Healthy magazine is the magazine by Holland and Barrett which comes out every two months. In the Jan/Feb edition, it had a series of articles on weight loss and diets. Normally I find the magazine fairly balanced. But the "special report" in this edition moved me to send them the following e-mail:

"I was most disappointed in your special report on weight loss in the Jan/Feb edition of your usually reliable and informative magazine. You invited a dietician to comment on some recent weight-loss trends. Frankly, it would have been more credible if she had bothered to educate herself about the "trends" she was allegedly commenting on

Talking about the Atkins diet, she commented: "The diet cuts out all fruit and veg in the first fortnight for a start". Anyone who had bothered to read Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution would know immediately that this is an outright falsehood. For the first two weeks "shock tactics" Induction period, carbs are indeed limited to 20g per day. But it is expressly stated that this allows for two salads and one generous helping of vegetables. Clearly your "expert" has not bothered to do the most basic research before giving you her so-called "expert" opinion

I for one find that, since following a low-carb diet, I am eating more vegetables than I ever did when I lived on "low-fat" food as endorsed by the food industry and the mainstream experts, under whose "expertise" it is an indubitable fact that the populace has grown fatter and fatter.

I have very much enjoyed your magazine over recent years, and find it sad to see your usually high standards reduced to this level of ignorance and incorrect information."

well said on the email - I can't say that I have ever read the magazine, but I have actually given up reading anything to do with Atkins as undoubtably they get it wrong..

the induction 20g of carbs must come from mainly veggies!! I mean simple statement that is in the book and totally contradicts her.

But then since to be honest how many other things get reported wrongly - we can only spot the LC errors because we know it so well

Thanks Sylvia, good email.

There is this general concept that low carbing means no veggies. I do wish the tabloids and others would get this basic premise right. Its no wonder low carbing has a bad name if we can't eat fruit and veggies at all!!!

Great email Sylvia!

You know, I never bother picking up "healthy eating" magazines any more - they always approach low carb from completely the wrong direction, and who can blame them when we have all been indoctrinated with the low fat ethic all these years (certainly all my adult lifetime).

Please let us know if they reply!

Thanks Of course, I will, I will No sign of one so far, but I'm an optimist and live in hope