Page 31 - BTC Debunking the diet

Chapter 5: The Atkins & South Beach Diets

Both these diets and Banting fall into what is known as the LCHF category:
yes, you guessed it – low carb, high fat.

If you had to draw a distinction, then arguably Banting focuses on NOT having
carbs, whereas these two focus on having MORE fat – though some sources
dispute this.

Let’s start with Atkins. Like Banting, this diet preaches controlled
carbohydrate consumption, with an emphasis on fat and protein as the most
important sources of fuel for the body, together with a limited number of
carbs extracted from eating veggies. It was named after Dr Robert Atkins
(1930-2003), who was an American physician and cardiologist. Dr Atkins’ Diet
Revolution was published in 1972 when Atkins was in his 40s, and re-issued in
1999 as Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution.

At one stage in the 1960s, Atkins was himself a bit of a fatty (I, Rob, can relate
). He decided to follow a low-carb diet as prescribed by Alfred W.
Pennington, based on research Pennington had done during World War 2,
and saw a drop in weight. He then parlayed the science into a fortune.
Ironically, he died in 2003 after slipping on some ice in New York and hurting
his head. He was in a coma and never recovered. He had a heart attack in
2002 and he had a history of heart attack, congestive heart failure and high
blood pressure. His wife refused to allow an autopsy.

Atkins has been criticised for being a fad diet, with little scientific evidence
to suggest that restricting carb intake is any more effective over a longer
period than looking at the psychology behind overeating, or poor eating.

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This booklet © 2019, Rob Rodell, all rights reserved.