Monday, August 16, 2010

Atkins’ diet menu

The Atkins diet is a high protein low carb diet which was introduced in the 1960’s by Dr. Robert Atkins. Atkins diet system claims weight loss and has noted several success stories. Dr Atkin resolved his own overweight condition and successfully treated thousands of patients on his diet plan. He popularized his diet in a book series called Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution in 1972. Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, is his revised copy with updated ideas but basic concepts remained same.

The majority will sequentially pass through this as they successfully shed their excess weight.
Supplementary diets are provided for those who cannot follow the majority route, like those with a high metabolic resistance and those with food intolerances.

Atkins’ diet menu - What can you eat on the Atkins’ diet

The Atkins’ diet menu lets you eat foods that many dieters only dream about. The Atkins’ diet plan is said to work even if other diets have left you feeling depressed and deprived.

About Dr. Atkins diet:

  • Atkins diet menu sets few limits on the amount of food you eat. Instead, it severely restricts the kinds of food permitted on your plate: no processed and refined sugar, milk, white bread, starchy vegetables, white rice and white flour. This includes cereals and pasta made from white flour.
  • The Atkins diet lets you eat foods traditionally regarded as "rich": meat, eggs, cheese, and more.
  • Atkins diet plan claims to cut down your appetite in the process.
  • On Dr Atkins’ diet, you eat almost pure protein and fat.

    You can liberally eat nutrient-rich unprocessed foods like animal flesh (meat, fish and poultry). You can have red meat, fish (including shellfish), fowl, and regular cheese (not "diet" cheese, cheese spreads, or whey cheeses). You can also cook with butter, have mayo with your tuna, and add olive oil on your salads.

Then again, carbs are restricted (about 20 grams of net carbs per day, meaning total carbs minus fiber) in the first two weeks. That translates to three cups of loosely packed salad or two cups of salad with two-thirds cup of certain cooked vegetables each day.

The Atkins’ diet menu does allow for adding fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods after the two-week induction period.

How Atkins’ diet works?

Dr. Atkins diet is predominantly based on the theory that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. Our bodies tend to burn both fat and carbohydrates for energy, but carbs are used first. However, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored body fat more efficiently by drastically reducing carbs and eating more protein and fat.

Researchers claim that, fewer the carbohydrates present in a diet, the more sustained the blood sugar level remains throughout the day. This is because sugar is always metabolized first. Craving is caused by blood sugar fluctuations aggravated by carbohydrate consumption. However, by cutting down carbohydrates, a person’s blood sugar can retain a more even level throughout the day. As a result, he or she will have no cravings and refrain from in-between meal snacks.

Also, diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates tend to increase the body’s production of insulin. When insulin levels are high, the food is more quickly turned into body fat in the form of triglycerides. High triglyceride levels appear to be one of the greatest risk factors for heart disease. You are able to cleanse the burned stored fat out of their cells, by using the fat cells for energy thus causing the dramatic drop in weight.

Atkins diet – Pros and Cons: What the experts say?

Critics of Dr. Atkins diet say that meat-heavy; high-protein eating patterns could be linked to osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, and renal disease. The great majority of experts and nutritionists maintain that Dr. Atkins’ theories still remain unproven. They are concerned that a high-protein, high-fat diet could cause a lot of problems, especially for the large segment of the population that is at risk for heart disease. Further, the. Atkins diet plan does not include a high intake of fruits and vegetables, recommended by most nutrition experts because of the numerous documented health benefits from these foods.

Dr Atkins diet pros and cons

No one can deny that the Atkins Diet is probably the most successful diet of the last few years. There are many pros and cons that could be linked to this diet.

Advantages of Atkins diet

Experts say that only benefit of the Atkins’ diet may be quick weight loss and possibly eating as much foods as desired to some people. Rapid weight loss is what motivates people at first. However since so many foods are off-limit, a high rate of the followers just drop out before reaching the fourth, maintenance level.

Disadvantages of Atkins diet

Many health experts disagree with the Atkins philosophy. They call it an unhealthy way of losing weight.

They point out that one negative allowance the Atkins diet offers is eating as much protein as one possibly can. High protein foods are also high in fats; and high levels of fats increase the levels of the “bad” cholesterol. The general fat allowance is only 30% of a person’s daily calorie intake. Dr. Atkins diet menu promotes eating as much fat as desired.

Atkin’s diet can also be taxing on the kidneys. Such high protein consumption increases the renal load on the kidneys and can be detrimental to kidney function in the long run.

However, by far the biggest disadvantage of the Atkins diet is that although the pounds may be shedding quickly, the weight levels off (returns back) over six months to one year.

If you are looking for a worthy diet plan then you can try atkins or even take the advantage of free atkins diet plan.

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