What is... an Atkins Diet?

Want to lose weight? Don't fear Atkins Diet is here! 

Atkins Diet is known for its low-carb diet which assist people lose weight. This diet aims to reduce consumption of carbohydrates and focuses on high amounts of proteins and fats in order to achieve optimal health.

The Atkins Diet was developed by an American cardiologist, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, in the 1970's. According to Yvette Brazier from MedicalNewsToday, there are 4 core principles and they are: 

• To lose weight
  
• To maintain weight loss
• To achieve good health
• To lay a permanent foundation for disease prevention 
  (Brazier, 2020)

(Roston, B. A., 2019)

The diet is broken into 4 phases: 

 

1. Induction Phase- 

In this phase, for about 2 weeks, individuals reduce their carbohydrate consumption to under 20 grams per day. Low-carb vegetables are mainly consumed such as asparagus, broccoli or any green leafy vegetables. Consuming proteins is also recommended such as red meats or eggs. 

2. Balancing Phase- 

In this phase, nuts and low-carb vegetables should be added back into the diet slowly. However, still avoiding foods with added sugars. According to MedicalNewsToday, the purpose of this phase, is to help individuals figure out the amount of carbs that can be consumed while losing weight.   

3. Pre-Maintenance Phase- 

This is where individual's weight loss starts to slow down. Carbohydrate intake can be increased to 10 grams each week. This includes fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grains. Individuals stay in this phase until they reach the weight, they are happy with.  

4. Lifetime Maintenance Phase- 

Here, individuals have reached their goal weight and can eat as many carbs as they like, but monitoring their weight is important as weight can be regained.

Atkins Diet is also very similar to the Ketogenic Diet, they are both low-carb diets, however, there is a main difference. The Atkins diet will slowly increase carb consumption each week, whereas, the ketogenic diet usually stays at a low-carb diet. 

 

(Woman's World, 2019)

Atkins Diet and Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG)

When going on a diet, it is important to take the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) into consideration. It consists of 5 guidelines that promote healthy eating and preventing dieases from occurring. 

"A healthy diet improves quality of life and wellbeing, and protects against chronic diseases." (eatforhealth.gov.au, 2015)  

Although, Atkins Diet is beneficial for weight loss, the diet excludes some of the main food groups individuals should be consuming.  

The first guideline is to "achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs." (eatforhealth.gov.au, 2015)

• Being active and exercising regularly will definitely help reduce weight quickly while achieving the Atkins Diet. However, the diet itself, does not promote physical activity in which individuals should motivate themselves to get up and off the couch and get active.
• The Atkins Diet assists with weight loss, hence, the diet allows individuals to consume nutritious foods. 

The second guideline is to "enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from these five groups every day." (eatforhealth.gov.au, 2015) 

• The Atkins Diet does not display the consumption of all food groups such as grains/legumes and dairy food groups. This demonstates that the Atkins Diet does not cover all food groups, disregarding the guideline.  
• Due to the siginificant reduction of carbohydrates, individuals may not achieve the right number of servings for each food group. 
• The Atkins Diet encourages individuals to consume lots of proteins and fats such as meat food groups which contribute to the Atkins Diet. Meat consumption can help provide nutrients such as iron or phosphorus which allows development of muscle strength. 
• The Atkins Diet also encourages individuals to consume lots of vegetables and during the 4 phases, fruits as well. These food groups can provide many vitamins in which help reduce risks of certain health conditions. 

The third guideline, "limit intake of foods containing saturated fats, added salts, added sugars and alcohol." (eatforhealth.gov.au, 2015)

•  In the Atkins Diet, it is encouraged strongly to avoid foods with salts and sugars. This shows that the diet is promoting this guideline very well.  

The fourth and fifth guideline, "encourage, support and promote breastfeeding" and "care for your food; prepare and store it safely." (eatforhealth.gov.au, 2015) 

• Atkins Diet may not be appropriate for people who are going through pregnancy as they may need enough consumption of each food group in order for the foetus to be fully developed and healthy. 
• To avoid any contamination and food poisoning, preparing the food safely as the fifth guideline suggests is very important.  

(Eatforhealth.gov.au, 2017)

Recommendations

I recommend this diet for only people who are looking to lose weight as that is the main purpose of Atkins Diet. It is a useful tool, especially, when it helps improve health conditions such as cardiovascular disease! Although, it can be hard for people to stay motivated and stick with a diet. However, this diet will allow people to slowly increase their carbohydrates throughout the weeks, whereas, ketogenic may be a bit more of a struggle. Hence, with the help of a bit of exercise and motivation, Atkins Diet will lower weight quickly. So have a go, it's a great and easy procedure to do!

(cdkitchen) 

References:

Gunnars, K. (2018, August 2). The Atkins Diet: Everything You Need to Know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/atkins-diet-101

Bravier, Y. (2020, January 30). Atkins diet: What is it, and should I try it? MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7379#four_phases

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020). Atkins Diet: What's behind the claims? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved May 19, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/atkins-diet/art-20048485

Roston, B. A. (2019). Modified Atkins diet may boost cognitive performance in older adults [image]. https://www.slashgear.com/modified-atkins-diet-may-boost-cognitive-performance-in-older-adults-27582026/

Woman's World. (2019). Can You Really Lose Weight on the Atkins Diet Without Starving Yourself? [image]. https://www.womansworld.com/posts/diets/atkins-diet-plan-food-list-rules-161560

Shoemaker, S. et al. (2019, June 13). What's the Difference Between Keto and Atkins?Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/atkins-vs-keto

Eatforhealth.gov.au. (2015). About The Australian Dietary Guidelines. Retrieved May 20, 2020 from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/about-australian-dietary-guidelines 

Eatforhealth.gov.au. (2017). Australian Guide to Healthy Eating [image]. https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-guide-healthy-eating

cdkitchen. (n.d.) Low Carb Eating [image]. https://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/healthy-diet/low-carb/ 

Schachter, S. C., & Sirven, J. I. (2015). Modified Atkins Diet. Epilepsy Foundation. Retrieved May 20, 2020 from https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/modified-atkins-diet