ATKINS DIET
Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution is the formal name for the diet credited to Dr. Robert Atkins, a founding father of the low-carb revolution. The diet requirements restrict carbohydrates and emphasize moderate amounts of protein and fat. Be prepared for a lifetime of limited carbohydrate consumption and willingness to eliminate most carbs from regular diet on a daily basis. To assist the dieter with their low-carb cause, Atkins produces an entire line of supplements and food products, and even incorporates baking powders, pancake mix and enhancement bars
Foods Emphasized: Red meat, chicken, fish, regular cheese, mayonnaise, butter, olive oil, and eggs
Foods Restricted: Carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, pasta and most breads
Premise and Guidelines: Atkins Diet gained tremendous popularity due to both its strict adherence to low-carb consumption and to its effectiveness in personal weight loss. The guideline recommends that the dieter’s food plan eliminate many carbohydrates from daily consumption and replace those carbs with high amounts of proteins and ‘good’ fats. Typically, many ‘diet’ foods actually have high sugar and carbohydrate content that is used as filler to create a low-fat or lighter version of a popular food product. Atkins advises to cut these foods out and replace them with proteins and fats.
The Atkins weight loss diet operates on the theory that restricting carbohydrates forces the body to use other fuel sources. Glucose is the primary source of energy used by the body for fuel. Fat is typically the back-up source, and is harder to use than glucose. Atkins Diet asserts that if the body does not intake as many carbohydrates, it will begin to burn the stored fat more efficiently, causing weight loss. This stage of burning fat stores is called ketosis, and the dieter should begin to feel less hungry and experience less sugar and carbohydrate cravings.
The first two weeks of the Atkins diet, the Induction Phase, requires that the dieter restrict carbohydrates to 20 grams or less each day. Fats and proteins of all kinds are acceptable and dieters do not get a restriction on how much one can intake daily. Post-induction phase, the maintenance phase begins. The maintenance phase must be adhered to consistently throughout life to continue the fat-burning and weight loss, if needed. This phase allows for maximum carbohydrate intake of 90 grams and the existing limitations for high-glycemic carbs such as bread, rice and pasta should be enforced.
The popularity of this type of low-carb diet had an extreme impact on promotion and consumption of high-carbohydrate foods such as potatoes and pasta. The regimen is difficult to follow since these carbohydrates present themselves in many food selections and restaurants, and the trend has become more balanced in regards to carbohydrate consumption. Historically, diet trends do fluctuate between low-carb and low-fat, and while the Atkins Diet craze seems to have slowed, it is likely that this diet or a revised version of it will regain popularity again in the future.