For centuries now, we are taught that a diet that is low in fat and high in carbohydrates helps in loss of fat and also would decrease the risk of chronic diseases.
The Journal of American Medical Association has recently published a low-carbohydrate diet as a way to cut down those extra fats and there has been substantial evidences enclosed for the same too. The study done at Stanford University Medical School provides more support to this diet. 311 randomly selected women who are obese and overweight were suggested this very low carbohydrate Atkins diet, the moderate carbohydrate diet, the traditional high carbohydrate diet and extremely low fat diet.
When the results were compared, the women who were following the Atkins diet had lost more weight than any other women following any other kind of diet. Apart from this, there were absolutely zero side effects and some have observed that there has been significant improvement in blood lipids in the women who followed Atkins diet.
Now the question is whether relatively high intake of saturated fat is healthy for the body or not. Well, when on look at the effect of saturated fat on the body, then one needs to consider the intake of carbohydrates too. However, recent studies show that when carbohydrates are replaced by fats, the good cholesterol levels increased and the bad cholesterol levels have come down. Which mean, relatively high intake of saturated fats has got good effect on blood lipids only when it is combined with relatively low intake of carbohydrates.
While on Atkins diet, the effect of high protein consumption is not yet established study. Ideally speaking, higher protein consumption would preserve muscle mass and provide satiety during dieting. However, there are cases when patient with kidney diseases are restricted on protein intake.
The reason for this is not yet known.
The other biggest misconception is the effect of Atkins diet on brain. Many wonder if this low carbs diet would affect brain cells. Well the answer is a big no. Our body can quickly adapt to the low carbohydrate diet and can make all the glucose it needs from other sources. It is also observed that during a low carbohydrate diet, the brain does ketone body metabolism and thus displaces glucose utilization, which means, the brain derives most of its energy ketone bodies when the body is placed on a low carbohydrate diet.
The key point in Atkins diet is to keep the carbohydrates intake at a very low level. One might have to choose only low glycemic and high fibre carbohydrate sources like vegetables for better results. This should be combined with adequate intake of proteins in every meal. Also include vitamin and mineral supplements in your diet to avoid any kids of B complex deficiencies. Remember the most important thing to do is to drink lots of water and other calorie free fluids during this diet apart from intake of adequate amounts of potassium and sodium.
