingredients as potato salad, minus the potatoes. You substitute cooked cauliflower. I was doubtful at first, but it tastes wonderful.

Over the years we have added carbohydrates back into out diet. Initially we both gained some of the weight back, but now we have found the right balance for each of us. Long term with very low carbohydrates did not fit our life style, or taste buds, but the atkins diet was an effective way for us to take off pounds.

John Wellington provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles on fitness, health and other related information.

Fat Smash Diet

Vitamin Supplement for the Atkins Diet

Do you believe that an effective diet would purposefully keep us from eating foods rich in the nutrients and vitamins? NO!!! Although Dr.Atkins promoted his diet, he promoted vitamin supplement for the Atkins diet also.

At present we are in a position to brand vitamin supplement for the Atkins diet to replace those very nutrients. Chemical analysis of Atkins diet confirms that daily values for some of the vitamins and minerals are not up to the mark. But some of the daily values are even 400% in the Atkins diet. For example, Atkins diets analysis during induction period provides 37% of calcium but with 86% of the iron during the same period.

Once you include vitamin supplement for the Atkins diet, the lacunae have been filled up correctly. You ought to consume one of those delicious Atkins bars to fulfill your daily requirements of calcium, as the calcium is not present in the tablets also.

It is really amazing to note that you would be getting over 400% of the daily values for vitaminC during maintanence stage of the diet, but only 33% during the induction period. To whom we would blame for this deficit? Hence vitamin supplement for Atkins diet satisfies this needs.
It is really difficult to prepare a list of normal foods to be included in our diet to get enough RDA of minerals and vitamins for public use. Do you think eating a balanced diet is eyewash? You may ask -Why do we have to go to such ill-advised extremes? It is really doubtful about a diet which bears that it includes necessary vitamin and mineral supplements. More over it is not advisable to ask our people not to take the diet that holds the minerals and vitamins they need and also ask them to procure vitamin supplements for the Atkins diet separately.

If you have chosen these diets for your life style, then you need to include a vitamin supplement for the Akins diet. Still, I am willing to bet that you aren’t receiving all the minerals and vitamins you need on a daily basis. For example, protein and cholesterol are far too much to present in the Atkins diet. Balanced diet is the real key for any diet. As bottom line, we can conclude that unless your medical condition forces to prevent the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, you’re not likely to need supplements. Hence please consult your physicians before taking a vitamin supplement for the Atkins Diet or any other diet.

If you'd like more information on dieting, supplements and nutrition visit our website at Nutrition Tips.

Vitamin Supplement for the Atkins Diet

Atkins Supplements And Low Carb Vitamins

Vitamins and supplements are recommended as an integral part of the Atkins diet due to the severe restriction of nutrients found in regular carbohydrates like fruit and vegetables. Atkins recommends about 30 different supplements, and even has a chapter dedicated to why they are so important in his diet.

This is a cause for concern, and the reality is that without these supplements, malnutrition would be a big problem. Fruit and vegetables are an important source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, as well as crucial phytonutrients and antioxidants, including lycopene, carotenoids, phytic acid, bioflavanoids, and others. Fiber is important in preventing heart disease, diabetes, and constipation. Phytonutrients have a range of benefits that include a cancer-protective effect, an anti-aging effect, and other specific health benefits.

Whilst it is possible to get vitamins and minerals in a bottle, the enzymes (that help with digestion), and these other phytochemicals, are not so easily represented. Supplements are also a poor source of fiber. To get any significant amount of these from supplements is going to be an expensive option, and there is always the risk that the broad spectrum is not well represented.
There are some negative consequences of the Atkins diet that can affect the level of certain vitamins and minerals in the body - even if we are still losing weight. So, whilst it may seem like the short term goal (weight loss) is being met, there may be a health cost that becomes more apparent over time.

For example, a diet with high amounts of calcium and cheese, such as is encouraged by the Atkins diet, will result in a loss of calcium in the urine. This calcium is taken from our store of it in our bones. The acidity in meat and cheese upsets our internal pH balance, which then causes our body to remove calcium from the deposits in our bones in an effort to rebalance it.

This is borne out in the Harvard Nurse's study, where those nurses that ate more animal protein had significantly increased risks of fracturing their forearms. Other studies have shown a link between meat consumption and hip fracture. And a rather interesting study from 2002 by researchers at the University of Chicago and Texas found that after two weeks on the Atkins diet, people were losing 258 mg of calcium a day, in their urine. This loss of calcium in the urine in such quantities can lead to kidney stones forming. To make matters worse, the Atkins diet is deficient in calcium anyway - even with most of the recommended supplements.
This makes it particularly dangerous for long term usage, especially if you are in a risk group for osteoporosis.

There are other risks of the Atkins diet, but it is definitely not something to be undertaken without all of the supplements. Whether the increased cost of these supplements makes it worthwhile - or sufficiently mitigates the risks - is another question.

References: Atkins Exposed (website)
To learn about some low carb food vitamin sources, click here. Other information on the Atkins diet, low carb, and vitamins, can be found here.

Atkins Supplements And Low Carb Vitamins


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