South Beach states in the book - Chapter 1, I think - that it is NOT a low carb diet.

That said, the Atkins Diet has gone from being completely trashed and condemned, to taking his ideas and research and presenting it as "something new with adaptations". Protein Power, CAD and others are ones who I see as having arisen from Atkins. And now even not-low-carb plans are using it to start. I just wish Dr. A. had lived to read all the studies that are proving him right after all.