Atkins diet: What is it and should I try it?

Thu 13 April 2017 By Christian Nordqvist Reviewed by Natalie Butler, RD, LD

What is it? Four phases Atkins 40 Foods to eat and avoid Does it work?

The aim of the Atkins diet is to lose weight by avoiding carbohydrates and
controlling insulin levels. Dieters can eat as much fat and protein as they want.

Dr. Robert Atkins, an American cardiologist, created the Atkins diet in the early
1970s. It has evolved over time and now encourages people to eat more high-fiber
vegetables and do more exercise.

This article is also part of a series called What are the nine most popular diets
today?

What is the Atkins Diet?

[meat and low-carb vegetables on the Atkins diet]
Meat and low-carb vegetables are allowed on the Atkins diet.
Dr. Atkins was a cardiologist. He designed a diet that aimed to reduce carbohydrate
intake significantly.

The Atkins Diet has four core principles.

These state that the dieter will:

lose weight
maintain weight loss
achieve good health
lay the permanent groundwork for disease prevention
According to Dr. Atkins, the main reason for putting on weight is the consumption
of refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and flour.

How does it work?

When a person is on the Atkins Diet, their body's metabolism switches from burning
glucose, or sugar, as fuel to burning its own stored body fat. This switching is
called ketosis.

[The Atkins diet avoids foods with a high glycemic load]

The Atkins diet avoids foods with a high glycemic load.
When glucose levels are low, insulin levels are also low. At this point, ketosis
occurs. In other words, when glucose levels are low, the body switches to using its
own stores of fat as a source of energy.

Before eating, a person's glucose levels are low, so insulin levels are also low.
When a person eats, their glucose levels rise. This triggers insulin levels to
rise.

The glycemic index is a scale that ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100,
based on how quickly they increase blood sugar levels after eating, and by how
much.

Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and candy, contain high levels of
glucose. They are called high glycemic foods. The carbohydrates enter the blood
rapidly, and they cause insulin levels to rise quickly.

Other types of carbohydrates, such as oats, do not affect blood glucose levels so
quickly or so severely. They have a low glycemic load, and they appear lower down
the glycemic index.
Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols have a
minimal effect on blood sugar levels. According to Dr. Atkins, the best
carbohydrates are those with a low glycemic load.

To make up for the lack of vitamin-rich foods, the diet encourages adherents to use
vitamin and mineral supplements.

Using the fat in the body

If there is no glucose in the body, ketosis will occur. During ketosis, the body
will transfer some of the fat stores in fat cells to the blood to be used as
energy.

[fish and asparagus are suitable for atkins]

Fish, meat, and low-carb vegetables are suitable on the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet works on the basis that a diet that is low in carbohydrates. This
causes the body to burn more calories than it would on other diets, because it
encourages ketosis.

Dr. Atkins suggested that a person�s saturated fat intake should be kept to a
maximum of 20 percent of all the calories they consume.

For people with type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome, the Atkins diet claims to
lower, and sometimes eliminate, the need for medications.

However, diabetes specialists warn that although watching carbohydrate and glucose
intake are a vital part of diabetes care, the Atkins diet is not a simple solution
for diabetes.

Four phases
The Atkins diet has four phases:

Phase 1: Induction
Calorie consumption from carbohydrates is limited to less than 20 grams (g) each
day. Carbohydrates come mainly from salad and vegetables, which are low in starch.
The dieter eats high-fat, high-protein food with low-carbohydrate vegetables, such
as leafy greens.

Phase 2: Balancing
Nutrient-dense and fiber rich foods are added as additional sources of
carbohydrates. These include nuts, low-carb vegetables and small amounts of fruit.

These are added gradually:

25 grams is added during the first week of phase 2

30 grams during the second week, and each subsequent week until the person stops
losing weight
When the person stops losing weight, they reduce their daily intake of carbs by 5 g
until they slowly start to lose weight again.

Phase 3: Fine-tuning, or pre-maintenance

Dieters increase their carbohydrate intake by 10 g each week until they begin to
lose weight very slowly.

Phase 4: Lifetime maintenance

The dieter starts adding a wider range of carbohydrate sources, while carefully
monitoring their weight to ensure it does not go up.

The Atkins 40 plan

This version of the diet starts with 40 g of net carbs a day, instead of 20 g.
A person's sense of well-being must continue.

If the person's weight starts to go up, they should ease back on their daily
carbohydrate intake and cut out any of the new carbohydrates they have been
introducing.

Foods to eat and avoid

Foods to eat include:

[Atkins Dieters can eat avocados, as they contain healthy fats]

Dieters can eat avocados, as they contain healthy fats.
meats, including beef, pork, and bacon
fatty fish and seafood
eggs
avocados
low-carb vegetables, such as kale, broccoli and asparagus
full-fat dairy products
nuts and seeds
healthy fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil
Suitable drinks include water, coffee, and green tea.

A day's menu might be:

Breakfast: Cheese omelet with low-carb vegetables

Lunch: Chicken salad with nuts
Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables
Snacks might include leftovers, a hard-boiled egg, Greek yogurt, or nuts.

Foods to avoid
Dieters should avoid:

sugar, such as soft drinks, cakes, and candy

grains including wheat, spelt, and rice
"diet" and "low-fat" foods, as they can be high in sugar
legumes, such as lentils, beans, and chickpeas
During induction, high-carb fruits, such as bananas, apples, and grapes and high-
carb vegetables, such as carrots, should be avoided.

Does it work?
The Atkins diet aims to help prevent health conditions, such as metabolic syndrome,
diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. However, losing weight
on many diets can achieve this.

A person who continues with the Atkins diet will probably lose weight, but most
people do not continue long-term.

Studies have found that most dieters are no longer following the program after 2 to
3 years.

Researchers at Stanford University found that people following the Atkins diet
scored well on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight loss, compared with
people on other diets.

However, more research is needed to confirm the benefit of the Atkins diet compared
with other diets.

In the early phases, some people have reported adverse effects, including:
headache
dizziness
weakness
fatigue
constipation
As restricting carbohydrates causes a person's body to use up fat rather than
glucose for energy, a buildup of ketones can result. This can lead to nausea,
headache, mental fatigue, and bad breath.

People who use diuretics, insulin, or oral diabetes drugs should not follow the
Atkins diet. It is not suitable for people with kidney disease. Pregnant or breast-
feeding women should not engage in this diet.

Anyone who is considering a radical change to their diet should talk to a doctor
first.