Fad diets pose risks

Food crazes, such as the Atkins diet, are not always healthy, USC expert.says.

Elizabeth Leitzell | Daily Trojan

link to article

Carl's Jr. has the low-carb six dollar burger, TGI Friday's and Subway have developed Atkins-friendly menus and bread companies have admitted that their sales are down. All these factors show that the high-protein diet developed by Dr. Robert C. Atkins more than 30 years ago has become a widespread craze.

The Atkins diet is based on the fact that the human body burns both carbohydrates and then fat for fuel. If carbohydrate intake is significantly cut, the body will revert to burning fat as the primary energy, resulting in weight loss.

Patricia Barber, nutritionist for USC Hospitality Services said the explosion of low-carb products and menus is about hype and does not necessarily create healthier alternatives for consumers.

The Atkins diet can be compared to the low-fat fad in the 1990s, when manufacturers and fast food restaurants created low-fat alternatives to their products, Barber said.

The fad ended as people learned that cutting fat was not effective without other lifestyle changes such as counting calories or exercising.

The Atkins diet is based on a high-protein and high-fat diet and allows for the consumption of eggs, cheese and all fish, poultry and meat products.

Certain vegetables are labeled as being lower in carbohydrates than others and are allowed after the first two weeks of the diet, which is known as the induction phase.

The diet also encourages the consumption of fat as essential to good nutrition, and encourages practices such as not cutting skin off meat and poultry and using butter instead of margarine.

Fruit, other than berries, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, dairy other than cheese, cream or butter and sugar are strictly prohibited from the diet.

Because of dietary limitations, people should remember that the Atkins diet is meant as a weight loss diet and that is dangerous for athletes because carbohydrates are needed to support an active lifestyle, said Robert Girandola, associate professor of kinesiology.

The Atkins diet does help people lose weight, but people who use the diet are using it as an easy way out, he said.

The diet caters to the sedentary lifestyle of the United States because it does not need physical activity to produce results.

It would be dangerous for active people to be on the Atkins diet, he said. The problem of carbohydrates comes from a culture of over consumption and big portions, Girandola added.

"Because people are consuming so much extra food that carbohydrate is being converted to fat," he said.

This culture of consumption combined with lack of activity is what Girandola and Barber both say is the real problem with the diet of Americans, not carbohydrates in general.

"If you don't get off your butt and you eat whatever you want you are going to have problems no matter what," Girandola said.

Barber agreed that the best bet for maintaining a healthy weight is a balanced diet.

"Don't have a high or low of anything, but have some of everything," she said.

Barber also emphasized that from a nutrition standpoint, dieting often causes more harm that good.

When certain food groups or types of food are not consumed, it creates a lowered metabolism and cuts out certain nutrients. A deficiency of foods containing calcium should especially be a concern for people on the Atkins diet, Barber said.

Some experts are also skeptical about the health risks of the Atkins diet because research into it is very young and researchers do not know what the long-term effects will be in regards to heart disease or cancer, Girandola said.

He also said that people should remember that there are more food concerns and diseases associated with meat products than any other food in our diet, and that there is a myth that our ancient ancestors had high meat diets so it is natural for us to do so too. In contrast he said that a high meat diet is a new-world phenomenon.

For now Atkins looks like it has settled in our mainstream culture, but like any other fad, it will soon fade away as something else takes over the hype, Barber said.

"We got through low-fat, we'll get through high-protein and I'm sure someone is cooking up the next thing," said Barber.

The only thing that will ever stay, she said, is a balanced diet and exercise.

"The diet also encourages the consumption of fat as essential to good nutrition, and encourages practices such as not cutting skin off meat and poultry "

I always cut the skin off my meat !!

"and using butter instead of margarine."

Now here we finally have a voice supporting trans fat acids.

danny

lolol



At least they admit its a fad



umm 3 cups of veggies a day are required on induction and most veggies are pretty low in carbs. She makes it sound like the only low carb veggies are these rare exotic type things no one has heard of.

'He also said that people should remember that there are more food concerns and diseases associated with meat products than any other food in our diet, and that there is a myth that our ancient ancestors had high meat diets so it is natural for us to do so too. In contrast he said that a high meat diet is a new-world phenomenon.'

Ok, if a high meat consumption is new, on what did early humans evolve during the various ice ages ?? Or during the winter when no vegetation grows?
My grandparents were farmers from the 1920s to the 1960s, ate plenty of natural meat and animal products, and are still very healthy at 88 and 92, respectively.

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cream or butter and sugar are strictly prohibited from the diet.
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Guess no one bothered to proof read.

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The only thing that will ever stay, she said, is a balanced diet and exercise.
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Well Duh! I guess eating fresh unprocessed food is unbalanced and Dr. A always stressed exercise.

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"We got through low-fat, we'll get through high-protein and I'm sure someone is cooking up the next thing," said Barber.
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Now that we have finally found the answer to staying slim & healthy there doesn't have to be a "next thing". Low fat didn't work. Low carb does. I wish these people would use their time to go find a worth while cause instead of bashing our WOL.

Check it again, Ghost. The article says "dairy other than cheese, cream or butter are strictly prohibited", meaning that cheese, cream, and butter are allowed, but other dairy items aren't.

"It's all about the moral superority factor".

If you dont lose weight the way I tell you to your lazy and taking the easy way out. It's that simple. Why If I had some weight to lose I'd cut it off with a rusty spoon. So why cant you see that the most painfull and least likey way to attain weight losss is the only moral way to do so. After all being overwieght is caused by an immoral action "eating" and it can only be correct by a process painfull pennence. I mean why cant you just be normaol and eat a balanced diet and exercise. Did you really think you could just lose the weight and every thing would be ok? Dont you see their's no hope, just give up. Even if you lose the weight your still going to be lazy and weak.

With persuavsive agruments like these these its a wonder why anyone would even try a low carb diet.

Its not a suprize. All their evidence is being disproven ,the only thing left is emotionally driven rants and attacks. They cant offer any real solutions. The mythical fantasy land of balanced diets"low fat in disquse" and exercises Have reigned over 30 years of massive weight gain. When some of us find a plan that really works they deride and attack. At least I know enough now to see how they try and poisen minds against low carb. Real results from real people shatter the myths that we have been living under.
The people who feel they can tell us what to eat have an ethical obligation to show how their plan has helped a magority. Instead they show us a few exceptional people that have lost weight and maintained it.
This was once considerd a radical plan. What else do you call an idea to change the eating habits of hundreds of millions. You see way back when people ate what they wanted. but their was a problem. People where getting fatter and heart attacks killed alot of people. It was decided that the goverment should tell people what they should eat to reduce these problems. Low fat food where incuraged high fat descuraged. Changes where made along the way but basically its the same message today as it was 30 years ago. Only now instead of being a radical plan its the norm. So when people now talk of a balanced diet they are taking this norm into account basicaly a balanced diet is a subjective term that refers to the acceptted eating norms IE low fat. This plan has failed. Since then obesity has become a rapidly expanding epidemic. It has been espeshily hard on the people raized under low fat. They are at a much higher risk of becoming obease than their parents. Heart deseise seemed to get better in individuel studies but not in general population. What gaines have been made since are strongly related to drug thearpies, dianogstics techniques and surgical improments.

Why do people become mentally bound to failed concepts? that is the current debate of the conventional American diet. The tradagy is that tose bound will do anything to keep people from hearing of honest alternatives. That's what low carb is, is it perfect. No. but the current model of dietitary health is so out of line with reality that defending it inteligently is impossible .The only parrallel's I draw are with the tactics of religiouse/moral doctrine and or high pressure sales/verbal bullying.
I'm sorry that the low fat movment has failed. It would have been wonderfull to have dramatically reduced obesity rates and diminished the risks of heart diesease and cancer. But facts have a nasty way of seeking out tightly held notions.
We where asked us to change the way we ate and we did. Product marketing is a good indicater of consumtion and what has untill very recenty been the trend in food. From 70's to today low fat has been the generic war cry of health. 30 years later and we see the effects. We discuss the failings of the Low fat movment and the concensus is that people just arnt following doing it right . We changed the way we thought of food ate lots of breads and ceral nearly eliminated bacon form my generation, beef and pork where ocasional indulgences the chicken always skined. We did what they said! did what they assured us was the best way to eat! and now they blame all the the failures on the people who try to follow there lead. Maybe the people following the path should be more carfull to avoid for falling of the cliff. But if most of the people are falling off maybe its that the trailblasers are marking the trail to near a damm cliff.
These experts are supposed to serve our best interest not hold onto failed solutions. They created the demon idols of fat and meat . Now they are slaves to there creation. Forgive me if I fail to show the proper fear of your totem's power but i"ve seen the light and it taste like a steak.

Roadwalker,
<<After all being overwieght is caused by an immoral action "eating" and it can only be correct by a process painfull pennence.>>

Actually it's 2 sins glutteny and sloth. And you are 100% correct. That thread runs through most anti-locarb articles.

danny