Nonetheless, some good points were made in the article, which is really a cry for moderation....it is true that when you eat carbohydrates in other countries, they are not dished up in gargantuan portions- on a huge platter for one serving, but are served more like condiments...in Asian food, rice is generally brought in a small cup-size container and you serve as much as you want to accompany the main dish, which is larger. Pasta in Italy is generally a smaller dish as well, and served like an appetiser, before the main dish. The point is well taken that we have indulged in HUGE portions, highly overprocessed carbs, etc. and so our tendency to extremism/absolutism leads us to reject carbs and hence throw the baby out with the bathwater.

What the article ignores though, as does almost every writer who tries to critique Atkins, is the fact that wholesome carbs are reintroduced back into the diet once weightloss is established. I am now eating a piece of fruit every day...any sort..and after 8 months of VLC, it tastes like candy and is a wonderful, healthy treat. I am also now having the occasional small bowl of oatmeal porridge, and will start eating lentils and beans again soon, in small quantity. I have begun eating two rye cruskets a day (about 5g carbs) but see no reason to eat white rice, potato, or bread. I have allowed myself to eat some sushi though, when in a situation where this is served and it doesn't appear to have done any harm.

I think Atkins is a re-training in how to eat in a healthy manner, treating unprocessed carbs not as the enemy, but to be consumed moderately.

Val