health & lifestyle any extra sugar to fat -- the stuff we're trying so hard to get rid of.
Dr. Nadia Hussain
MBBS, MSc Str.M.Bio (UK), PhD (c)
Dr. Nadia is a physician pursuing her PhD in Physiology from UAE University. She is the Chief Editor for Capsule (UAEU), author of Fragments of my Time (Minwa Press) and an award winning poet.
ATKINS Diet Review
O
ne of the all time famous, yet controversial diets known around the globe is the Atkins Diet. It promises to not only reduce weight without hunger in a lowcarbohydrate diet, but also improve cardio health and memory function among other wellness benefits.
Drastically restricting carbohydrates to a mere fraction of that found in the typical diet causes the body to go into a state of ketosis, which means it burns its own fat for fuel. A person in ketosis is getting energy from ketones; little carbon fragments that are the fuel created by the breakdown of fat stores. When the body is in ketosis, you tend to feel less hungry, and thus you're likely to eat less than you might otherwise. As a result, your body changes from a carbohydrate-burning engine into a fat-burning engine. So instead of relying on the carbohydraterich items you might typically consume for energy, and leaving your fat stores just where they were before, your fat stores become a primary energy source. The purported result: weight loss. In slightly more detail, consider what happens when you eat a highcarbohydrate meal. Sugar from the carbohydrate quickly enters the bloodstream. To keep the blood sugar from rising too high, the body secretes insulin. Insulin allows the extra sugar to be stored in the liver and muscle as glycogen, but these stores are rapidly filled to capacity. The insulin then converts
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The Source
According to the Atkins theory, if the body keeps on making "too much" insulin, as it tries to deal with the "excess" sugar, it may become less responsive to insulin and eventually may develop the metabolic disorder diabetes. The Atkins theory states that this should properly be called "unstable blood sugar" since the blood sugar level rises and then drops quickly. For most people, the carb consumption must be no more than 40 grams a day for this biochemical mechanism to occur. Although exercise isn't stressed, the Atkins theory holds that some people will need to add physical activity for ketosis to kick in. People are urged to supplement with vitamins, since they won't be getting them from sources such as vegetables and fruits. The plan allows you to eat foods that many dieters have only dreamed about. The diet is said to work even if other diets have left you feeling depressed and deprived. On the other hand, carbs are restricted (about 20 grams of net carbs per day in the first two weeks, which translates to three cups of loosely packed salad or two cups of salad with two-thirds cup of certain cooked vegetables each day.) There are no exceptions to these rules during the first two weeks because low-carb consumption (no fruits and only a few leafy green vegetables) is supposed to jump-start the weight-loss biochemical activity of the diet. You're not counting calories (in fact, you may be eating more calories than you were before). Later, the carb allowance is increased in the form of fiberrich foods, but you do not return to eating refined sugar, milk, white rice, white bread, white potatoes or pasta made with the dreaded white flour. Those remain on a lifelong list of forbidden pleasures. The diet does allow for adding fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods after the two-week induction period. Then, over time, the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance is made by gradually increasing carbs so long as gradual weight loss is maintained. Exercise in all phases as part of a healthy lifestyle is now emphasized more than when the diet was first introduced. The Atkins Diet says that its eating plan can prevent or improve serious health conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. When the diet was initially introduced it did face a lot of criticism however, it has changed and improved over the years. It now promotes more lean protein, fruits, nuts, legumes, and in some cases, whole grains and healthy fats.