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10 Questions and Answers on Atkins Diet
by A.M.Sall
1.
What is Atkins Diet?
Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced
in 1972, is strictly focused on limiting carbohydrate
consumption.
That is why it is called a
low-carb, high-protein diet or sometimes simply
a low-carb diet, together with other diets such
as South Beach Diet, Power Protein Diet etc...
2.
What are carbohydrates, and where can they be
found?
Carbohydrates provide your
body with its basic fuel, very much like a car
engine and gasoline. Glucose goes directly into
the cells, which convert it into the energy they
need.
There are two types of carbohydrates:
Simple carbohydrates (also
called "sugars" on food package labels):
glucose, fructose and galactose are referred to
as monosaccharides. Lactose, sucrose and maltose
are called disaccharides (they contain two monosaccharides).
Complex carbohydrates ("starches"),
made up of chains of glucose molecules, which
is simply a way plants store glucose.
Starches can be found in great
quantities in most grains (wheat, corn, oats,
rice) and things like potatoes and plantains.
Your digestive system breaks
a starch back down into its component glucose
molecules so that the glucose can enter your bloodstream.
A complex carbohydrate is
digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates
because it takes longer to break down a starch.
Complex carbs can be either
high in fiber such as broccoli or low in fiber
such as bananas or potatoes.
But carbohydrates are not
the only substances the body uses: it also needs
proteins and fats.
3.
What are proteins and where can they be found?
A protein is any chain of
amino acids. Carbohydrates provide cells with
energy, proteins provide cells with the building
material they need to grow and maintain their
structure.
Protein can be found in both
animal and vegetable foods. Most animal sources
(meat, milk, eggs) provide "complete protein":
they contain all of the essential amino acids.
Vegetable foods usually have
few or none of the essential amino acids. Example:
rice is low in isoleucine and lysine.
Some vegetable sources contain
quite a bit of protein -- things like nuts, beans,
soybeans, etc. are all high in protein.
4.
What are fats and where can they be found?
Fats are also an important
part of our diet. Many foods contain fat in different
amounts. High-fat foods include dairy products
like butter and cream as well as mayonnaise and
oils.
There are two kinds of fats:
saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fats are normally
solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fats
are liquid at room temperature.
Vegetable oils are the best
examples of unsaturated fats, while lard and shortening
(along with the animal fat you see in raw meat)
are saturated fats.
We can further distinguish
the unsaturated fats between polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated. Unsaturated fats are currently
thought to be more healthy than saturated fats,
and monounsaturated fats (as found in olive oil
and peanut oil) are thought to be healthier than
polyunsaturated fats.
Fat is necessary because:
the only way to get certain fat-soluble vitamins
is to eat fat, your body has no way to make certain
essential fats, so you must get them in your food.
Another reason is that fat
is a good source of energy, in fact it contains
twice as many calories per gram as do carbohydrates
or proteins. Your body can burn fat as fuel when
necessary
5.
How can I loose weight by reducing carbohydrate
consumption?
Atkins diet and other low-carb
diets are based on the theory that certain carbohydrates
have a greater impact on blood sugar levels than
others.
So you count these carbs.
They are the ones that matter. To figure out the
net carb count of a food item, you need to identify
the carbs that don't have a high impact -- those
from
fiber and sugar alcohol, and subtract that total
from the overall carb count
Just regulate your blood sugar
levels (from carbohydrates) and you'll be able
to better regulate your appetite... and your weight.
Therefore, say Atkins diet
proponents, the culprits are carbohydrates and
there is nothing wrong with eating as much meat
as you want!
What you should do is restrict
carbohydrate consumption, specially starchy foods
such as bread, rice, corn etc..., except for what
they consider as "good carbohydrates"
such as high fiber vegetables (broccoli etc...)
According to them, the energy
we need should be taken from proteins, and sometimes
fat, but as few carbohydrates as possible, hence
the name: low carbohydrate diet..
6
. What else does the human body need?
Mainly vitamins and minerals.
These can be found in various foods, fruits, etc..It
seems the "Standard Western Diet" is
deficient in vitamins and minerals. This has led
to the creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.
7.
Is Atkins diet efficient?
Anybody can note the simple
fact that cutting back on carbohydrates works,
at least for a quick drop in body fat and body
water.
However, for most dieters
the problem is the long-term effects on the body
due to such a drastic reduction in carbohydrates.
Whatever Atkins diet proponents
have said, this remains a real problem and people
like those at South Beach Diet have tried to solve
it by introducing carbohyfrates after the 14 days
initial phase.
8.
What about the "fat makes you fat" theory?
According to Anthony Colpo,
one of the most articulate of the Atkins diet
defenders:
"Some folks have been
so inculcated with the simplistic "fat makes
you fat" theory that they just cannot believe
a diet high in fat can lead to a loss of bodyfat.
The fact is, high fat diets
can result in spectacular fat loss - as long as
carbohydrate intake is kept low. Eat a diet that
is high in both fat and carbohydrate and your
bodyfat
percentages will head north real quick! "
9.
Does Atkins diet cause coronary heart disease
(CHD)?
On May 26, 2004 A Florida
businessman filed suit against the makers of Atkins
diet.
The man claimed as a consequence
of following the low-carb diet, he suffers from
severe heart disease, necessitating angioplasty
and a stent
One of the fiercest opponents
of Atkins diet, the Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine (PCRM) President Neal Barnard, M.D, said
that the diet proponents "push dieters
to avoid healthy foods, like rice, beans, and
pasta, while ignoring the risks of high-cholesterol,
high-fat meat and cheese. The idea that cholesterol
and saturated fat don’t
matter is a dangerous myth.”
But what does the other side
say? As expected, we hear a totally different
story.
Here is Anthony Colpo's take
on the CHD issue:
"A low carb diet based
on paleolithic food choices, that is, a diet based
on free-range animal products and low carbohydrate,
low-glycemic plant foods, fits the bill quite
nicely. So go ahead, eat your steak and salad!"
10.
Are there any other health risks?
In additon to CHD - coronary
heart disease - Atkins diet has also been blamed
for a number of other "atrocities",
such as: colon cancer, impaired kidney function,
osteoporosis, complications of diabetes, and to
cap it all: constipation, headache, bad breath,
muscle cramps, diarrhea, general weakness.
A few quick answers to some
of these accusations from Anthony Colpo:
Kidney disease: "Bodybuilders
and strength athletes have been consuming high-protein
diets for decades. Given the widespread global
participation in these activities, if the claims
of kidney damage were true, by now there would
be an enormous number of case studies of ex-bodybuilders
and strength athletes afflicted with kidney disease,"
which is obviously not the case.
Osteoporosis: "a low-carbohydrate,
high fat, high protein diet is a far better choice
for building strong bones than a low-fat, high-carbohydrate
diet."
A.M. Sall
invites you to cash in on his 30 years experience
as a professional medical translator and say goodbye
forever to all your Health, Beauty and Wellness
problems!
http://www.health-beauty-wellness.com/10.htm
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