This articles plays off the assumption that you (the reader) knows a little bit about the Atkins diet. It also plays off the assumption that you have heard some of the hype that has been going around regarding this particular diet, particularly that it works.
However, I would also like to make the appeal that you have also thought about this diet, considered it, critically analyzed it, seen it for what it is. A diet that encourages the one dieting to to live off of a diet that consists of meat and other foods with no carbohydrates. Can that be healthy?
Well, it has been said that it is. But that’s the problem, it lends itself to that problem of taking quotes out of context and propagating the notion that eating only meat and no carbohydrates isn’t bad for your body.
So with that being said, there were just a few allegations that I had seen, and some backing to refute them.
1) Experts recommend the Atkins diet.
– They do not. The Atkins diet is opposed by The American Medical Association, The National Academy of Sciences, The American Cancer Society, The American Hearth Association, and The National Institutes of Health.
2) Saturated fats don’t promote hearth disease.
– According to John Farquhar of Stanford University, “Fifty years of research shows that saturated fat and cholesterol raise LDL [‘bad’] cholesterol, and the higher your LDL, the higher your risk of coronary heart disease.”
3) Carbs, not fats, cause obesity.
– Actually this is not a well established fact, there is very little evidence to support this. Supporters of the Atkins diet state that high-glycemic-index carbohydrates which are found in many sugars and starches like potatoes and rice, or anything made from flower, actually cause you to become more hungry and crave more carbohydrates. However, “It’s not proven at all.” Says Penn State’s Barbara Rolls, “we have no firm data that glycemic index affects body weight or how full people feel after eating.”
So next time you hear that someone is on the Atkins diet, you may very well tell them that they are a candidate for heart problems and high blood pressure.
Carlos Morgan is a 22 year old Communications Major hoping to get into Law School one day and make a difference. If you feel you want to know more, check out his Google+
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