The Atkins Diet - Good or Bad?
First let me say that you should all read the entire book Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution
A quick check to see if you are at risk of adult diabetes will require a tape measure. Simply measure your waist and hips if a man has a waist bigger than his hips he is at risk. If a woman has a waist that is more than 80% of the hip size she is at risk. If you are finding yourself at risk than you will probably get favorable results from the Atkins diet.
Before I can tell you much about how the diet works I need to tell you how the body works.
If you review our articles on the digestive tract (Digestion-Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3 )you will learn that the pancreas produces insulin for the breakdown of carbohydrates. If you are eating more than the body can use, the excess carbs are stored (That is assuming that they are even digested.) Some get stored in the liver, other stored in the fats cells. It is the digesting of all these carbohydrates that stresses the pancreas causing it to become hyperactive followed by exhaustion and under activity. The more under-active it becomes, the more toxic the body becomes with undigested food. The more undigested food there is in the colon, the more the yeast must consume in an effort to keep the blood stream clean. This over fed yeast produces waste that the body is probably too stressed to deal with. All sorts of immune system problems follow. I am sure you have all heard me say that you must clean up the diet before you worry about specific concerns within the body. Well, that my friend, is exactly what the Atkins Diet does.
In the first 2 weeks the carbohydrates are limited to 20-30 grams DAILY. In case you wonder how much that is, a bagel has 56 grams. The diet counts the carbs in vegetables as well as pure starches. Up till now I don’t have too much trouble with the diet. I can even understand why the diet calls out for all the protein that it does. This is because 57% of protein that is eaten is stored as glycogen for energy at a later time. Because of the low carbohydrates in the diet the pancreas is allowed to rest. Because the body then cleans out the stored carbs in the first 2 days of the diet the person feels great. The dieters have new found energy because protein is a stimulant. The weight practically falls off and all is well, for now.
It doesn’t take long for the body to deplete the stores of nutrients that were available in a balanced diet. (There is an entire chapter in the book about supplements you need to take due to the depletion the diet will cause.)
Even that is not my biggest concern. After having several clients come to me after only 2 months on the Atkins diet, I have seen a pattern of that I think is worthy of sharing:
- I am seeing joint inflammation. This is easily explained in that the fats are not balanced when you eat that quantity of meat. Omega 3 fats should be increased to reduce inflammation. I see clients needing large quantities of EPA fats. (I can hardly keep Omega-3 EPA on the shelves) It is the EPA fats that the body needs to reduce this type of inflammation.
- The body cannot keep up with the amount of protease that is needed to digest all of the animal protein this diet provides. So supplementing protease is a must to keep the pH balanced in the body. (I recommend Enzyme Solutions #28 ).
- The liver can become stressed from all the fats. It is not a given that it will lower the cholesterol. In fact for many it raises it out of control. (I recommend Milk Thistle and Danelion for most clients)
- Constipation is huge. Remember it is the mucilaginous properties of whole grains that provide bulk and lubrication for the bowel. (A good fiber supplement along with increasing water consumption can be very helpful.)
- Kidneys often become weak from the work of removing the excess nitrogen from the blood stream form all this protein. (Kidney Activator from NSP may be helpful.)
- Hormone levels are out of balance due to the excess xeno-estrogens in the meat and dairy fats. The only way to avoid this is to be sure every animal product you eat is certified organic.
After reading the book you will see that you monitor your weight daily post diet, and set limits as to what weight will be the max that you may achieve before restarting the diet.
This does not appear to be a healthy lifestyle change, in fact without proper supplementation it simply seems like a new yo-yo diet.
The biggest benefit that I see with this plan is its ability to control the insulin levels in the body. Adult diabetes has become epidemic today. You should realize however that simply reducing starches, especially refined starches like white flour and sugar will also help hyperinsulinemia.
For long term weight management I still believe that we should look to the foods you crave and add the enzymes that will help you digest them thus eliminating those cravings. We also need to learn to eat intuitively by filling a food desire with a healthy version of the foods that sounds good. For instance instead of fulfilling a fat craving with a burger and greasy fries let’s think about adding healthy cold pressed oil dressing on you salad. The body really does talk to you. When you crave chocolate, I suspect that you body is asking for magnesium rich food. Even though chocolate is high in magnesium it would be healthier to eat some dark green leafy vegetables to fill that need.
I fully believe that we need to eat all categories in moderation and digest what we eat. We need to exercise regularly and be happy. Many times weight gain is an emotional response that needs attention, but let’s address that in another article.
