Atkins Rumor Mill

It never ceases to amaze me how often I hear rumors about how bad for you Atkins is.

Or hear horror stories about people who 'tried' it and had worse health.

In every single case they have been because of people thinking they knew what Low Carb / Atkins was but not researching the actual program. Not reading the Atkins book and really following it.

They follow what they think the plan is based on what they hear from their friends.

Regardless what you have heard:

Atkins is not a license to eat a pound of bacon a day (in fact it should be avoided)

Atkins is not a high fat diet (it is a low carb diet)

It is not a meat only diet. You are supposed to eat 2-3 cups of vegetables per day in balance with lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish etc.

Atkins is not bad for your cholesterol (in fact it is fantastic for it)

Atkins is not hard on your gall bladder, liver, kidneys etc.

Just this week I heard of two cases of people whose cholesterol sky rocketed when doing Atkins which is near impossible if done properly and another person having gall bladder issues.

The gall bladder person told me she was eating a pepperoni and that caused it.

Atkins in his books warns about high fat foods, and all meats with nitrates are supposed to be highly limited (pepperoni, hot dogs, bacon, many lunch meats etc)

I find people latch on to the concept that you can eat red meat and take it to the extreme.

The reason that steak is allowed is it is actually lower in fat and calories than some chicken dishes but it isn't supposed to be your main food source.

You need a well balanced diet even on Atkins.

It also is not just cutting down on some carbs and eating more protein.

Also, If you cut some carbs but don't get into ketosis then your body is not burning from it's own stores so you are not doing any good and might as well had the potato.

All you are doing is adding calories and fat into your diet without providing a mechanism for removal so that can cause worse health.

You need all things working together to make the furnace burn. You must be in ketosis for the health benefits to be there.

So, if you plan on trying Atkins, again please buy and READ the book. Don't count on a friend or even this blog for your guide.

You need to know what the program is really about and commit to the program not someone's interpretation of the program.

By the way, my cholesterol is only borderline high at 203 and didn't change since starting Atkins but my triglycerides dropped from 292 to 191 and my Doctor is so happy that she is expecting to be able to take me off meds soon.