Atkins Nutritional Approach

The Atkins Nutritional Approach, popularly known as the Atkins Diet or just Atkins, is a way of looking at nutrition, perhaps the most marketed and well-known of the low-carbohydrate diets.

Nature of the diet

The Atkins represents a radical departure from prevailing theories. He claimed there are two main unrecognized factors about Western eating habits, arguing firstly that the main cause of obesity is eating refined carbohydrates particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrups; and secondly that saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem, and that only trans fats from sources such as hydrogenated oils need to be avoided. Consequently, Dr. Atkins rejects the advice of the food pyramid, instead asserting that the tremendous increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century, and that the focus on the detrimental effects of dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem by increasing the proportion of insulin-inducing foods in the diet.

Related Topics:
Obesity - Carbohydrates - Sugar - Flour - High-fructose corn syrups - Saturated fat - Trans fats - Food pyramid

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Dr. Atkins argued that many eating disorders are the result of hyperinsulinism, or excessive secretion of insulin which comes through eating too many carbohydrates. According to Dr. Atkins, this causes food cravings and unstable blood sugar levels, which can cause mood swings, depression, and sleeping problems. He claimed that his diet stabilizes insulin and blood sugar levels, eliminating cravings and often reducing appetite.

Related Topics:
Hyperinsulinism - Insulin - Mood swing - Depression

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While most of the emphasis in Atkins is on the diet, nutritional supplements and exercise are considered equally important elements.

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Atkins involves restriction of the intake of carbohydrates in order to switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose to burning fat (chiefly stored fat). This process (called lipolysis) begins when the body enters the state of ketosis as a consequence of running out of carbohydrates to burn. Although Dr. Atkins claimed that ketosis helped the body burn fat more easily, nutritionists are quick to point out that the body will burn stored fat for energy whenever the food energy taken in is less than that burned.

Related Topics:
Carbohydrate - Metabolism - Glucose - Fat - Lipolysis - Ketosis - Nutritionist - Food energy

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Atkins restricts "net carbs", or carbs that have an effect on blood sugar. Net carbohydrates can be calculated from a food source by subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber (which are shown to have a negligible effect on blood sugar levels) from total carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols need to be treated with caution, because while they may be slower to convert to glucose they can be a significant source of glycemic load and can stall weight loss.

Related Topics:
Blood sugar - Sugar alcohol

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Preferred foods in all categories are whole, unprocessed foods with a low glycemic load.

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