Atkins diet taking hold

BY MANDY BOLEN

www.keysnews.com

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KEY WEST -- French fries are being neglected, left forlornly on restaurant plates next to the discarded Kaiser roll that once sandwiched a burger, a boneless chicken breast or fish filet. Mashed potatoes, once the delectable comfort food when smothered in rich gravy, are regularly being replaced by, of all things, side salads.

Like cell phones that invaded daily life in America and took up permanent residency, the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet could be here to stay, and it has changed the way some people adhering to the diet's prescription for high-fat, low-carbohydrate foods are ordering meals.

"One guy comes in every day at the same time and orders two hamburger patties, no bun, no fries," said Greg Harris, general manager of Chili's on North Roosevelt Boulevard. "Other people order steaks without the bread or potato -- we probably get about four or five such requests each day."

The diet created by Dr. Robert Atkins in the early 1970s, has always been a subject of debate and controversy in the world of science and nutrition because of its cavalier recommendations of healthy portions of bacon, eggs and sausage, as well as butter, heavy cream and red meat. Many who questioned its benefits and healthfulness point to the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol, and wondered aloud how a high-fat eating regimen could make, and keep, people thin.

The diet's proponents point out the weight lost by participants, but acknowledge that the Atkins approach is not a temporary weight-loss program, but rather must become a lifestyle regimen if the participant wants to keep the weight off.

Dr. Gary Foster recently completed one of the most comprehensive studies of the diet along with researchers from Duke University and University of Pennsylvania.

Foster compared weight loss amounts of Atkins participants with the results of people following the more traditional high-carbohydrate, low-calorie approach to eating. He determined that Atkins dieters lost twice as much as their counterparts in the first three and six months, but by the end of one year, weight loss results were similar between both groups.

"Longer and larger studies are needed to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carb approaches," Foster said, acknowledging that little is known about the long-term effects of the diet on the heart.

But the millions of people seeing results on the scale and in their waistbands, are not waiting around for further studies, and are asking chefs and servers to help them in their endeavor.

The poolside grill at Atlantic Shores Resort now offers an Atkins-friendly hamburger, which is served over a bed of salad greens rather than on a bun, said bartender Rhonda Riviera.

"Oh gosh, yes, everyone's talking about the diet," Riviera said. "In every third or fourth group of people you talk to, at least one person is on it."

Riviera added that the bar also stocks the new low-carbohydrate beer from Michelob.

And diets don't end at the pool.

John Dedek, Jr. is the chef at Shula's on the Beach, which specializes in quality steaks in an upscale atmosphere.

"I have definitely noticed a trend in a lot of orders for meat only," he said. "But we're fortunate because our main-plate items are either meat or fish, and the portions are big enough to allow people to skip the potato or bread."

Dedek, himself, has been on and off the diet a few times, but as a chef in a busy restaurant, he has to taste too many items to adhere to the Atkins stipulations.

But Jo Ann Citelli, office manager at the Sands Beach Club, has lost a significant amount of weight in two and a half weeks of foregoing breads, pastas, rice and sugar.

"I'm going nuts," she said. "I want bread and potatoes, and I have to have sugar-free Jell-O at night."

But still the dieters persist, even at fast-food restaurants like McDonald's, where manager Debra Hertzog constantly takes biscuits off breakfast platters and burger patties off buns.

And Carolyn Sullivan, who is on the management end of the elegant La Trattoria Italian restaurant on Duval Street, is considering offering a special low-carbohydrate pasta for Atkins dieters, but Sullivan hasn't tried it yet and is unsure how it will taste.

"People, on occasion, will say they're trying to cut down on carbs, and everyone's talking about the diet, but we still sell a lot of pasta," she said.

Pasta and bread have become taboo for many, but for others -- vacation is vacation, and everyone deserves a break once in a while.
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This story published on Sun, Jun 22, 2003