Transcript Atkins Diet
Are Fad Diets Healthy? Atkins Diet What Is The Atkins Diet? • The Atkins Diet promotes itself as a long-term eating plan for weight loss and maintenance that highlights eating lean protein and low-starch vegetables. In this diet plan, simple carbohydrates such as flour and sugar are highly restricted or eliminated altogether. Dramatic change of eating habits is the asset of the Atkins Diet. • In other words, the Atkins Diet is a high-protein, high-fat, and lowcarbohydrate diet. When Did It Start? • According to the Mayo Clinic, the diet plan was established since 1972, when cardiologist Robert C. Atkins created it. Dr. Atkins claimed that dietary fat is not the reason people getting fat, but the carbohydrates are to blame. By eliminating carbs, dieters can drop significant amounts of weight without giving up the foods they love. Why Is It Good? • Many researchers found that carbohydrates cause a spike in blood sugar levels. This causes the body to store fat. By notably reducing carbohydrate consumption, the Atkins Diet reportedly burns stored fat and restricts blood sugar levels. 4 Major Phases 1. Carbohydrates are limited to 20 grams per day. This is where the most dramatic weight loss 2. 3. 4. occurs. Carbohydrate intake is slightly increased. Here dieters can add back certain vegetables, berries, nuts, and seeds, slightly increasing carb intake without stopping weight loss. This is the longest stage of the diet, and you stay here until you are about 10 pounds from your weight loss goal. Called “pre-maintenance,” this stage allows you to add 10 grams of carbohydrates to your diet each week, including starchy vegetables and some whole grains. If weight loss stops, you cut carbs again, just enough to maintain a steady weight loss until you reach your goal. This is a lifetime maintenance stage with a target carb intake of 45 to 100 grams per day. Quick & Easy • People reportedly say that the diet is simple, easy, and efficient. With only a few phases, anyone can achieve their ideal weight without depriving food from their body. Cons • Unfortunately, there are some downsides of this diet. While reducing people’s desire of high fat foods is good, a low-carbohydrate diet may be difficult for people to stick to on a long-term basis. With so many restricted foods, the diet plan can quickly get boring. Moreover, in some cases the Atkins Diet can also cause undesired side effects. Side Effects 1. Bad breath (as in smelly, unpleasant) due to a condition called ketosis. 2. Insomnia 3. Dizziness 4. Constipation (due to lack of fiber) 5. Feeling lethargic • For a few people, these side effects may be tolerable, but the side effects may become more irritating, frustrating, and disturbing as the diet continues. Beneficial? • Many people consume carbohydrates in the form of convenience foods, fast foods, and sugars. These sources of carbohydrates needs to be restricted. However, according to accepted standards, all phases of Atkins diet are still too low in carbohydrates to be healthy, since the carbohydrates are necessary in the diet for energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Furthermore, one should beware of the bounce back; many people reportedly claimed that they gained much weight after abandoning their eating habits. Healthy For Teens? • Throughout many studies, researchers found that the low-carb diet, aka Atkins Diet, is in fact better than low-fat diet. In one of the studies, the researchers concluded that a low-carb diet appears to be an effective method for shortterm weight loss in overweight adolescents. With some phases to follow for several weeks, adolescents can experience a significant weight loss easier than other diets. The health professionals, however, claimed that the low-carb diet might let you to achieve your goal, but it may be hard for teens to follow and they may simply regain the weight back they lost once they abandon the diet. Some experts are also concerned about the long term health effects that a high-protein/low-carb diet could have on a child’s heart and kidneys. Conclusion • I don’t think that this diet is healthy for teens simply because it is very unlikely that they maintain the eating habit for the rest of their lives and because of its downsides. Although they might experience a short term weight loss, it is very likely that they will regain whatever they have lost during the diet. Moreover, eating healthy foods with a strict diet may set you with a good start with the weight losing process; however, this diet is very difficult to follow as a teenager without the guidance of others. I highly recommend to eat healthy and exercise a lot.