Pros and Cons of the Atkins Diet

With the sudden boom of the dieting fad, several kinds of diets started to clog the market with their promises of weight loss in a period of time. One of the first diet programs to enter the market is the Atkins Diet, which is based on the book by cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins, “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution.” The book got so much buzz that it remained in the New York Times Bestseller List for five years. This is quite an achievement in the publishing industry.
 
The Atkins diet is based upon the notion that lessening the intake of carbohydrates can help lower weight. The diet focuses on meals that are protein-rich but low in carbohydrates. According to the diet program, by cutting down the carbohydrate content of a person’s meal, the body will compensate and will begin to use fats as alternative resource for energy. So far, the atkins diet has enjoyed considerable success, having helped millions of people worldwide.

Many have claimed to have achieved rapid weight loss because of the program. And because there is much emphasis on protein-rich food, dieters are actually allowed to eat foods that they like such as beef, chicken and fish. Unlike other diet fads which actually prescribes a prepared set meal that one should avail of, atkins diet allows dieters under the program to choose their meals. And because the meals are prepared at home and not delivered like other diet programs, the fees that they have to pay is considerably less.
Despite this, there are some misgivings about the effectiveness and the safety of Atkins diet. Many believe that cutting down on the intake of carbohydrate and eating enormous amounts of protein-rich food will cause problems in the body.

Low carbohydrate diets like the atkins diet may work for a short period of time but using the same method for longer periods can cause considerable mayhem in the body. Some experts also refute the claim that fats are being burned when carbohydrates are not taken in. According to them, two to three weeks in the plan will not burn large amounts of body fat. What the person will actually lose is a lot of water weight.

A diet like the atkins diet which centers on high protein meals will actually leave people tired and very irritable. And because, there is much loss of water, they will also suffer from constipation as well as the lack of vitamins and minerals. Some physicians also believe that continued adherence to the program will likely lead to heart disease, kidney dysfunction, osteoporosis and colorectal cancer. It can also cause bad breath, nausea and headaches during its initial stages.

Still much debate is still going on about these theories. Nothing has ever proven yet either pro or against the atkins diet. In fact, as stated by the Mayo Clinic, it is quite impossible to say whether these kinds of diets work and if they are safe because there is no research yet being done about its long term effects on the heart and how it increases the risk for other heart ailments and even cancer.

Experts are also questioning the way the diet encourages people in the program to take in or consume saturated fats while vegetables are more or less ignored. The high protein low carb diet cuts down a lot of nutrients that can be found in some carbohydrate-rich food.