What Is Wrong with the Atkins Diet?
Noel Peterson, N.D.
When people ask me if the Atkins diet is a good way to lose weight, my answer is “Yes, and No”. You will lose weight following the Atkins plan, but the cost to your health will be dear. Why? The high saturated fat levels in the Atkins plan are the very fats that cause heart disease, the number one killer of Americans. And to make matters worse, the diet is drastically low in carbohydrates, the only sources of the very phytonutrients that protect your body from heart disease and cancer. So if loosing weight and causing heart disease in the process is your idea of a good diet plan, then Atkins is for you. If not, then read on.
First, all carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are not created equal. Some do cause weight gain at a higher rate than others, and some contain substantially higher beneficial phytonutrients and beneficial fatty acids. Which carbohydrates, fats, and proteins you eat can determine your health outcome.
According to Atkins, carbohydrates are the enemy, while fat and protein are your friends. But the truth is that most carbohydrates are good, and essential for health, while the most common fats and proteins consumed in America can cause heart disease. To understand this, we need to look at how the extreme low carb diet works, and what you can do to modify it so that your health improves rather than deteriorates.
With carbohydrates, the difference lies within the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a relative measurement of the amount of insulin released in response to different foods. All foods cause insulin to be secreted by your pancreas, but high glycemic index foods like flour, potatoes and sugar cause large amounts of insulin to be produced. In a susceptible individual, this can turn on the fat storing alpha receptors on fat cells, and turn off the fat burning beta receptors. The result is increased fat storage.
Susceptible people include those who have yo-yo dieted or have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, and as a result have insulin resistance (a condition that is thought to be an early occult stage of diabetes). In these people, eating high glycemic index foods leads to increasing insulin production, increasing fat stores, and increasing resistance to weight loss. In contrast, low glycemic index carbohydrate foods like whole fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds are rich sources of phytonutrients. They stimulate small amounts of insulin to be secreted, and can gradually turn down fat storing receptors, turn up the fat burning receptors, and reverse insulin resistance.
Atkins recommends eggs and bacon for breakfast. Just one look at the hardened grease left in your frying pan should tell you what your blood vessels think of his diet. In contrast, choosing fats from cold water fish, walnuts, fresh ground flax seeds, and sardines that contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA will build your health. These fats are essential for healthy blood vessels, heart and brain function.
Monosaturated fats from extra virgin olive oil and avocados actually lower your blood fats and are rich in blood vessel cleaning antioxidants. Chickens fed diets high in omega-3 containing foods like chlorella and blue green algae produce eggs rich in omega-3 fats and are now available in all supermarkets. If you want healthy cells, then eat healthy foods.
What is a healthy, balanced weight loss diet? Certainly not the Atkins diet. What I recommend is a modified Zone diet, as outlined by Barry Sears, Ph.D.., in his book Mastering the Zone. It is 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrate. I recommend you modify his diet by choosing a minimum of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily with unlimited low glycemic index vegetables like greens and cabbage family vegetables, tomato, kale, and lots of herb spices. Choose healthy fats and protein sources, including fish, free range chicken, raw nuts and seeds, olive oil, ground flax seeds, and goat or sheep feta cheeses. I also suggest that you choose the darkly pigmented fruits, including blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, watermelon, grapes, and cherries. After all, you are what you eat.