Atkins for Life Review

True confessions. I had dismissed Atkins as a total hoax, especially when a 51-year-old friend developed serious osteoporosis (T-score -2.5) after a few years on the diet. But the Atkins diet is so pervasive I knew I had to understand it to do my job well. Now, having read Atkins for Life, I've learned there is a lot that's positive about Atkins' approach. Still, I'm convinced there are better ways to get the benefits of Atkins without its downsides.

As you're no doubt aware, Dr. Atkins' basic premise is that we've all been eating too many carbohydrates, especially refined white flour and sugar. Replace most of those carbs with more fat and more protein, says Atkins, and you'll lose weight.

Contrary to popular opinion, Atkins is not a "no carb" diet. Even in its strict initial "induction" phase, Atkins allows 3 cups of salad greens or 2 cups of greens plus 1 cup of chopped non-starchy veggies like brocolli or red peppers. (Remember—fruits and vegetables are carbs!) Gradually, you increase carbs in your diet until you discover your individual Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium™ (ACE)—the level of carbohydrate consumption at which you will not gain weight.

It's true that much of the rise in American obesity and diabetes can be pinned on our enormous consumption of refined carbohydrates. Your body turns carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar) to fuel your body. Too much glucose too quickly and your body is overtaxed; your pancreas must pump out excess insulin to rush the excess glucose out of the blood stream (and into your fat cells). If you eat fewer carbs or limit yourself to whole unrefined carbs that transform slowly into glucose, you'll go easy on your pancreas, avoid diabetes—and stop feeding your fat cells.

That's mainstream nutrition science. But what's the best way to limit your carbs? Dr. Atkins uses a concept he calls net carbs. From the carb count of every food, he subtracts any fiber and sugar alcohols (maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, etc.), arguing that these types of carbs do not spark insulin production and fat storage. It's true that different carbs have a different effect on your blood sugar. The 23 carb grams in a cup of rice krispies will cause a much quicker rise in blood sugar than the same amount of carbs in a half cup of lentils. It's essential to your health to understand how to distinguish "good carbs" from "bad carbs."

Counting net carbs, however, is a tedious and difficult way to sort the good from thebad—unless you're conveniently eating "Low Net Carb" products sold by Atkins Nutritionals or carrying around the net carbs chart from the back of an Atkins book. Food is meant to be enjoyed. If you learn and follow the basics of good nutrition, you should not have to count calories or net carb grams or otherwise obsess about food.

That said, I agree with the late Dr. Atkins on many other tenets. Always eat whole grains, not refined grains. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and vary your selections as much as possible. Omega-3 fats are essential, as is the balance between Omega-3 fats and Omega-6 fats. Choose foods low on the glycemic index. Transfats (hydrogentated oils) are killers and should be avoided. Atkins explains all these key concepts fairly well, although his shilling of very artificial processed low-carb products from Atkins Nutritionals doesn't square with his whole-foods pitch.

So in general, Atkins espouses good, wholesome food. It's just in very strange proportions. The Atkins diet, which has a reputation as "high-protein," is in fact a high-fat diet. Beyond saying that most people should eat only 45-100 grams of "net carbs" each day, Atkins never explains his overall division of the food pie. Yet a random analysis of the recipes in this book (I counted every third one, skipping non-dish recipes like mayonnaise) shows he's recommending a diet that's about 59% fat, 23% protein and 18% carbohydrates.

It's safe to guess that Atkins wouldn't be so popular if it were advertised as an extremely high-fat diet. It's true that Americans are unnecessarily fat-phobic, and that healthy diets contain a generous dose of good fats. (Walter Willett, for example, recommends a diet of about 35-40% fat, 15-20% protein and 45% carbohydrates.) What's worse, Dr. Atkins says there's "absolutely no need to avoid foods that contain saturated fats"—claiming that these fats are benign or even beneficial in the context of a low-carb diet. This seems risky and unfounded to me.

Better to Just Eat Good Food—my personal mantra. If you cut all the processed junk from your diet, you're left with a huge, delicious universe of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs, nuts, and seeds. You can lose excess pounds and maintain a healthy weight by simply eating the good stuff, without counting carb grams or calories. I know. I've been there and done that.

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Review © 2003 Cynthia Harriman.
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