Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Important Details About The Atkins Diet

By Lee Reid

Diet has become one of the most popular methods to moderate ones weight. In addition to weight control problems, certain illnesses such as diabetes may prompt an person to observe a low carbohydrate diet. The Atkins diet is a low carb diet developed by Dr. Robert Atkins who was an American physician and cardiologist. This Atkins diet was based on a diet which was issued in the Journal of American Medical Association which Dr. Atkins himself employed to handle his obesity.

The Atkins diet which is more officially known as Atkins Nutritional Approach contradicted the existing nutritional theories of that time stating that certain unidentified aspects of western eating habits caused weight gain. Furthermore, Dr. Atkins attributed obesity to the consumption of refined carbohydrates such as sugar, flour and corn syrups that contain loaded fructose amounts. The Atkins diet works by restraining the carbohydrate consumption of the body and in turn interchanging the metabolic process of the body from burning glucose to burning the stored amounts of fat as bodily fuel. This operation which is known as ketosis is achieved by turning down the insulin levels of the body through lowering the blood glucose levels.

Four stages are included in the Atkins diet and they should be observed strictly to attain the desired results. Induction is the first step of the diet program where an person restrict their day-to-day carbohydrate ingestion to 20 net grams or fewer. This is generally recommended for two weeks and foods should only be chosen from a number of commended foods including moderate amounts of meats, fish, poultry and eggs. In addition, salad vegetables, butter and vegetable oils are also permitted in the diet. However, alcohol is banned and even caffeine is only permitted in moderation. This phase of the Atkins diet is intended to make the body rapidly go into a ketosis state and therefore, the most significant amount of weight loss can be experienced in this period of time. The other three stages of the Atkins diet such as ongoing weight loss, pre maintenance and lifetime maintenance takes on methods to gradually increase the carbohydrate consumption of the body while forestalling weight gain.

The Atkins diet has gained great popularity mainly during 2003 and 2004 despite the disputations surrounding it. According to the statistics one in every eleven adults in North America followed the diet during its peak of popularity. Nonetheless, particular scientists and researches lay claim that although the diet may aid weight loss, it may increase the risk of other diseases such as heart disease.

The Atkins diet is considered by many as one of the most effective forms of weight loss techniques. Nevertheless, as any method, it has its share of supporters and critics. - 29161

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Blog Archive