Controversy Over the Atkins Diet Essay

In life, many people participate in various daily events and activities that help them enjoy being who they are. People may enjoy getting together with friends, going to the mall, going to an amusement park or simply finding relaxation in nature. However, a big part of everyone’s life is of course eating and many people find pleasure in doing so. Eating is a very enjoyable and delectable must for everyone but should be done so, like everything in life, in a smart and intelligent way. Being smart and perceptive when eating is a large part of nutrition.

using salad dressing the dieter needs to watch out for added sugars. For beverages “The Atkins

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

3. What is “metabolism”? What does human metabolism have to do with energy balance and body weight? Answer: metabolism- the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life. Food is measured in calories which the body processes as energy. Additional calories must be burned through exercise or physical activity or it will be stored as fat.

One of the most unhealthy diets in the world is that of an American. It is made up of processed foods and a good amount of television. America easily has the most fast food restaurants in the entire world. Leave it to McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King or any other fast-food restaurant to serve extremely cheap and even unhealthier food at any time during the day or night. ”It tastes good so why not?” That seems to be the question many people are asking now-a-days. Because it is so easily accessible and processed, it is made to be very tasty and extremely unhealthy. Many Americans find his or herself indulging on the these fatty foods of America on a day-to-day basis. While it may taste good at the time, it has a terrible effect on your body

main functions - primary energy source, fat and protein metabolism, energy reserves in stored glycogen, blood glucose fuels brain and CNS

The Medical and sports nutrition establishment are horrified by the concept of low carbohydrate and ketogenic diets. While studies are being released almost daily proving the superiority of low carb diets for fat loss, the medical establishment warns against trying them as the long term health risks are "unknown". Apparently it is a case of 'better the devil you know than the devil you don 't '.

Two friends of yours, Janine and Mitchell, join you at lunch. During your conversation, Janine comments on Mitchell’s choice of food: a small bowl of cottage cheese, a chicken salad with vinegar and oil dressing, and a glass of ice water.

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.

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.

Due to the imbalance of protein and carbohydrates, many serious side effects are linked to the weight loss plan. Ketosis, "a fasting state," is very common among high protein dieters ("The Dangers . . ."). The body lacks its

In the Atkins diet, it involves eating foods which are high in protein and fat, while limiting

This will help maintain your blood sugar stabilized and avoid carbohydrate cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you happen to be riding the wave of carbohydrate highs. After you eat, you feel great and entire. Then a few hours later, you come crashing down and are also hungrier than you were previous to eating the carbohydrate. This cycle remains and, over time, you will eat more and gain weight. The protein, fat and vegetable meals on the Atkins plan put your blood sugar back balance. They provide just enough of each one type of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The produce provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein provides the meal staying power. This combination aids suppress your appetite.

Along with the benefits of Atkins come concerns over potential harms. Several studies have shown that Atkins is safe for the short term but may have long term effects on the heart due to such high amount of fat that are consumed (?South Beach: Like Atkins?). Other critics argue that without carbohydrates, a person loses phytochemicals which are thought to protect against cancer (?Long Term Affects of Atkins?). Worries over nutritional deficits continue to persist; however, there have been no long term studies to confirm such concerns.