Wall St Journal: Atkins Spousal Syndrome

[GREYTSCOT]

In today's WSJ there's an article on the proliferation of Atkin's dieters and how their non-dieting partners suffer. Apparently when one spouse changes their diet to Atkins, the other continues to eat high carb but also eats high protein because of the extra protein and fat being available. Result: high cholesterol in the non-Atkins spouse!

The interesting statistic I found in the article was that nearly 2% of the American population is on some kind of low carb diet. And that many restaurants and other businesses are catering to us.

Of course, the American Diettetic Assoc. and American Heart Assoc still warn against Atkins diet because they say there isn't enough long term evidence proving its safe and effective!!

[ian559]

I cook separatly for myself and my family. Tonight I am having baked chicken and fried cabbage. They are having baked chicken, rice pilaf with vegatables and homemade applesauce. I do this alot. I still make them all the fav things they lov and then just eat my food. Since I am a chef I have cooked for people for years so the "cheat" things when cooking for otther is not ative in me. Last night they had homemade ravioli and a homemade sauce. I had a steak and a cup of spinach with butter.

[GREYTSCOT]

I wish you lived in my house! I'm a horrible cook. Your family is lucky - homemade ravioli and sauce, wow.

[Lisa N]

My DH is following low carb with me and my kids are following something closer to Atkins For Life with some higher carb foods (still minimal sugar and no transfats) and occasional treats. In other words, we all pretty much eat the same with the kids eating more fruits (and some higher glycemic ones as well), whole grain breads, lots of veggies and a treat like a homemade brownie or ice cream once in a while.

[neeam]

Interesting... in my home, me the LC-er. My wife is one of those
lucky ones who can eat a ton of carb. She does not put on weight,
but I'm sure she has hormonal issues. She has ACID problem etc..
so hard for her to give up on carb.

Initially I used to make my own food.. she quickly learned.. and
now preaching my theory to others..Oh my 2yr old son can now spell
"TODA" (Soda). Of orange soda and coke, he prefers coke.. !!!


Now we don't keep any (diet or otherwise) pespi/coke at home..

neeam :wiggle:

[danduprey]

I've wondered about this problem, didn't know there was a name for it till I saw the WSJ article. I do the cooking for myself and my SO, and have worried that the extra eggs, cream, etc. may be harmful, since RJ is not low carbing. The meals I cook include standard fare for myself, e.g. meat and salad, and/or other low carb vegetables. RJ has the same meal with a small sweet potato, or some winter squash, or even a small white potato. That's okay, I think, but the white bread lunches, while I'm at work, and the cookies sneaked from time to time, could be combining with the higher fat meals I prepare to be, well, the standard high fat high everything diet that so many of us have been hurt by. After a day at work I'm not about to cook two completely separate meals, but I guess I should be finding some little ways to reduce RJ's fat intake. Better yet, of course, if we were both low-carbing, so RJ could get off the oral diabetes medication and take off a few pounds. So far I haven't been that persuasive, though.