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- - Is Atkins bad? (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=140061)

It is simple. The main side effect is that you live a longer and happier life.

I look at it this way: The main things we cut out of our diets are sugar and flour. Exactly what vitamins and nutrients am I missing by not eating sugar?

None! I'm eating the good things packed with nutrition — meat, veggies, healthy fats — and avoiding the empty calories.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adkpam

When we say things like "Years ago, life expectancy was forty years old," it doesn't mean what it sounds like. It means the life expectancy averaged out at forty years, because so many people died as small children from diseases we have stopped with hygiene and immunization.
500 years ago, people still lived into their 70's and 80's and beyond... the way they do now.
The real clue is in the transition to agriculture. Type in "diseases of civilization" into google and you'll find that dental caries and heart disease started around the same time people started eating more grains and sugars.

First, I've seen plenty of studies that exclude infant deaths from calculations of life-expectancy because, as you point out, high infant mortality skews the numbers so dramatically.

Second, in addition to a correlation with widespread adoption of a "civilized" diet, 19th century and early 20th century increases in heart disease, cancer, and so forth can also be correlated with increased life-span and improved diagnosis (both as a result of advances in medical science). I'm NOT saying that increased longevity causes heart disease. In fact, that is my point: correlation does not prove causation.

The absence of "diseases of civilization" in dissimilar populations (i.e., modern v. renaissance v. ancient v. primitive) does not prove that a "civilized" diet causes "diseases of civilization." There are too many other significant factors involved.

5 years of doing this took me from being borderline diabetic and high cholesterol to having great bloodwork and energy I never had eating low fat. To me that is testament enough that this WOE is not bad for me.

Adding Fat to the fire

Just a quick note,

How you choose to execute the atkins diet is up to you. I find that I don't really like eating a lot of meat so I have had lots of fish (grilled and brushed with olive oil, sauteed in olive oil). I've enjoyed such wonderful treats as mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, spinach sauteed with olive oil and garlic, lobster (yes, I counted the carbs) dipped in clarified butter, lox, smoked salmon, etc. The fish oils and olive oil are known to be good for you. So you can choose how you do the diet. I also enjoy 4 oz of red wine about every other day...also great for the heart.

Slimcat