Diet and the Atkins Nutritional Approach.

Diets

Atkins

he Atkins Nutritional Approach, popularly known as the Atkins Diet or just Atkins, is the most marketed and well-known low-carbohydrate diet. It was adapted by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s from a diet he read in the Journal of the American Medical Association and utilized to resolve his own overweight condition following medical school and graduate medical training. After successfully treating over ten thousand patients, he popularized the Atkins diet in a series of books, starting with Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution in 1972.

The Atkins Diet represents a departure from prevailing theories. Atkins claimed there are two main unrecognized factors about Western eating habits, arguing firstly that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups; and secondly, that saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem, and that only trans fats from sources such as hydrogenated oils need to be avoided. Consequently, Dr. Atkins rejected the advice of the food pyramid, instead asserting that the tremendous increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century, and that the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem by increasing the proportion of insulin-inducing foods in the diet. While most of the emphasis in Atkins is on the diet, nutritional supplements and exercise are considered equally important elements.

Atkins involves the restriction of carbohydrates in order to switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose to burning stored body fat. This process (called lipolysis) begins when the body enters the state of ketosis as a consequence of running out of excess carbohydrates to burn. Dr. Atkins in his book New Diet Revolution claimed that the low-carb diet produces a "metabolic advantage" where the body burns more calories, overall, than on normal diets, and also expels some unused calories. He cited one study where he estimated this advantage to be 950 calories (4.0 MJ) a day.

Atkins restricts "net carbs", ...

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Atkins restricts "net carbs", or carbs that have an effect on blood sugar. Net carbohydrates can be calculated from a food source by subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber (which are shown to have a negligible effect on blood sugar levels) from total carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols need to be treated with caution, because while they may be slower to convert to glucose, they can be a significant source of glycemic load and can stall weight loss. Fructose (eg, as found in many industrial sweeteners) also contributes to caloric intake, though outside of the glucose-insulin control loop.

Preferred foods in all categories are whole, unprocessed foods with a low glycemic load. Atkins Nutritionals, the company responsible for marketing the Atkins Diet, recommends that no more than 20% of calories eaten while on the diet come from saturated fat.

According to his book Atkins Diabetes Revolution, for people whose blood sugar is abnormally high or who have type-2 diabetes, this diet decreases or eliminates the need for drugs to treat these conditions. The Atkins Blood Sugar Control Program (ABSCP) is an individualized approach to weight control and permanent management of the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Montignac

Food combining has been a popular way of controlling weight, of which Montignac is just one version. The theory is that by eating foods in a particular order you can maximise your digestive capability and avoid the blood sugar swings that lead to weight gain.Carbs are not banned, but eaten separately to proteins. So a meal might consist of meat and salad, or whoelgrain pasta and salad, but not of pasta and meat together. This means that you can give in to carb cravings in a controlled way by eating them at some meals. What is important, however, is the quality of the carbs (hence the wholegrain pasta rather than white pasta). But as fats are more-or-less banned with a carbohydrate meal this means that you need to employ low-fat cooking methods and find flavour from elsewhere. No processed foods or sugar are allowed. You are encouraged to eat lots of vegetables. Fruits are eaten separately to other foods.

There are two phases to the plan. The weight loss stage and the maintenance phase. This makes sense as many dieters lose the weight and then don't know how to keep it off. The quality of food is emphasised and on the maintenance phase, foods like red wine and dark chocolate are allowed.

pros

The great advantage of the Montignac diet is that it was designed by a Frenchman who loves his food, and this means that for those with a 'foodie' bent have lots of very do-able recipes to follow so you don't feel deprived.

It is not as difficult to follow as some other food combining plans as it is all laid out for you. Once you get a grip on the basic rules it is not too hard to follow.

cons

You have to learn the rules and how to adapt them to your lifestyle

It works a bit better for someone who is willing to cook - it dosen't suit convenience food junkies particularly

Because fruits are eaten separately to other foods there is a risk they can be forgotten which reduces antioxidant intakes.

duration

Indefinite