Atkins and Low Carbohydrate Diets: Not the Optimal Method of Weight Loss :: Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essays

Atkins and Low Carbohydrate Diets: Not the Optimal Method of Weight Loss In the help of today’s society where looks seem to matter more than personality, different types of diets quickly became popular. In the year 2003 to 2004 the Atkins Diet reached its peak, from its wide advertising to its celebrity connections an increasing amount of Americans focus their interest on this unusual way of losing weight. The Atkins Diet was introduced by Dr. Robert Atkins in 1972. Its purpose is to make a person loose weight by eating foods that are high in protein and lessening foods that are high in carbohydrates. When a person eats foods that are high in carbohydrates, it produces a high amount of insulin which causes the body to quickly change food into body fat. On the other hand, when the body generates low carbohydrates it produces low insulin and this causes the body to search other areas for fuel, which is fat. And when the body does not have energy source that comes from carbohydrates it will turn to another resource which is fat to burn energy. So in other words, the Atkins Diet is stating that you can eat as much food that contains fats and proteins which are mainly steak, eggs and all the other foods that are taught to be unhealthy. Therefore, one question seems to be always asked when talking about the Atkins Diet. Does it work? Low carbohydrate diets have been very controversial because it does not follow the food pyramid and many Americans are puzzled by this idea. But countless people are trying it because of the idea that you can eat large amounts of good tasting foods and still be able to loose weight. There are also other advantages such as sleeping better, no headaches as well as no joint and muscular pains. Weight loss in the Atkins Diet is also rapid compared to the conventional way of loosing weight where carbohydrates are stated to stimulate a person’s appetite that triggers to more eating which can cause breaking the rules and longer time to see results. Many believe that the Atkins Diet is too good to be true and wants to be informed of the bad side of this well known diet. With its focus on fatty foods and meats, medical experts find the Atkins to be unsafe because it limits a person from eating nutrient rich foods.