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An Overview of the Atkins Diet

From all the diet plans created till date, only a few have enjoyed the kind of popularity that the Atkins Diet has. According to Dr. Robert Atkins, who formulated this diet plan, carbohydrates are the major reason for obesity among people. This low carb diet lets people to eat food rich in proteins and fats. This means that you won’t have to give up meat or eggs or even butter or cheese. But you do have to give up white flour, white rice, refined sugar and milk. Since you are having a fat rich diet you tend to feel less hungry and thus, you eat less too.
How does it work?
The human body burns both carbohydrates and fats for its energy needs. But it burns carbohydrates ahead of fats. Since the Atkins diet restricts the intake of carbohydrates drastically there aren’t enough carbs available for consumption. So the body has to burn fats instead, a procedure known as Ketosis. Thus your body, which is otherwise a glucose or carbohydrate burning unit, becomes a fat or ketone burning unit. And so you lose those extra weight.
This is what happens otherwise when you have a diet rich in carbohydrates: the high carb level leads to an increase in sugar levels in the body and as an automatic response the body releases a hormone known as insulin, which has the characteristic function of lowering the glucose level in the blood. Insulin does so by storing this sugar in liver and muscles as a compound called glycogen. But once the muscles and liver are filled to their capacity the glycogen gets stored as tissues of fat in the body.
What All Can You Eat?
• During the first couple of weeks the carb consumption is almost as low as 20gm per day, most of which comes in the form of green vegetables.
• Large quantities of cheese, butter, meat, eggs, and fish make up a part of daily diet. Large amount of water should be taken.
• Alcohol and fruits should not be consumed at all during the first couple of weeks. This is the phase when the move from carbohydrate burning to fat burning mechanism is established. Thus, the most fat loss is seen during this phase.
• After two weeks the carb consumption is increased gradually by about 5gms per week. Fruits, more vegetables and whole grain foods are added to the dieting plan and alcohol consumption is also allowed.
• Refined sugar, milk, white flour, white rice, pasta and potatoes are completely out of bounds throughout the entire diet.
• External multivitamin suppments are also recommended.
• Physical exercise also plays a central role in the course of the diet.
Does it really work?
The Atkins diet does work, not without some side effects, however (which shall be discussed later). Research has shown that the Atkins helps lose more weight than other diets but only for a short period i.e. about six months. Its long-term viability is still doubtful.
Side Effects
As mentioned earlier, Atkins does have its flip side. The possible side effects include:
• A diet low in carbohydrate makes you more prone to heart diseases and heart attacks.
• Excess protein can create health problems for people suffering from kidney ailments.
• The body’s normal carbohydrate requirement is about 150gm per day. But under this diet plan the daily intake is just about 20gms. This might hinder normal metabolism operation. Also, the brain primarily needs glucose i.e. carbohydrate sugar for its normal functioning. Fats and proteins need a longer time and more energy for their breakdown.
• Other probable side effects include mild diarrhoea, weaker bones and muscles, breath odour and cramps.
• The Atkins diet restricts the intake of fruits and vegetables, which are otherwise deemed healthy for the body.
The Atkins Diet still remains controversial within experts’ groups. Though the positive results can’t be refuted, its viability and safety in the long run still remain unclear.