The Atkin's Diet

Summary: Atkin's allows unlimited protein and oils but no starches or sugars. Many prefer The Zone Diet instead, with its moderate levels of protein, fats, and carbs.

The Atkin's Diet allows few carbs to be consumed but unlimited proteins, fats, and oils (including cheese, butter, and eggs) can be eaten. Atkin's is a faster way to lose weight and improve serum cholesterol levels than the Zone. I have seen someone do Atkin's diet strictly and drop one hundred points in bad serum cholesterol in one month, while dropping serum triglycerides and increasing good cholesterol levels a great deal. But, one should only do Atkin's if committed to eating a lot of non-starchy vegetables to provide fiber, drinking plenty of water (see The Water Cure), and taking digestive enzymes if needed, to prevent possible ill effects on the digestive tract. This is not usually a factor since the diet, like any carb limited one, greatly improves the function of the liver which improves digestion., but may be necessary for some.

Another factor to consider is one's blood type before starting an Atkin's diet. Blood type A's should probably not follow this diet since they tend to be healthier when tending more towards a vegetarian diet. Blood type O's can do well on this diet, though, if committed to eating plenty of vegetables. As a side note, blood type O's do not usually do well on a vegetarian diet. See Eat Right 4 Your Type for more information.

The main problem with following an Atkin's diet as outlined in the official Atkin's Diet website is their recommendations of the processed foods they manufacture under their Advantage line. It appears they have no regard to health issues such as avoiding artificial sweeteners (including aspartame), hydrogenated oils, soy products, petrochemicals, and other ingredients that most complementary health proponents recommend against. There are safe complementarys to these ingredients - stevia, vegetable glycerin, fractionated vegetable oils, whey and other non-soy proteins, etc, but like most manufacturers of these types of "health" foods, they appear to have no regard for health.

Links

http://www.atkins.com/ is the official website for Atkin's diet information and products.

Low Carb Recipes.com has many links to low and reduced carb diets.