The Top Ten Myths About The Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA)
by Robert Atkins, M.D.
Myth 1: The ANA is unbalanced and deficient in basic nutrition. Fact: If "balanced" means containing large amounts of refined carbohydrates, Atkins is, in fact, deliberately "unbalanced," because it is a corrective diet. Too much insulin in the blood is the reason most people are overweight, and the best way to fix an insulin disorder is to avoid foods that stimulate insulin -- in other words, carbohydrates. Doing so corrects the imbalance that exists in the typical American diet, which typically includes between 200 and 300 grams of carbohydrates a day.
The Atkins approach, however, is not lacking in basic nutrition if done correctly. A computer analysis of a sample menu appropriate for the Induction phase shows that it far exceeds the reference daily intake (RDI) requirements set for adults for most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Myth 2: You lose mostly water weight on Atkins. Fact: It is typical of any weight loss plan, including the Induction phase of Atkins, that during the first few days, or even the first week, some of the weight loss will be water loss. However, when you follow a controlled-carbohydrate eating plan, your body switches from burning carbohydrate to burning primarily fat for energy, resulting in the loss of stored fat. In fact, research shows that even when water is lost during the first few days on a controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach, the water balance soon returns to normal and the weight loss comes from fat. The most dramatic sign of this loss is seeing the inches drop off your measurements.
Myth 3: The ANA is only effective because calories are restricted. Fact: While some of those who do Atkins may eat fewer calories than before, it is not because the program is restrictive or unduly limits food intake. They may be eating fewer calories because they are generally less hungry and less obsessed with food. On the other hand, studies show that someone doing Atkins can eat more calories than does a low-fat dieter -- and still lose more weight. For example, a study of overweight and obese teens at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York, found that over a 12-week period, those on a high-protein, high-fat diet of 1,800 calories a day lost 10.5 more pounds, on average, than those in a group eating a typical low-fat, 1,100-calorie diet. And in the high-protein group, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels dropped while HDL "good" cholesterol increased.
Myth 4: The high-protein content of the ANA causes kidney problems. Fact: People believe this untruth simply because it has been repeated so often that even intelligent health professionals assume it must have been reported somewhere.
But the fact is that it has never been reported anywhere. No one has as yet produced a study for review, or can even cite a specific case in which a diet with the level of protein that is in the Atkins plan (30 to 35 percent of calories) causes any form of kidney disorder. The only remotely related phenomenon is the fact that when someone is already suffering from far-advanced kidney disease, it is difficult for that person's body to handle protein. But protein has nothing to do with the cause of the kidney problem.
Myth 5: Fat intake is detrimental and will lead to heart disease. Fact: While you may have heard that a diet high in saturated fat causes heart disease or atherosclerosis (arteries clogged with cholesterol-laden plaque), the real villain is actually a diet high in sugar and other refined carbohydrates combined with fat. Once you eliminate the bleached flour, sugar and other nutrient-empty carbohydrates from your diet, the fat you consume in meat or from other sources is burned for fuel (through lipolysis/ketosis) and is not converted into cholesterol or other harmful blood fats. Independent clinical studies indicate that cholesterol and triglyceride levels drop significantly on Atkins and levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, rise, often dramatically.
Myth 6: Ketosis is dangerous and causes a variety of medical problems. Fact: Our bodies have only two fuel delivery systems to provide us with energy. Our primary fuel is based on carbohydrate and is delivered as glucose. People who eat three so-called balanced meals -- all with a high carb content -- every day get virtually all their energy from glucose. But the alternate backup fuel is stored fat, and this fuel system delivers energy by way of ketones whenever our small supply of glycogen or stored glucose is used up (in a maximum of two days).
When a person doing Atkins releases ketones, he or she is in ketosis, a short term for benign dietary ketosis. Ketosis occurs when you are taking in a very low level of carbohydrate from the food you eat, as you will during much of the weight-loss phases of Atkins. Ketones are secreted in the urine (and at times in one's breath) -- a perfectly normal and natural function of the body. Studies have shown that even low-calorie/low-fat participants show ketones in the urine if they are losing weight. An overnight fast will also produce ketones, a natural benign dietary process. People often confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis, which is a life-threatening condition. Benign dietary ketosis is safe and allows the breakdown of body fat for fuel, resulting in weight loss. Most people can achieve benign dietary ketosis by consuming fewer than 40 grams of carbohydrates daily.
Myth 7: The ANA causes constipation because it lacks fiber. Fact: Atkins includes fiber-rich foods such as spinach, eggplant, broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens and avocados. It also includes low-glycemic fruits such as berries. In addition, if more fiber is needed during the Induction phase, a fiber supplement is recommended. This is unnecessary in the Ongoing Weight Loss phase and beyond because more vegetables and fruits are introduced into the eating plan.
Myth 8: The ANA increases the risk of osteoporosis. Fact: Critics of the Atkins Nutritional Approach have perpetuated the myth that controlling carbohydrate intake contributes to osteoporosis. They usually cite a series of short-term studies of people consuming a protein powder that showed increased calcium excretion in the urine. But when the study was repeated using whole foods sources of protein as the source of protein, researchers found that the increased calcium excretion lasted only two weeks when excess water retention was being released and the increase loss of calcium in the urine did not mean bone was being lost. Apparently, the body adjusts to an increase in protein consumption before returning to a regular state of homeostasis.
Myth 9: Atkins will cause weakness, fatigue and a lack of energy. Fact: Fatigue may occur during the first few days of doing Atkins while the body adapts to the switch in metabolic pathways. It typically takes about three to four days for the body to convert from a sugar metabolism to a primarily fat metabolism. Your body can store carbohydrates for only up to 48 hours, so you can be confident that your metabolic switch will take place as long as you are doing Atkins properly.
After the transition, people who felt tired at first usually report high energy and clear thinking throughout the day. The explanation is simple: They have rebalanced their nutrition so that their blood sugar is stabilized.
Myth 10: There's no real science supporting the Atkins approach. Fact: There are more than 400 peer-reviewed and published studies supporting the concepts upon which the Atkins Nutritional Principles are based. In the last eight years, there have been 79 studies focusing on the ANA, all supporting the safety and efficacy of controlled-carbohydrate eating.
ANA never says don't exercise.... In fact it is often refered to a 3 legged stool, one leg the actual food, one leg is exercise and the third leg is vitamins and supplements.
To have a successful weight loss with Atkins, you must eat the approved foods, take your vitamins and supplements as needed, and participate in exercise.
Everyone always gets hung up one just the food part.
I get hung up on the supplements. I always thought that if you ate a good diet you never needed supplements. But now, everyone is saying you have to take more supplements like the fish oil and extra vit this for all these different ailments that you get.
I am exercising, not that it's any business of yours.
WOW That's a familiar smilie, for someone's supposed one and only post at Discovery Channel's message board. (Were you wearing Groucho glasses with the fake moustache while you typed that?)
Don't worry, we won't tell. Besides, I'm flattered that someone would surrender to their delusions of relevance and visit the message board of a TV show they obviously don't watch, to single out one person for an unsolicited drive-by psychoanalysis based on faulty assumptions. Thanks for making the effort!
"When a man improves himself, the surest way to measure his progress is the howls of disapproval from those who are incapable of doing the same."
I printed this and kept a copy in my glove compartment, so instead of arguing with people I just hand it to them to read. It works out great, because most people don't know that after the two-week induction phase, you should only have 7oz. of protein per meal (about the size of a two packs of playing cards) and unlimited amounts of salad vegetables (lettuce has 1 net carb per CUP). The most surprising thing of all, though, is that EXERCISE is one of the main foundations of the Atkins nutritional approach, something our soon-to-be-gone troll would never admit, even if he was interested.
That's strange; the day after I had posted the previous, I met someone I hadn't seen in a long time and they wound up giving me grief about Atkins! So I just went to my car, got out this article and ended up having a long conversation with them about it, and now they're going to give it a try! (It was all the stuff about vegetables, they had no idea they'd need to eat so many salads per day.) Very gratifying.
The latest news: after loaning them the book and having another in-depth conversation, they're going to give it a try! I convinced them that it can't hurt to cut sugar out of their diet, as well as white flour. They're not going to do induction, but that's okay, because they're only twenty or so pounds overweight anyway. They've opened their minds to the idea of "getting back to nature" a little, though, and that's REALLY gratifying.
The only problem I had with Atkins was the lack of energy that I experienced because of the lack of carbs. But generally, I try to stick with a general Atikins mindset because there is nothing wrong with not eating white sugar or flour as hard as it is not to and as often as I cheat! Also, protein is more filling than carbs. Another problem I have with Atkins is the fact that I'm on a low food budget and protein is expensive where I live (Israel).. a well... -Fishfool @ The Reef Tank
That's a familiar smilie, for someone's supposed one and only post at Discovery Channel's message board. (Were you wearing Groucho glasses with the fake moustache while you typed that?)
Also, protein is more filling than carbs. Another problem I have with Atkins is the fact that I'm on a low food budget and protein is expensive where I live (Israel).. a well... -Fishfool @ 
