Vegetarians chew the fat over the Atkins diet
BY PATRICK WHITTLE
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/p.../402230325/1060
SARASOTA -- Whisper the name "Atkins" in a room full of vegetarians and you are sure to get more opinions that you can shake a carrot at.
"Any diet needs to become a lifestyle, and I just don't think the Atkins diet can be a lifestyle because of the heavy fat content," said Nancy Allen, 57, who coordinated the Churchill Downs Road Seventh-day Adventist Church's fifth annual Vegetarian Taste Fest on Sunday.
The event attracted more than a roomful. An eclectic group of nearly 200 wandered in for dishes such as confetti couscous from 11 to 3 at the church, generating more than $1,000 for the All Faiths Food Bank.
Atkins is a "long term health disaster," snorted Dan Bush, a hulking bear of a man serving up ladle after ladle of his "Dan's Vegan Hutspot Stew."
Theresa Jones, serving savory rice and butternut soup, said Atkins dieters often fail because they succumb to cravings for the foods they cut out of their diets.
"When we have doughnuts at work, they just can't stop," she said.
Thus goes the war of words that has erupted between vegetarians and the celebrated low-carb, high-meat nutritional regimen founded by Dr. Robert Atkins in 1989.
Atkins died April 17 from head injuries sustained in a fall on an icy sidewalk. The pro-vegetarian Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine obtained medical records showing that Atkins weighed 258 pounds and had signs of heart problems when he died.
The group sent the records to The Wall Street Journal, which reported them Feb. 10.
Atkins' widow Veronica fired back, calling the committee the "vegetarian Taliban" in television interviews.
Dr. Sera Larandelle of Sarasota, who served lentil soup at Sunday's fest, said the truth lies somewhere in between the carb–crazy and the starch–free rhetoric.
Larandelle, a doctor for the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, said a diet with less starch intake can be very healthy, but cutting out carbohydrates altogether is not.
A meat-eater who prefers vegetables, Larandelle recommends the Atkins diet for some of her patients but "as modified, because you need whole grains," she said.
Church pastor Andrew Adams, who is not a vegetarian, described the goal of the day as simply "to get people acquainted with a healthier way of life.
"What I have been taught (is) that the low cholesterol diet is preferable," he said. "The original diet that God intended for us in scripture is fruits, nuts, and vegetables."Gail Biroscak, a non–vegetarian in attendance, said she can see the perks of both the starch and protein-heavy diets.
"I think everything in moderation," she said. "Plus I can't live without my chocolate."
Last modified: February 23. 2004 12:00AM