Posted by special request from a BU family member – David
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Review
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What It Is
Ever since it was introduced in the 1970s, the Atkins diet has been controversial. Critics say there’s too little evidence that a low-carb diet is effective, and that a diet so high in fat is unhealthy. Still, the diet has survived through several revisions, including the latest, The New Atkins for a New You.
This new Atkins diet is a more flexible approach that includes more vegetables, plus limited amounts of healthy carbs in its final phases. But it’s still basically a low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diet. This version includes more than 50 research papers that shed a positive light on the safety of low-carb diets (some of these studies were funded by the Atkins Foundation).
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Refined carbs — and too many carbs — may be to blame for our national weight problem, says co-author Jeff Volek, PhD, researcher and associate professor at University of Connecticut. Fats, on the other hand, are your friend, he says.
He explains: Fat is a more stable energy source than carbs. Carbs increase the production of insulin, which shuts down your body’s ability to burn fat, he says. So when you limit carbs, you reduce insulin levels and allow for more fat-burning.
“Studies show that a low-carb, high-fat plan can help you lose weight and reduce the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome along with improving triglycerides, insulin, glucose and HDL (‘good’ cholesterol),” says Volek.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What You Can Eat
On the New Atkins for a New You diet, you can forget most carbs. Butter, bacon, cream, meat, seafood, eggs, cheese, avocados, olives, olive oil, greens, and non-starchy vegetables make up the majority of your daily meals.
Here’s a sample menu for the Induction phase of the diet:
- Breakfast : 2 eggs, sausages, steamed spinach
- Snack: String cheese, half an avocado
- Lunch: Roast beef on 4 cups mixed salad, 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts, 5 black olives, onions and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette
- Snack: 10 green olives, 1 slice cheddar cheese
- Dinner: Salmon with 2 tablespoons garlic mayonnaise, 6 asparagus spears, 2 cups arugula, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers, 2 tablespoons Italian dressing
You eat mostly monounsaturated fats (olive oil, olives, avocado and salad dressings) but saturated fats from animal products are fine, too. Approximately 65% of your daily calories will come from fat (the Institute of Medicine’s Dietary Reference Intake recommends 20%-35%).
For protein, you choose from a variety of animal foods, like eggs, meat, fish, poultry, shellfish, and cheese – and there’s no need to worry about choosing lean cuts, trimming the fat, or removing the skin. Some low-carb yogurts, nuts, and seeds are allowed in the second phase.
The book states that the new Atkins diet is not a high-protein diet. But it advises that the average woman get 16 ounces of protein (112 grams, equal to a pound of meat) each day, and the average man get 18 ounces (126 grams). (The Dietary Reference Intake recommendations are far lower — 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men.)
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What You Can Eat continued…
Instead of counting total carbs on this diet, you count “net carbs,” which you compute by subtracting the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs. Net carbs are the important number, the book says, because fiber doesn’t affect blood sugar levels.
Initially, most carbs in this diet come from high-fiber vegetables (you eat 2 cups cooked non-starchy vegetables plus 6 cups of leafy greens per day).In later phases, you can gradually increase net carbs from a list that includes low-sugar fruits, tomato juice, high-carb vegetables, and legumes.
Forbidden on the New Atkins for a New You diet are most grains, dried fruits, foods with added sugar, refined carbs, juices, most snacks and sweets. Carb-free snacks, like pork rinds, are allowed.
Dieters avoid alcohol during the first phase, but a cocktail (without juice or sweetened mixers) or glass of wine can be added in later phases.
The book recommends taking a daily multivitamin and mineral with an omega-3 fatty acid supplement.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: How It Works
The plan has four phases — induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance, and lifetime maintenance. Dieters’ intake of fats and protein remains relatively steady during all these phases. But carb intakes vary from a low of 20 grams per day during induction to roughly 70 grams in the final phases.
Most dieters will follow the induction phase — the most restrictive — for at least two weeks. (You can skip this phase if you don’t have much weight to lose.)
As carbs are slowly increased in the later phases, dieters use their weight, energy level, and the absence or presence of cravings to determine whether they’re at the right carb threshold.
The book suggests that women get 1,500-1,800 calories per day and men 1,800-2,200 calories. Eating too much protein and fat could lead to excess calorie intake and thwart weight loss.
Dieters are urged to drink plenty of fluids because a low-carb diet acts like a diuretic, releasing cellular fluids that contain the essential minerals sodium and potassium.
No exercise is required, at least initially. Since your body will be adapting to burning fat for fuel, the authors suggest you wait to engage in regular physical activity until the later phases.
And during the adaptation to fat burning, the book warns, you should be prepared for unpleasant symptoms such as tiredness, leg cramps, and weakness.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What the Experts Say
The new Atkins diet’s warnings of dizziness, tiredness, leg cramps, and more should be a red flag, says American Dietetic Association spokesperson Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD.
Protein and high-fiber vegetables are important components of any healthy weight loss plan, she says, but eliminating healthy carbs goes against a wealth of scientific evidence.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What the Experts Say continued…
“This plan is a drastic departure from a healthy diet and chances are it will be so monotonous that dieters won’t be able to sustain it,” she says.
At the end of the day, calories count, no matter where they come from. When you eat a low-carb, high-fat diet, experts say, it suppresses appetite. And weight loss on the new Atkins diet could simply be the result of getting fewer calories because you’re less hungry, says Salge Blake, an assistant professor at Boston University.
She recommends diets that don’t eliminate any healthy food groups. A healthy diet, she says, includes satisfying foods like lean and low-fat protein (not high-fat protein) as well as high-fiber whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy. Not only will such a diet help with weight loss, it’s also heart-healthy and helps protect against chronic disease.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: Food for Thought
While scientific evidence has shown that successful weight loss diets can vary widely – and the jury may still be out on saturated fat’s role in the diet — many experts still believe that a high-fat diet is contradictory to good health.
Following a low-carb diet like Atkins may be an option for people who have not been successful on traditional calorie-cutting, moderate-carb plans. The diet may be suited for people who don’t metabolize or tolerate carbs well, such as those with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, says Volek.
Even so, many dieters may find living with such small amounts of carbs and large amounts of fat and protein impossible to keep up for the long term.
Before you embark on the New Atkins for a New You diet plan, you’re strongly encouraged to consult your doctor.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What the Experts Say continued…
“This plan is a drastic departure from a healthy diet and chances are it will be so monotonous that dieters won’t be able to sustain it,” she says.
At the end of the day, calories count, no matter where they come from. When you eat a low-carb, high-fat diet, experts say, it suppresses appetite. And weight loss on the new Atkins diet could simply be the result of getting fewer calories because you’re less hungry, says Salge Blake, an assistant professor at Boston University.
She recommends diets that don’t eliminate any healthy food groups. A healthy diet, she says, includes satisfying foods like lean and low-fat protein (not high-fat protein) as well as high-fiber whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy. Not only will such a diet help with weight loss, it’s also heart-healthy and helps protect against chronic disease.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: Food for Thought
While scientific evidence has shown that successful weight loss diets can vary widely – and the jury may still be out on saturated fat’s role in the diet — many experts still believe that a high-fat diet is contradictory to good health.
Following a low-carb diet like Atkins may be an option for people who have not been successful on traditional calorie-cutting, moderate-carb plans. The diet may be suited for people who don’t metabolize or tolerate carbs well, such as those with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, says Volek.
Even so, many dieters may find living with such small amounts of carbs and large amounts of fat and protein impossible to keep up for the long term.
Before you embark on the New Atkins for a New You diet plan, you’re strongly encouraged to consult your doctor.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: What the Experts Say continued…
“This plan is a drastic departure from a healthy diet and chances are it will be so monotonous that dieters won’t be able to sustain it,” she says.
At the end of the day, calories count, no matter where they come from. When you eat a low-carb, high-fat diet, experts say, it suppresses appetite. And weight loss on the new Atkins diet could simply be the result of getting fewer calories because you’re less hungry, says Salge Blake, an assistant professor at Boston University.
She recommends diets that don’t eliminate any healthy food groups. A healthy diet, she says, includes satisfying foods like lean and low-fat protein (not high-fat protein) as well as high-fiber whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy. Not only will such a diet help with weight loss, it’s also heart-healthy and helps protect against chronic disease.
The New Atkins for a New You Diet: Food for Thought
While scientific evidence has shown that successful weight loss diets can vary widely – and the jury may still be out on saturated fat’s role in the diet — many experts still believe that a high-fat diet is contradictory to good health.
Following a low-carb diet like Atkins may be an option for people who have not been successful on traditional calorie-cutting, moderate-carb plans. The diet may be suited for people who don’t metabolize or tolerate carbs well, such as those with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, says Volek.
Even so, many dieters may find living with such small amounts of carbs and large amounts of fat and protein impossible to keep up for the long term.
Before you embark on the New Atkins for a New You diet plan, you’re strongly encouraged to consult your doctor.
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