Digest Number 587

[Guest guest]

One excellent recent critique of the Atkins diet can be found in " The Food

Revolution " by John Robbins. I can't say it's unbiased--he's the founder of

Earthsave and a leader of leaders in the carrot-head world. He is the son of

American ice cream mogul Robbins of Baskin-Robbins fame who gave up his

inherentance to preach a kindler, gentler, healthier lifestyle. But his

arguments are extremely well referenced and persuasive.

 

There are very few books I consider a MUST READ, but this is one of them. I

haven't met anyone yet who can read his books and still eat meat. I don't preach

vegetarianism...I just hand this book to people. Someone handed me Robbins'

first book, " Diet for a New America " 12 years ago and I never ate meat again.

 

In the " Food Revolution, " John Robbins goes into various " Weight Loss Programs, "

including the Dr. Atkins Diet, Barry Sears' Zone Diet (and) Eat Right for Your

Type Diet. Following is a quote concerning the Atkins Diet:

 

" Atkins says, 'My diet will correct most of the risk factors for heart disease.'

But a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found

quite the opposite. People who followed the Atkins Diet for 12 weeks showed

significant increases in LDL ('bad' cholesterol) . . . indicating markedly

increased risk for heart attacks.

 

" There's a strange irony to the Atkins story. Atkins said in 2000 that he had

been on his own diet for 36 years . . . yet Dr. Atkins himself is so overweight

that he exceeds the upper limits of weight recommended by federal guidelines. "

 

In " The New Food Revolution, " you will find equally interesting information

concerning the " Zone Diet " and " Eat Right for Your Type Diet. " Robbins also

repeats much of his animal-friendly prose that appear in his earlier book, " Diet

for a New America. "

 

 

Here are some more more quotes I found at " organichealthandbeauty.com " about the

Atkins diet:

 

" This is absolutely the worst diet you could imagine for long-term obesity,

heart disease, and some forms of cancer. If you wanted to find one diet to ruin

your health, you couldn't find one worse than the Atkins. " -James Anderson,

M.D., a Professor of Medicine and Clinical Nutrition at the University of

Kentucky School of Medicine

 

" Dr. Atkins has NEVER published ONE study in ANY Medical Journal. The one study

Dr. Atkins funded found that on the Atkins Diet, 70% of people became

constipated and 65% develop bad breath. " Dr. Dean Ornish at the Great Nutrition

Debate, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2000. Dr. Westman was present and did

not dispute this finding.

 

" The adverse health impacts of excessive meat-eating stem in part from

nutritionists call the 'great protein fiasco'- a mistaken belief of many

Westerners that they need to consume large quantities of protein... Among the

affluent, the protein myth is dangerous because of the saturated fats that

accompany protein in meat and dairy products. Those fats are associated with

most of the diseases of affluence that are among the leading causes of death in

industrial countries: heart disease, stroke, and breast and colon cancer. " -

Worldwatch Institute

 

" Ketosis is an indicator used at the Atkins center as a marker for whether a

person is staying on the diet... The important thing is that you are in

ketosis. " -Dr. Atkins

 

" Consequences of extended ketosis include muscle breakdown, nausea, dehydration,

headaches, light-headedness, irritability, bad breath, kidney problems, and

increased risk of heart disease. " - American Institute for Cancer Research,

" Fad Diets Versus Dietary Guidelines " (1999).

 

" People lose weight on the Atkins Diet, because they are consuming fewer

calories. Dieters eat an average of 1,500 calories a day, and even less during

more restrictive phases... patients felt tired and were nauseated on the

plan...We're not recommending this diet to anyone. " - Allen Green, Director of

the Bassett Research Institute in Cooperstown, New York, 2000.

 

 

 

This will be a good litmus test of your date's open-mindedness! Good luck!

 

-Valerie

 

PS. I mistyped 'dairy' as 'diary' twice in my last post. Oops. Geez, I'm an

editor, too.

 

 

 

 

 

Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now