Essay on Comparing the Atkins Diet and the Zone Diet

Certain types of foods are permitted while on “The Atkins Diet“. Most protein foods that

It is important to manage the carbohydrate intake week-to-week (Atkins par. 7). The third and fourth phases of the Atkins diet are for maintenance phases. Dieters should avoid any foods that could possibly cause weight gain, and continue to watch the intake of carbohydrates. The intake of carbohydrates may be increased during this phase but still must be managed (Atkins par. 8). The Atkins diet has had some controversies and some successes as well. This diet is a high-fat diet and the government health agencies only recommend thirty percent of fat in our diets. The Atkins diet requires the dieter to consume much more fat than that, easily (Atkins par. 9). A success that the Atkins dieters have experienced is not only weight loss, but an improvement in health as well (Atkins par. 10). Although this diet has been very time consuming for dieters, it has had wondrous outcomes.

point. You may eat anything you desire, as long as you don’t go over your

The Zone and Atkins diets aim to achieve lower levels of insulin in the bloodstream. The Zone diet reduces carbohydrates by structuring calorie intake to a 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat ratio. The ratio decreases the amount of carbohydrates consumed, inturn lowering overall insulin levels. The Atkins diet also lowers insulin levels by lowering the quantity of carbohydrates ingested. This four phase diet begins with extreme limitation and gradually allows small amounts of carbohydrates. Though these diets implement different approaches they both reduce the insulin levels in the bloodstream.

The instructions and rules behind the diet’s principles are not hard to follow and are not complicated like a lot of diets can be. At the same time, this diet is not forcing its participants to eat much less and it is also not calling for a massive amount of weight loss, which can be unhealthy and dangerous. In my opinion, I would be able to do this diet and it would probably make me healthier. Right now, my current diet has too many unfavorable carbohydrates in them according to the Zone diet, and I definitely need more favorable carbohydrates. That being said, my protein and fat amounts would be at generally good levels. My protein consumption would be a little too high, and my fat consumption would be a little too low. With that in mind, I would definitely give this diet a try if I ever feel I need to seriously change my eating

First off, fad diets are controversial because they help with age related diseases and they give you more energy. Certain diets are considered great for you, and others not so much. Restricting your calories can protect you from many age related illnesses. Anna Sellah writes in the article “High-Carb Diet Could ‘Equal Calorie Restriction’”, “It's been long known that restricting your calories by around 40% is one way to boost your metabolic health-- the bodily processes that help protect you against diabetes and cardiovascular disease as your get older.”(Salleh) A high carb diet could be the answer to many age related health issues. Reducing calories is one of the only ways to stay really healthy while aging, even though the diet is very extreme and most people can't do it. High carb diets reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes as you age but it's still a hard diet to follow making it a fad. To find out how certain diets will affect the human body scientists try them out on mice, Anna Salleh explains, “--Mice on the high carb diet ate more and expended more energy, but didn’t gain any weight. When the scientists tried the high-carb diet on mice, it had minimal effect on their body weight and had multiple pros. After being on the high-carb diet the mice could burn more energy and still have more food without the extra weight gain. Certainly, a high-carb diet can have many positive effects on your body.

In the Atkins Diet you will be cutting out most carbs and eating low-carb. There are about 4 phases to the diet. Phase 1- cutting out almost all carbs and eating mostly vegetables for any carbs you would get that day. While cutting out carbs, you will be eating for protein. Phase 2- You are still eating the vegetables, you will start adding berries and nuts. Phase 3- Adding more foods to your diet. Adding more carbs back. Phase 4- Maintaining your weight and continuing to eat healthy.

The Atkins and South Beach diets are two popular ones at the present. Both involve limiting a person’s carbohydrate intake. The Atkins diet centers on controlling and limiting the number of “processed” carbohydrates and sugars that a person consumes. The South Beach diet does the same thing, but by cutting out all carbs and sugar, then slowly adding whole grain carbs and unprocessed sugars back into the diet.

“The Atkins Diet,” a high protein, high fat, low-carbohydrate diet was introduced in 1972 by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, MD. Dr. Atkins believed that a diet high in sugar forced the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, causing the body to store calories as fat. He believed that if we consumed fewer carbohydrates, then our bodies would produce less insulin. By doing so, our bodies would use stored fat for energy, resulting in weight loss. (1)

There are several varieties of low-carb diets out there. There's the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Protein Power, the Sugar Busters, Zone, and dozens of others. The one thing that all of these weight loss diets have in common is that rather than counting calories or fat grams, carbohydrates are counted or controlled. Consuming fewer carbohydrates will cause weight loss is the premise on which low-carb diets are based.

First, let’s look at some of the background information of low-carb diets. Also, we will look at a couple different diets and what their different phases are. A low-carb diet is one that restricts the intake of carbohydrates for the purpose of losing weight. Foods high in carbs, like sugar, bread, and pasta, are often replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fats and protein, such as meat, fish, and eggs. Other foods low in carbs, which include some vegetables and fruits, are also acceptable. It is also important to

There are many different types of diets such as weight loss diets, muscle diets, weight gain diets and much more. Many people believe that the word "diet" refers to a painful and long term process of just losing weight. In this report I will be talking about two different types of diets. The first one is a Atkins diet , Atkins diet restricts carbohydrates in your meals. Instead it emphasizes the intake of proteins and fats. The second one I will be talking about is a Lean Muscle diet. In this diet there are 2 requirements, one is that you must workout to gain "lean muscle" and you must eat more than the amount of calories you burn.

unneeded insulin due to spikes in glucose. Supporters of both the Atkins and South Beach diets claim that highly refined carbohydrates are the foods to blame, which means dieters on either plan specifically avoid starches, cereals, and most baked goods. Both diet plans instruct the user to replace the void left by the refined carbohydrates with fewer, healthier carbohydrates, such as vegetables. By keeping the body’s glucose level moderately stable, the body does not need to produce unnecessary insulin, which eventually results in weight loss. During the first two weeks of each brand of diet, the restrictions for each method are relatively identical. Although users of either diet plan are not allowed to consume any type of breads, rice, pasta, alcohol, or sugar, they

When this convergen happens the body stores this sugar as fat, resulting in weight gain over time. This allows for the consumer to choose between Atkins 20 and Atkins 40. Atkins 20 is the classic atkins diet that consists of the typical diet and is for people who are diabetic, pre diabetic or want to lose over 40lbs. The Atkins 40 is for people who have less than 40 lbs to lose, need a wider variety of food choices, and are pregnant or breastfeeding. Most people who choose to try the Atkins Diet choose the Atkins 20 plan. The Atkins 20 diet comes in phases. Phase one consists of consuming 20-25g of carbohydrates a day and strictly limits food consumption to vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, most cheeses and nuts and seeds. A person will typically stay in phase one for at least two weeks but Dr.Atkins recommends the person stays in phase one until they are within 15lbs of their goal weight. The purpose of phase one is kickstart the persons weight loss and bring them into the ideal fat burning zone (which is around 20g of carbohydrate intake a day). Phases two, three and four are built into the diet to help add carbohydrates back into the person diet without

It seems like everywhere you look there is some new diet plan making miraculous promises of weight loss through pills, plans, and formulas. The zone diet is no exception. The zone diet was developed by Dr. Barry Sears in his book," Enter the Zone" which was on the bestseller lists for weeks. The zone promises high energy, weight loss, and no hunger to those willing to follow the simple set of zone rules. It sounds great you say, but does it really work?