India's diet? Advantage Atkins

ANUBHA SAWHNEY

TIMES NEWS NETWORK, SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2004 10:27:31 PM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...show/417035.cms

There's new thought for food across the Atlantic. With the low-carb, high-protein diet prescribed by Robert C Atkins in his internationally-renowned diet finding more and more followers, international food chains are tweaking their menus abroad to suit the tastes of the calorie-conscious customer. The Atkins diet is serious business out there — so much so, white-bread companies are shutting shop and pasta no longer finds favour with the American palate. Now the big question: in these times of globesity, with Atkins being the flavour of the season in Uncle Sam country, there's more than a slim chance that Heavyweight India will go the low-carb, high-protein way.

THE ATKINS APPROACH

Phase I — Induction: Restriction in daily carbohydrate consumption to 20 gm; salads and non-starchy vegetables are the primary carbohydrate source.

Phase II — Ongoing Weight Loss: Add carbs in the form of nutrient/fibre-rich food by increasing to 25 gm daily the first week, 30 gm the next week and so on. Then subtract 5 gm to maintain weight.

Phase III — Pre-Maintenance: Make the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance by increasing the daily carbohydrate intake in 10-gm increments each week.

Phase IV — Lifetime Maintenance: Select from a wide variety of food while controlling carbohydrate intake to ensure weight maintenance.

"The best part about the Atkins diet is that it actually works," says Sandhya Pandey, a dietician with Max Healthcare, "In a country such as India, conventional methods of dieting normally don't work because they require a lot of patience. Atkins recommends a low-carb diet high on proteins, which can be adapted to the Indian context quite easily, with beneficial results."

Figures reveal that the average adult Indian woman, leading a sedentary lifestyle, needs 1,800 calories per day. The corresponding figure for men is 2,400 calories. If heart disease is on the upswing in urban India like never before, "the advantage of a low-carb diet is that there is almost no weight-gain," points out nutritionist Geetu Amarnani. An example involves substituting white bread with brown bread. "While white bread is made of simple carbs which raise blood-sugar levels immediately, brown bread contains complex carbs and more fibre," elaborates Amarnani, "Consequently, a smaller quantity of brown bread is required to appease the appetite."

While a high-protein diet ensures proper growth, the body still requires fats to digest proteins. So, the Atkins diet —coupled with regular exercise — is just what the doctor orders. "Dieting is not just about losing weight, but also about keeping the weight off," explains nutritionist Sunali Vadhera, "In this context, the Atkins diet, with its emphasis on replacing rice and pasta with wholewheat bread, is popular because it follows a long line of diets such as the Zone diet, the Sugarbusters diet and the South Beach diet — all of which stress on limited carbohydrate intake. At the end of the day, it is easier to eliminate one food group than exercise more, reduce portion sizes or count calories."

Psychiatrist Samir Parikh, MD, on his part, stresses the connection between dieting and psychology. "The need to go on a diet emanates from self-image. But even in cases wherein dieting works, the person concerned tends to return to normal eating patterns and there is sudden weight gain. The plus of the Atkins diet is that weight-loss, once achieved, is maintained," says Parikh.

While the Atkins diet seems to be an option for the bulging population of obese people nationwide, there are those who doubt its efficacy in the Indian context. Dietician Shikha Sharma, for instance, does not recommend the Atkins diet. "In a warm country with a large number of red meat-eaters, Indian followers of the Atkins diet are likely to end up with ailments such as acidity. Also, a high-protein diet might not suit people with an A+ blood group."

"In certain cases, the Atkins diet needs monitoring by a doctor," says Vadhera, "The risks include colorectal cancer because of high red meat and low fibre intake; and cardiovascular disease from high protein and fat intake. It is also not the diet for those at risk from renal disease and Type I diabetes because of the extra stress put on the kidneys by ketosis, high BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and rapid weight loss. The Atkins diet might also cause more kidney stones."

The doubting Thomases might have their doubts, but most nutritionists feel that the Atkins diet can work in India. "But for any diet to work, there has to be a lifetime commitment. Once a person gets off Atkins' diet, he/she will regain the weight lost." Of course, the pluses and minuses of the Atkins diet need to be weighed up. But in the Indian context, this diet will certainly give obesity a fit-ting reply.

anubha_sawhney~indiatimes.com