The Atkins diet is a controversial low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss and lifetime maintenance. The diet includes protein and fat at each meal, and restricts your low-fat dairy, fruit, vegetable, grains and beans. The diet may help you lose weight, but it may be bad for you in the long term. Talk to your doctor if you need to lose weight.
Essential Nutrients
Atkins recommends a daily multivitamin and mineral dietary supplement to meet your needs, but you may get additional benefits when you get your vitamins and minerals from healthy foods instead of pills. Atkins may be bad for you because it eliminates or restricts many nutritious, carbohydrate-containing, foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains. In addition to essential vitamins and minerals, MayoClinic.com states that whole foods may provide components, such as phytonutrients or antioxidants, that dietary supplements do not have.
High-Fat Diet
The Atkins diet plan is high in fat, with at least one serving at each meal, and you can control whether it is healthy or unhealthy fat. Saturated fats are unhealthy for your heart because they raise levels of bad LDL cholesterol in your blood, and Atkins can be high in these fats if you choose meat with visible fat, poultry with skin, high-fat cheeses and butter. Atkins is healthier if you stick with unsaturated fats, such as from olive or canola oil. Fatty fish and shellfish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and oysters provide heart-healthy omega-3 fats, and these protein foods are allowed on your Atkins plan.
Weight Loss
Regardless of what approach you use, losing weight if you are overweight can improve your health. The Atkins diet may be good for you if it helps you lose weight from body fat. MayoClinic.com states that a low-carbohydrate diet, like Atkins, may help you lose weight from body fat because the high protein and fat content of the diet may decrease your hunger so you eat less. Atkins states that you should lose about 2 lbs. per week during the main weight loss phase of the diet. Atkins may be bad for you if you get bored with the limited food choices and return to your old eating habits so you gain your weight back.
Long-Term Health
The Atkins diet may be bad for your health if you use it for a long time. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, diets that are high in animal protein, such as Atkins, may lead to weaker bones over time. Atkins is low in fiber, since you are limiting high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains, and this may raise cholesterol levels and increase your risk for constipation. MayoClinic.com notes that potential risks of Atkins include some types of cancers, but not enough data are available to decide conclusively.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Low-Carb Diet: Could It Help You Lose Weight?; May 2010
- Mayo Clinic; Atkins Diet: What's Behind The Claims?; May 2009
- Atkins; Phase 1: What You Can Eat in This Phase; 2011
- Atkins; Phase 1: How to Do Induction Right; 2011
- Atkins; Phase 2: What You Can Eat in This Phase; 2011
- Atkins; Phase 3: What You Can Eat in This Phase; 2011
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